Our home is blessed with two tripods and we really seem to generate excitement. Our family (Daddy-Greg, Mommy-Windy, Daughter-Baby, Son-Rufus) has been in the newspaper and on a local newscast.

I guess one might say Greg and I live vicariously through our children. Our story starts with three healthy Rotties.

When Rufus turned four he began turning in his left front leg and limping. One of Greg's best friends, John Shaw, is our vet and after months of medicines, tests, and guesswork, Rufus was diagnosed with nerve cancer.

Amputation was our only option and we knew John would be available for house calls if something went wrong. The very same day Rufus had his operation at the University of Tennessee Vet School he was up trying to hop around.

He adapted immediately and seemed to feel better without the painful leg. Within the next three years both of our other Rotties died from old age and Rufus was alone for the first time ever.

In a few months we noticed he seemed lethargic and lazy.
John suggested we adopt a dog as a playmate for Rufus.
He jokingly challenged us to find a three-legged dog in need of adoption. Greg and I had never adopted a pet or owned a dog that was not a purebred. The challenge was on and we used the Internet to find a three-legged dog in need of a loving home. One night we saw a hound mix amputee who had been shot and left for dead.
Thankfully, Noah's Arc, a no-kill shelter (a vet did the amputation) took her in and nursed her back to health.
Baby spent seven months living at Noah's Arc
and even though everyone one loved her personality,
her disability made her hard to adopt out. We adopted her that week and she made our family complete. Rufus and Baby are so happy and full of life!

Greg and I are so blessed to walk in the door and have our little tripods waiting to be loved and nuzzled.

I can't see our lives in the future without a tripod
and I am sure we will continue to adopt dogs in need.
Thanks for this club! The pictures and stories are wonderful!!

Windy & Greg Clayton
Thursday April 20, 2006

Hi-

Meet Desi, my miracle dog- a three legged Pomeranian that is the most well adgusted, happiest, affectionate, adorable dog on the planet! (I know, you must hear that all the time!)

He had a broken back leg when I met him (only 18 months old) - he had been dumped. I took him to get it set and discovered that it had been broken so long that the bone had grown together. After a month in a metal brace with pins through his bone to try and straighten his leg , it began to curl up and my vet thought he would be better off without it.

I was a basket case over it, but Desi was young, happy and has a great attitude and has fully recovered- he has realigned his body and doesn't even limp. We go to off-leash hours in a large park in Brooklyn, NY every day and he runs around and plays, along with my other 2 dogs, just like everybody else.

People rarely notice - he's so furry!

He is the joy of my life- we have so much to learn from dogs!

Best regards, Adriana and Desi

Tuesday May 2, 2006

UPDATE:

Hi Cassie and All Others with 3 legged wonders- Here are a couple of photos showing Desi as a member of the club- he recently got a summer haircut, so now his missing leg is more obvious.

I did hear a story of how he came to have a broken leg- he was left with someone who had no idea of how to care for a dog. He fell out a second story window while being chased by the woman's grandchildren. No one was willing to get him the medical attention he needed because of the expense.

A real shame, because if his leg had been set in a timely manner, even a week or two later, he would have been fine.

But, on the other hand, then I never would have met him!

Best regards, and thank you so much for your website!-

Adriana and Desi
Wednesday May 3, 2006