I would like to tell you about my dog Dasher.

When he was about a year and two months old, he developed a limp in his right front leg. After a few days the limp did not get any better, so I took him to the vet, who prescribed him some anti-inflammatory drugs and told me to make Dasher rest for a few days and if the limp didn't get any better, to bring him back in for X-rays.

Of course, a few days later the limp was worse, so Dasher had X-rays.
Even the vet was shocked to view the results.

After running through a long list of possible diagnoses he let me know that it was possible - although extremely unlikely - that Dasher had bone cancer.

I took Dasher to another vet, who basically said the same as the first vet, but instead of saying "let's wait and see," he did a bone biopsy.

The biopsy was viewed by two separate pathologists who both agreed that it was not cancer, but a bone infection.

After a month of heavy antibiotics, Dasher's leg was just more swollen and painful than ever, and the vet decided it was best to amputate before the "infection" spread.

He also decided that maybe we should have the entire leg biopsied to make sure it wasn't cancer.

Dasher had his right front leg amputated in early December 2006 and I was so impressed by how well he did! When I went to pick him up from the vet, I thought someone would need to help support him as he walked, but he ran from the back, pulling the poor vet tech behind him, and JUMPED on me! He was so happy to be free of that painful leg.

A week after Dasher had his leg amputated, the vet got the results back from the final biopsy; it turns out that Dasher actually did have bone cancer.

Dasher passed away on February 27, 2007 at exactly a year and a half old.

But I am so happy that his final weeks of life were painfree and happy.
Although he had three legs, he did just as well as he ever did on four.
He would chase the ball until he collapsed, wrestle with his sister and even continued to go to doggie daycare and the dog park on a regular basis.

Dasher was a wonderful dog, he was my best friend and constant companion.

I will always miss my Big Boy, but I have many wonderful memories that will keep him alive in my heart forever.

Roseanne Baird
Sunday July 15, 2007

Nearly 2 years after he was taken to the Evergreen Animal Protective League to be euthanized, Kandu the dog has a new home with a family near Steamboat Springs, Colorado.

The Rogers have given the Jack Russell Terrier special devices to help him get around, ski and serve as an inspiration to people.

The 10.5 pound dog, whose previous owner thought couldn't have a good quality of life because he was born without his two front legs, now serves as a therapy dog as part of the Heeling Friends Program. Kandu visits hospital patients to give them hope.

"He's just joy," said Melissa Uchitelle-Rogers. "That's all he is, he's just pure joy."

CBS4 first featured Kandu in November 2005 when he arrived at the protective league. Melissa and her husband Ken were the couple selected to adopt the energetic dog after more than 100 applications and interviews.

"I feel an obligation to give him everything I can give him," said Ken Rogers.

Kandu now mostly moves around on a specially designed set of wheels that weigh 6.5 pounds.

"It's almost instantaneous from 'oh, what happened to your dog,' to 'oh, that's so cool,'" said Melissa Uchitelle-Rogers. "Look at what he can do and such a neat thing to see."

Kandu doesn't seem to know that he is different from other dogs.

"Here's his mono ski," said Ken Rogers. "It's a great device, weighs less than 2 pounds, wax up the bottom of it, flies down the hills, has a great time on the mono ski."

Kandu wears a sleeve from an old sweatshirt to protect his chest in the snow. Ken is now working on something for the water so Kandu can swim. And there's more.

"We saw a busted up baby-buggy down at the second hand shop at Oak Creek," Ken Rogers said. "So we picked it up and I think it might be good for his next device, his off-road device."

Kandu recently was in the Steamboat Springs 4th of July parade.
He also has t-shirts which are for sale on his Web Site. All the money benefits Heeling Friends and the Evergreen Animal Protective League.

Tuesday July 24, 2007