The Story of Eddie Roberts-Speaker

We have a lovable 3-legged Sheltie named Eddie. He is 8 years old and lost his front right leg in a car accident when he was about 4 years old. We just adopted him last year in August of 2004. My husband was at a yard sale and came home and suggested that I go check out the wares. We both returned to see what "scores" we might find, and we met Eddie, who belonged to the people who were having the yard sale. We both instantly loved the dog and were more interested in him than in the items for sale. We chatted with the family who mentioned that they would shortly be moving across the country. Although I had never owned a dog before, my husband had and we had lately been discussing getting a dog. I spontaneously asked it the family needed a home for their dog (who was so charming and adorable), and they said they did but that they had quite a few offers from other people who had expressed an interest in taking him. I gave them our phone number, just in case, and said that if things didn't work out with the others, we would be interested in adopting their dog. Two months of the summer went by and we did not hear back from the family. I said to my husband "I guess those people must have found a home for their dog" when lo and behold we received a phone call from the family who said they had been thinking about us and thought we would be the best people to take Eddie. We were thrilled to accept. We can't imagine our life without him.

Last December he had to have rather invasive surgery on his remaining front paw due to a foreign body that had been lodged in there prior to when we adopted him. Upon his first few nights home from the hospital, I slept on the floor with him. We had one of the snowiest and coldest winters in history last winter and we had to shovel out a labyrinth in our backyard so that Eddie could "do his dance" in the backyard (the one he does before going to the bathroom). The good news is that the surgery seems to have been successful and he is able to hop along with us on our walks around the neighborhood.

We have two cats whom we adopted from a shelter. Our Siamese cat, Rama, loves Eddie and wants to be around him all of the time. Sweet Pea, our long-haired calico, tolerates Eddie. Nonetheless, all three of our animals coexist in relative harmony and like to sit all together in our living room with us at the end of the day.

Eddie gets around really well and all of the children in the neighborhood love him. One of our neighbors, a fifth-grade boy, calls him "Eddie the Three-Legged Wonder Dog!" Some people say to us "that was so nice of you to adopt him, he's lucky" - we say "we're the lucky ones!"

Thanks for your fun website!

Hope you enjoy the attached photos.
Cynthia Roberts and Jon Speaker
North Smithfield, Rhode Island
Sunday October 09, 2005

Love and Appreciation for Eddie Roberts-Speaker

July 11, 1997 -January 5, 2007

Eddie came to live with us through divine providence.
One day in June of 2004 Jon and I were at a yard sale at Eddie's home.
We learned that his owner would be moving to Arizona at the end of the summer. We were so taken with Eddie that we spontaneously offered to take him if she were to need a home for him. Eddie's owner appreciated the gesture but let us know that numerous other people had already offered to take him, and that we were "seventh in line."

We gave our phone number on a little piece of paper just in case her other arrangements were to fall through, and two months later in August we received a phone call from Eddie's owner stating that she would like us to have Eddie after all. She said she had thought about us and decided that we would be the best people for Eddie. We were surprised that she had held on to our phone number over the summer and that we were chosen to be Eddie's new parents.

What we didn't know at that point in time, but would soon discover, was not only would we be the best family for Eddie,
but that Eddie would be the best dog for us.
He came into our lives like an angel sent from heaven
at a time when we were in need of great comfort.
Eddie came and gave us the opportunity to love and care for him.
He captured our hearts as we fell in love with his sweet and gentle ways.

We learned a great deal from Eddie, who never ever complained, not even once. He was very adaptable. Eddie adjusted to a new home, to life on three legs, and eventually to a new family configuration when Kai entered the picture. Although Eddie had a challenging time getting around on just three legs, he was always game for anything.
He was friendly to everyone and always had a cheerful disposition. He had a spark that cheered everyone who met him.
Eddie loved us unconditionally and we loved him unconditionally.

The children in our neighborhood also loved Eddie.
One little neighbor, Connor, fondly called him "Eddie the Three-Legged Wonder Dog." Our neighbors, Mike and Caroline, would take care of Eddie when we went out of town. Eddie loved going to their house, and in fact sometimes walked up onto their porch when we went for neighborhood walks. Caroline was always ready with a treat for Eddie.

Rama and Sweet Pea, Eddie's feline brother and sister loved him, too. Rama especially loved to curl up with Eddie and purr.
Eddie wasn't so crazy about this, but he tolerated it.
Sometimes when he'd had enough, he would give Rama his "werewolf face." But, it didn't fool Rama who knew that Eddie was a big marshmallow. We know that deep down inside all three of the animal siblings were glad to have each other's company, especially on days when Jon and I would be at work all day.

Both Jon's family and mine had special places in their hearts for Eddie - especially the children. No one who met Eddie could deny what a sweet and good-natured dog he was.

Eddie loved chasing the tennis ball, trolling for crumbs under the dinner table, sitting on the front porch watching people go by, sitting under the picnic table in the back yard, barking at the mailman and the ringing telephone, putting his head on our leg to be petted, riding in the front seat of Jon's truck, sleeping at the foot of our bed, running in circles on the porch when I came home from work, and lying in the kitchen to keep us company while we made dinner.

We are going to miss taking Eddie out in the back yard in the mornings and evenings and watching the stars as he did his "poop dance," taking him to Halliwell School for walks, brushing his fur, feeding him his fish oil and Benadryl pills at dinner time, throwing him Frisbees and tennis balls, feeding him treats,
putting on his sock and paw pad before walks,
drying him off with towels and the hair dryer after walks in the rain,
lying on the floor with him, going for rides with him in the car, especially to Wickford and the Coffee Exchange on Wickenden Street, and carrying him up the stairs for the night.

Mostly we will miss cuddling with him; he was irresistible.

Eddie, wherever you are
we know that you know how much we loved you
and we are grateful for the privilege of having been your parents
for the brief two and one half years that we had you.
Although you have passed from this earth, you will remain in our hearts forever.

Long Live Eddie!

Cynthia Roberts
Tuesday January 9, 2007

Hi....I am a psychiatrist in Ventura County...and for the past 12 years have used my labradors as therapy dogs in my office......I recently adopted an awesome labrador....named Soldier... from Best Friends Animal Society in Kanab, Utah. Click onto the sentence regarding Guardian Angels, then click onto Soldier and his adoption, his biography, his Journal ......do I qualify?

Thanks,
Colleen Copelan, MD
Monday October 17, 2005
Click Here October 10, 2005 : From Kristi's journal:

Well, Soldier went "home" this weekend to Colleen Copelan and Ron Thurston, both MD's of Somis, California. Their psychiatric practice is in Ventura. Soldier is their 10th dog. They already had nine Labs and one Newfie, all a variety of ages and personalities. Some are trained in agility, all are certified therapy dogs. Who knew that Soldier's experience living with nine other dogs at my house would prepare him so well! Of course, those nine were all pretty small! He was used to going to work at the clinic meeting volunteers and visitors, so his life's routine will be similar. This home and lifestyle was better than I ever dared to hope for him! An incredible life for such a special dog and my private dreams for Soldier coming true.

Click Here Only two good legs and a "flop walk"? That’s not enough to slow down this tender-hearted dog. Soldier's name really suits him because this darling has been a strong survivor. Born with a deformity, he only has three complete legs, and one of those three juts out strangely at the shoulder. Lots of dogs run around just fine with only three legs. Most of the time, you wouldn't even notice! But because one of Soldier's remaining legs is also awkward, he has to do more of a "flop around" than a walk. Yet, despite it all, he is the most friendly, instantly affectionate dog you could hope to meet. But Soldier's story of survival goes beyond just being warm-hearted through his physical trials. He was originally found tied to a tree and abandoned. And if that's not bad enough, the tree was at a shooting range! Not a very safe place to be bound and left. But Soldier was rescued from that plight, and is now at Best Friends, where not only have his friendly ways earned him the title Mr. Popular, but he's even gotten help from guardian angels. That's right. Thanks to our members, Soldier has a new set of wheels! And with his cart, he's learning to walk just like any other dog for the first time in his life. Imagine how that must feel. Check out his progress!
Click Here

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