TulsaPets Magazine September 2023

28 TulsaPets • September / October 2023 His confidence bolstered my spirits, though it did not completely override my concern. But what choice did we have? We’d figure out how to help her through it. I gave the OK to go forward with complete amputations of Precious’ back leg. While waiting for the she-did-great call signaling a successful surgery, my brain was envisioning what life would look like for my physically handicapped dog. I pictured myself lugging her from place to place. I even started searching online for dog wheelchairs that might fit a short, stout canine frame. Maybe we could modify a skateboard for her. Soon the call came that Precious was in recovery and doing fine. She would be ready to leave the hospital around 4:00 p.m. Jim, my partner in life and in dog toting, would join me to pick her up — literally, I thought. Displaying Amazing Adaptability We arrived at the hospital and received very thorough care instructions for Precious’ leg … or lack thereof. Then we waited anxious- ly in the lobby for them to bring her out. Would someone carry her? Would she be on a stretcher? And then I heard it. “Come on, Precious! Let’s go, girl!” Slowly but surely, and with a lot of cheer- leading by the hospital staff, my still groggy bully girl walked to the lobby. Jim and I were shocked. And that’s when the thought hit me for about the millionth time in my caninecentric life. Dogs are so amazing. I don’t know why I was surprised that my tough little dog was able to walk unassisted mere hours after an amputation. Our home has been a haven for several special-needs dogs through the years. At present count, we have four deaf dogs and one blind dog. And you know what? They are all not only surviving but thriving. I think the key is that dogs don’t overthink things. Our deaf dogs don’t realize they are supposed to hear. We have taught them hand signals, and we all communicate just fine. Oh, sure, it might look as though I’m bring- ing a small plane in for a landing with my exaggerated gestures as I’m calling the dogs in from the yard, but it works for us. The bonus is that they are not afraid of popping fireworks or booming thunderstorms. Our blind dog, Radar, lost his vision very early in puppyhood, so that’s just his reality. He has no idea that the rest of us can see. And as long as we don’t move the furniture around too much, you might not even no- tice his handicap. Radar uses the dog door with ease. He plays with toys. He wrestles with the other dogs. He cruises around the yard with confidence. He even navigates the stairs to the second story without missing a beat. I swear he counts the steps and knows exactly when he reaches the landing. I’ll say it again — dogs are so very amazing. Navigating the New Normal And now our little house hippo is navigat- ing her way through what a human might find to be a life-altering turn of events. She went to sleep with four sturdy legs. She woke up with only three. Sure, maybe she stumbled a few times as she figured out her new normal, but there was no physical therapy, no prolonged recovery. There wasn’t even any downtime beyond a long nap following anesthesia. Precious just hopped to it and figured things out. Now, instead of the former shuffle-shuf- fle-shuffle-shuffle sound of her footsteps, it’s a new trademark shuffle-shuffle-bounce. She has mastered the dog door. She even surprised us by making it up the stairs by herself. Although the steps that lead up to the prized position on our bed are a bit too steep, she has perfected the art of putting her front paws up on the foot of the bed to do the stare-your-human-awake trick. Of course, one of us is always quick to help her secure prime mattress space. And in a defining moment of glory, I even saw her race through the yard with the other dogs to bark at some unseen threat outside our fence. Oh, sure, she was at the back of the pack, but that’s where she came in with four stubby legs too. In her mind she took the gold — and in my mind too. Keep hopping along, Precious. We can all learn a thing or two about resilience from you and our other handicapable dogs. Have I mentioned that dogs are simply amazing? Undaunted, Precious navigates life on three legs. After her second cancer surgery, Precious crashes — but only temporarily.