The following is a letter I sent out to my agility list. Another totally, supportive dog family of mine!!! 🙂
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To Northeast Agility Enthusiasts Competitors – Greenfield, MA Trial
I just wanted to let everyone know by the use of the NADAC list to hopefully contact everyone how much I appreciated the “welcome back” this weekend after a 10 month hiatus from agility.
During the morning briefing on Saturday, Erin told us there would be a new award given out in honor of Chester and Yola – Erin Wadja and Lynn Smitley’s now deceased first agility dogs. As Erin was speaking of this new award, I started thinking about my first agility dog, Maggie, who is still with me today but as of yesterday, has been a Tripawd due to soft tissue sarcoma on her left rear leg, for eight months now. It was a rather tough road for Maggie and I during her recovery to say the least but she is well now albiet lacking a lot of stamina and a leg. She is a fighter through and through, not wanting to leave this world with me yet!
Then as soon as the thought of my own first agility dog popped in my mind, Erin stated that she wanted to welcome me back from my long hiatus. I was extremely touched and then I was even MORE touched as many competitors then took off one shirt to then show another with a drawing of Maggie on their shirts from www.tripawds.com that I belong to!!!! Unbelieveable….I looked around behind me and even more people with my beloved Maggie on their chest – as a Tripawd!
As Saturday continued, I was in tears many times watching people run their own dogs with Maggie hugely displayed on their t-shirts. Maggie wasn’t there with me physically but she was everywhere I turned that day! I especially loved seeing her run courses again 🙂
I wanted to just publicly thank everyone that bought a t-shirt in honor of my dog, Maggie. What a hugely touching gesture you all did for me and what you did in support of Tripawds.com as well for purchasing the t-shirts from them. I found Tripawds.com two months after Maggie was amputated and I had dearly wished I had found them before and during her amputation. I felt scared to death of what I was about to do my first dog, my first agility dog, amputate her leg. Would it be the right decision and what/how would I treat her cancer and all the anxieties that seem to come with the recovery of Tripawds. I am grateful for the Tripawd family and I am also sincerely grateful for my extended agility family.
Thank you all…you left me speechless and in total awe! I want to also thank Claudia MacGuire for giving a donation to Tripawds.com in honor of Maggie for their current fundraising event to help “Keep the Lights on in the DogHouse”. An amazing couple, Rene and Jim run Tripawds, started it as they owned a 2 year osteosarcoma survivor Tripawd, Jerry, the founder of Tripawds.com. If you ever get a chance, come on over to the forums and the website and peek around. I hope none of you ever have to deal with cancer and amputation in your dogs but if you do, may your first source for information(after your vet of course) be Tripawds.com! And I have NO connection with the site other than grateful of their support and educational resources, in my journey with Maggie as a Tripawd.
