Hi hoomans! (That’s a greeting from Tattoo.)

My dog Tattoo came to live with me 6 months after my senior 4-legged dog, Tyler died. Tyler was 19 years old. I was so sad, and I swore I’d never get another dog, because, well, you know: no other dog would ever be as amazing as Tyler was.

Enter Tattoo: A shiny black retriever mix, female, 40 pounds, and five years old. But when I looked closely at her, I could see scars all over her body. And even more upsetting were the fresh wounds that were stapled and sewn shut. My eyes kept looking at Tattoo’s rear, left leg. It was in a bright pink cast, but the leg hung in an odd way. Something was terribly wrong. Tattoo had been attacked by another dog. She was shaking and terrified. She was afraid to even go to the bathroom. She was in a depressed state of mind and in physical pain.

I took Tattoo out of a dangerous situation where she faced severe physical and emotional trauma.

As most of her physical wounds began to heal, Tattoo’s emotional state was still very broken. After consulting with an orthopedic veterinarian, Tattoo and I received some devastating news: Tattoo’s leg could not be saved. The infection was too deep and disarticulated bones could not be repaired. Her left, rear leg would have to be amputated.

I forced myself to not cry, because Tattoo could pick up sadness in people so easily. So I faked being okay with this decision. And in the long run, it was the best decision for Tattoo. Looking back, if I  could travel back in time and give myself one piece of advice, I would say, “Everything will really and truly be okay. Tattoo is a little warrior and she will master being a 3-legged dog.”

And that is exactly what happened. Tattoo had her staples removed about 2 weeks ago, and she truly is rocking being a TriPAWD! In the end, I decided I would rather mourn the loss of Tattoo’s leg, than mourn the loss of Tattoo.

Tattoo’s pink cast