A Tripawd Who Knows No Limits
By Kay, Jim, and Bruce Ward
At the age of 12, our dog Paige lost a leg due to cancer. She lived 3 more active years as a tripawd before passing away in 2017. We were heartbroken! She had survived Parvo as a puppy, tumor removal at 10 years old, and then a front leg amputation at 12. She was a treasured family member! Once our hearts were ready for another dog, we knew we wanted to adopt a tripawd! We did an internet search stating “3-legged dogs for adoption in Virginia” and a photo of a dog named Bruce was the top search result. It turned out Bruce was a stray rescued from India!
When he was 6 months old, he was hit by a car in India which resulted in a broken leg so severe that amputation was necessary. Then Kannan Animal Welfare in India did an incredible job of treating and healing Bruce. They have an absolute devotion towards caring for animals! Once he was healthy, Operation Paws for Homes partnered with Kannan Animal Welfare and brought Bruce to the United States. We adopted him in March 2019 and since then he has traveled over 7,000 miles by car- the Petrified Forest; Grand Canyon; Standin’ on the Corner in Winslow, Arizona; Joshua Tree National Park, California; Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; and Corolla Beach, North Carolina. We had traveled extensively with Paige and trips lost their joy after she passed away. We no longer had our faithful 3-legged sidekick on our journeys.
Enter Bruce. Bruce makes traveling such an entertaining experience, it’s the “hey, look over here”; “this place has amazing smells”; “I want to say hello to those people”; “quick hurry, I think I can catch that hermit crab before it goes into the hole”; “if we wake up early we can watch the sunrise”, he’s all about the new adventure! Bruce also made numerous friends on our trips that loved hearing the story of his rescue. He became a poster-dog for strangers that we met on the joys of adopting a ‘handicap’ dog. We found with our first tripawd that the only limitations for a 3-legged dog are the ones humans put on them and Bruce is a perfect example of taking what you are given and making the best of it, he knows no limits.
Bruce is silly, quirky, and very animated. Whether we are at home or traveling, he keeps us entertained with his antics and always makes us smile. A stressful day is erased when Bruce greets you at the door with his happy wigglebutt and body language saying “you are my favorite person on Earth.”
Operation Paws for Homes and Kannan Animal Welfare are dedicated to rescuing dogs in need. We are so grateful for this 3-legged street dog from India! It is painful to look at the photos of his filthy, broken body on the streets of India but we also know that those excruciating days led him to two remarkable rescue groups and eventually to us. He is so loved!
