Rocky joined the pack about year after my beloved Daisy passed. I was generally opposed to getting another dog for some time after she passed away, which is completely unlike me. But Charlie seemed lonely for canine company and eventually I warmed up to the idea. The search began for the dog who would win the doggie lottery and join the ranks of the most spoiled dogs on the planet.

Rocky easily won that contest, and had me standing in line to meet him early one Sunday morning waiting for the shelter to open. This dog clearly had been unlucky in the hands of his previous owners who abandoned him in the apartment that they were vacating. He spent several days alone there completely stressed out and in severe pain from an injury to his front left leg that forced him to walk on his knuckles.

But he would be lucky twice in the next month. First in being found and taken to a no-kill shelter that is well known for high standards of care. They fixed him up – part of which involved amputating the leg that could not be saved – and made him available for adoption. He got lucky again when I saw him on their Facebook page and I knew I had found my next dog. He would join the pack and I would give him the best life a dog can have.

This shelter has a first come-first served policy on adoptions, so I had to get to him before anyone else could claim him. Now I was the lucky one, and got there early enough to be first. I’ve had all kinds of dogs with all kinds of issues, but Rocky would be my first amputee, or tripod, as they are often referred to in the dog rescue arena.

I’ve learned a lot about tripods since adopting him but could not anticipate how much he would inspire me to live more fully each day. Like most tripods, the missing leg is a non-issue for him. He has adapted to it physically and mentally, and goes about his doggie days with complete abandon. Any time I’m ready to quit, or just don’t want to get going, I turn to Rocky for inspiration. There is simply no room for excuses with this scrappy go-getter around.