Hudson – The Great Pyrenees

Although I have had dogs my whole life, Hudson is my first experience in the world of Tripawds. We had sheep when I was growing up and we had working dogs. We also always had 2-3 companion dogs as well as multiple cats, horses, hamsters, lizards, snakes, birds…you name it, it probably lived in our large farm kitchen at one point in time. When I was in my late teens, I adopted an abused Pyr and absolutely fell in love with the breed. I wound up breeding and training three litters before I started physical therapy school. After working in physical therapy for about 10 years, I started a gym designed specifically for people with both mental and physical disabilities. After losing our dog, Ollie, to oral cancer last year and seeing how despondent my older Sheltie was after losing her companion of 10 years, I started contacting rescues to see if I could find a Pyr that could be a friend to my Sheltie, Sadie, as well as one who could be a service dog to take with me to work as an encouragement to clients who were dealing with different disabilities. I finally heard back from a rescue about 3 hours away from me saying they had an adoptable Pyr, but they didn’t know if I would want him because he was in the process of having his hind leg removed. Well, that was a PERFECT fit and what better encouragement for those with disabilities than to see a dog with a “disability” that was all about living life to the fullest.  Hudson had been acquired somehow as a puppy by an animal collector with several dozen other cats and dogs. From the information we received from the shelter, he had been kept in a very small plywood crate most of his young life. He had somehow managed to dislocate his hip sometime in his first year of life and it was never cared for. By the time he made it to the rescue, his hind leg was completely internally rotated and 3 inches shorter than any of his other legs. They estimated that he’s between 18 mo and 2 years old and figured that he had not been able to use his leg for over a year. He was in terrible pain but still such a sweet and easy going dog. I was able to pick him up 10 days post op and and he was still so stressed by everything in life. He spent the first week at our house lying in his bed, refusing to eat and not wanting to walk on any hard surfaces that he might slip on. We weren’t able to put any booties on him as he was extremely wary of anyone touching his feet. After he started settling in, he blossomed! He still has some residual issues from his past but he is the most loving and forgiving creature that you could ever hope to meet. He starts his first obedience class on Sep 15th and the plan is to get him fully certified as a service animal. For now, he comes to work with me to hang out with many of my clients with physical disabilities and he is an amazing example to many of us of how you can not just survive a traumatic event but thrive with the right attitude! I love that dog!!