It’s Thanksgiving, which means it’s time to clean up my act and find out what WRD really stands for. Hint, it’s NOT Wyatt Ray Dawg!
I always thought my initials, WRD, were for my name: Wyatt Ray Dawg. That would make sense, right?
But apparently, during the pawliday season, WRD stands for something else. And I don’t like it one bit. I thought all that swimming I did last summer counted as enough bathing for a lifetime. But mom and dad had other ideas.
Wash
Rinse
Dry
Life is ruff when you’re a dawg during the pawlidays. It’s all about being clean when you go visiting, right? How totally exhausting!
From me, Wyatt Ray Dawg, and my people: Hoppy Thanksgiving to you and your pack! May all the turkeys get pardoned, like my feathered friends in Montana.
Poor Tripawds Spokesdawg Wyatt. He had to sit out this year’s Colorado musher dog camp out after arthritis surgery.
“Wyatt, you need to see the dogtor in Colorado,” Mom said to me after I went skydiving. So I went along with her idea, because I am a good dawg and know the drill. Like I really have a choice right?
“Mom, you’re smothering me again.”
What she didn’t tell me was the dogtors were going to stick a big fat needle in my leg to help with my arthritis problem.
“Hey that needle hurt!”
And as if that wasn’t bad enough, that I would need to do more couch surfing for like three weeks!
More couch surfing, more Tripawd arthritis surgery healing. Fun.
Worst of all, I had to sit out this year’s Colorado musher dawg camp out! Yeah that’s right, my Odoroloc pals and me got to hang out in the mountains again. But when they got to run run run for training time, I had to crack the whip from the side lines.
There was no racing for me this year. Not cool, mom. I want to mush too!
“Aww come on I want to go!”
What was cool was when TC did her annual blessing of the team to kick off the season. I got a bit of Odoroloc magic from Team Angels sprinkled on me, along with some of Spirit Jerry too. Now I’ve got more guardian angels than ever!
Look out, I’ll be faster than ever next year!
I hope the team has a blast in Alaska this winter. I’ll be back running with them next fall, just wait.
Tripawd Wyatt gets to know the Canadian Cancer Hero Terry Fox, and how much he did to raise awareness of cancers like osteosarcoma so that a cure can be found and no more Tripawds lose their leg to the disease.
I am a Tripawd but I did not lose my leg to cancer the way lots of yous did. I know, too many, right friends? Amputation is ruff enough but cancer? Well, it bites. I know, because my predecessor Jerry G. Dawg had it. Osteosarcoma, to be exact. He’s been gone almost 10 years now, but my parents still get tears in their eyes just thinking about that damn disease. So when we were flying south from Alaska and leaving Canada, they made sure to stop at a very important place along the way, kinda like to honor Jerry. We stopped at The Mount Terry Fox Provincial Park.
What? You mean there’s more to the Terry Fox story?
Meet My Canadian Cancer Hero Terry Fox
You know how lots of people see a Tripawd and they go “Hey that dog only has one leg!” Of course we have three, but all they see is that one missing leg. We’re lucky that way. We have spare legs. People who lose a leg to a cancer like osteosarcoma are not as lucky. They must make do with one leg, and face life head on in a way most of us can’t even imagine. The Canadian hero Terry Fox was one of them.
You kids may not remember who he was, but you need to know and I’m just the dawg to tell you. Heck, my mom and dad were just little punks when the world met this one-legged hero. But they do remember hearing the story of this Canuk’s courage and bravery. In 1980, Terry was only 18 years old when doctors told him he had osteosarcoma. They took his leg. But they didn’t take his life.
Even the smoke couldn’t hide Mount Terry Fox.
The kid didn’t let cancer get him down! Just like us Tripawd dawgs! He knew he had to do something so more people like him didn’t suffer from the disease. But what could one person, with just one leg do? Well, he showed the world exactly what!
“I’m ready, let’s go hike it!”
On April 12, 1980, Terry started an epic run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. On. ONE. Leg! Dude, not even a Tripawd could do that!
Nobody knew who this hero-in-the-making was (hey this was before Facebook, remember!). But by the time he ran 143 days and 3,339 miles across the country on his “Marathon of Hope,” the world knew they were looking at greatness. Later, Hollywood even made this movie about him.
Sadly, Terry didn’t get to finish the run. Cancer. Lung mets. I don’t have to tell you the rest of that sad story.
But it wasn’t the end of Terry’s legacy when he died at age 22. Nope. The Terry Fox Foundation got started. Look what he did! One man! He raised money to get the ball rolling and today that non-profit is one of the best, most successful cancer research foundations. Whether for pets or people, the foundation is doing all they can to help scientists all over the world find a cure to stop cancers like osteosarcoma.
“Don’t give up on a cure, remember Terry Fox!’
As Sheriff Wyatt Ray, I’m ordering ya to learn more about the Terry Fox Foundation and support their efforts, got it? Because I want a cure. WE want a cure! And WE don’t want one more Tripawds member to suffer because of that disease, right? Not. One. More!
And now back to my regularly unscheduled misadventures . . .
Tripawds Spokedawg Wyatt found the perfect place to spend summer in Alaskanada, way in the cool north. Join him on his summer adventure!
Oh Canada how I love thee! Hey Alaska, you’re not bad yourself either! Thank you for a long, cool summer, it’s just the kind of weather a dawg like me prefers.
I like this glacier thing.
From the Yukon to the coast and everywhere inbetween, I couldn’t have asked for a better summer. There is water everywhere up here!
Give me water, hear me roar!
Every chance I got I went for a swim. Cool water? Who cares, if the sun’s out, I’m game! The only problem with all that nice water is . . . MOSQUITOES!
See the black dots in the photo? Yes my friend, those are the legendary Alaska mosquitoes swarming around me! As big as a house fly and completely indestructible. Scary beasts aren’t they? I was not happy when mom took this picture.
Can you see the giant Alaska mosquitoes? I can!
Of course being a three-legged dog, mom takes it easy with me. My hikes are pretty short and I only swim for a few minutes at a time (like maybe 5 laps), then rest for a few minutes.
Water is my friend. Mosquitoes can’t get me there!
When you’ve spent your whole life on three, that’s how it goes. Can’t be too careful right? Well that’s what she says anyhow.
As for me, well I know I can make as good a pack dawg as any. If I were around in the gold rush days I’d be right there with this pup, helping out the sad old miners.
Where’s my pack? I’m ready!
I wish I could stay up here all year. This is my kinda place. But mom and dad are already telling me it’s time to go.
But Mommm, I don’t want to leave!
They said something about going back to Colorado in a few weeks. I’m glad because I like it there. But I also heard them say “When he sees the VET.” I’ll pretend I didn’t catch on to their ploy.
Keep on truckin’ Tripawds Nation, I hope you are having a good season.
Postcards from Tripawds Spokespup Wyatt Ray. See how a Tripawd German Shepherd stays cool and has fun in the North Country of Alaska!
Up up and away we went and finally, we made it to Alaska!
Alaska, here I am!
Technically, the bottom photo is where we made it to Alaska. That was after our dog house on wheels stopped moving on the highway. My people can tell you more.
I love how the sun is out but it’s not hot.
Anyone who lives up here is sooo lucky! I love this place. The sky is sunny but the air is cool, I don’t lay around panting all day. I just lay around. And enjoy the scenery of course.
Hmm, what should I do today in Alaska?
It stays light all day long here, and all night too. Sometimes I get bored waiting around for my people to quit working.
Oh I know, I’ll take a nap.
So I snooze, and I watch for wildlife. Yeah that’s right, the grizzly family came over to say hey! I let them know everything was cool here so they left.
Hey mama bear, all’s good here, move along OK?
When my people aren’t working I get to have real fun! I swim in rivers that are prettier than anywhere I’ve ever been.
Wheee! Race you to the other side!
One of these days I will tell you about my skydiving stunt. I jumped down to a river one day. My parents were pretty upset at me, I forgot to tell them I wanted to see if I could fly. I’m OK now, but it looks like no more off-leash walking for a while.
Looks like a good day to go sky diving!
I hope you are all having a real good time whatever you are doing or wherever your summer is taking you.
A leash? Really?
Until next time, have fun and stay cool Tripawds friends!
