In April 2013, I returned home to my post at White Sands Missile Range, NM after nine months in one of the most hostile provinces in Afghanistan. At this point my wife, Brandy, and I had been married almost two years, but because she was working on her doctorate, we had never lived together. While deployed, I joked with her about how I was going to get a dog when I returned home since she was at school. She actually thought it would be a good idea to ease my anxiety after the deployment.
After doing my homework on several shelters in the area, I decided to stop by the Animal Services Center of the Mesilla Valley in Las Cruces, NM. At first I was largely considering getting a 6 month old border collie, but when they allowed me time with her, there was no chemistry. As I walked back through the small dog section, I noticed one of the dogs mixed in with all the other terrier sized dogs was not jumping up at the side as I walked past. I looked closer and realized he couldn’t jump up the side of the pen because he was missing one of his back legs.
I had never met a three-legged dog before, so I asked for some time to meet him. They called him Ace at the shelter and he was something of a celebrity because of his Tripawd status. He had been with the shelter for over six months, and had had his back right leg amputated the previous December. When I asked them why it had to be amputated, they said he had come in as a stray and that his back leg was mangled, but there was no discernible cause. It is a mystery to us to this day. Needless to say, there was an immediate chemistry between this 1 year old pup and I. I was able to take him home with me that day. After talking it over with Brandy, we decided his name should be Lucky, for obvious reasons.
Lucky is an extremely active dog, but at the same time very very docile. He is the friendliest dog I have ever met, and he’s still a celebrity whenever I take him anywhere. I have had several friends and colleagues jokingly threaten to take him as their own. He is one of my best friends in this world, and Brandy and I would be lost without him. He is currently 3 years old. While the shelter stated that he was a “Terrier Mix”, we’ve never been able to figure out exactly what kind. We’ve deduced that there is probably some Rat Terrier in him due to his docile demeanor. I personally think there’s a little Chihuahua, but don’t tell Brandy that, because she disagrees 😉
Until next time,
JD
Precious…thanks for sharing! Lucky is lucky to have you! 🙂
OMD, Lucky is adorable! He looks like a mini-me of our 4 legged pup Smokey B.
Looking forward to hearing Sadie’s story!
xoxo,
Codie Rae and the OP
p.s. we live in Oaktown, which is overrun by chihuahuas and chi-mixes. I gotta say Riley definitely has some chi in there :0
Oh my DOG what a sweetie pie! Lucky indeed. And we are in love. Thanks for your service and for taking time to join us, what a team you two make!