KAISERIN

Kaiserin was a “normal” dog until one day in the summer of 2017, my husband felt a lump on her foot. I, mum Natasha, thought it was nothing at first, maybe a little arthritis, but this lump turned out to be cancer and it sent us on a journey we never could have imagined.

We tried lump removal and radiation and all we could to save her leg. But the bottom line was that the only way to save her life was amputation. Kaiserin had her back right leg amputated on August 1, 2018. The recovery was a bit rough but she came out the other side a happy, vibrant three-legged dog.

I was shocked at what she could accomplish. I became determined to show the world how well dogs can do on three legs so I began doing trick titles with her. She thrived. She played a little toy piano, played basketball, jumped through hoops and opened doors.

One of the tricks she learnt was how to paint by holding a brush in her mouth. And she really seemed to truly enjoy it. After encouragement from friends, I decided to sell her work on Etsy to raise money for the Tripawds Foundation, a non-profit that helps amputee pets. I wanted a way to specifically help other dogs like her with cancer and the Tripawds Kaiserin Cancer Care Package Program was started. Each month two care packages are sent to dogs or cats who have lost a leg to cancer. The packages include useful items (harness, supplements, dog cancer book) as well as some fun items like toys and interactive puzzles but more importantly, the care packages come with moral support and encouragement at a difficult time.

Her art sold well and we raised a lot of money over two years – her art was shipped all over Canada and the United States as well as other parts of the world. We were featured in local newspapers and magazines and a piece of her art was photographed at the Colosseum in Rome. People experiencing their own challenges found her story inspirational. Her daily antics on Instagram made people smile. I heard from cancer patients who bought her art and the owners of other canine cancer warriors who followed our journey and who loved her spunk.

After her cancer returned and Kaiserin passed in the fall of 2021, I wanted a way to continue raising money through art in her memory. I had seen other painting dogs on Instagram and thought maybe I could ask these dogs to donate a piece of art and we could have an online auction. The annual Tripawds Dog Art Auction is now in its fifth year and painting dogs around the world continue to donate to the event. Many truly wonderful generous people have helped us raise even more money in Kaiserin’s name.

After her passing, I also taught our younger dog Schultz how to paint and in 2021, Kaiserin’s great niece Wilhelmina joined our family and produced her first piece of art at only 4 months of age (clearly art was in her blood!). Schultz and Wilhelmina still sell their art in Kaiserin’s memory year-round on an Etsy shop called Art4TripawdKaiserin.

It was Kaiserin who started us on this artistic journey to help others but her amputation taught us so much more. I knew her time with us might be limited and learnt to really live in the moment. Watching her never seem phased by the lack of a limb and the occasional fall taught me bravery and resilience. That nasty lump of cancer turned into a beautiful story of love and inspiration through one unique and determined canine!