Nellie B. Dawg

Hoppy 4th Gotcha Day, Nellie B. Dawg!

Join us in celebrating Tripawds Spokesdog Nellie B. Dawg fourth Gotcha Day as our honorary Tripawd spokesdog!

Four years ago today, Nellie jumped into our truck (the one we got just for Jerry because it had a back seat platform), and she never looked back!

We were a little nervous of course. With a German Shepherd rescue dog, you never know what behavior issues you’ll get. They can be such a challenging breed but so worth it in the end, just like our previous “challenge” dog, Tripawds Spokesdog 2, Wyatt Ray Dawg.

At first we assumed Nellie would have some issues, but later discovered they weren’t anything we couldn’t handle. At first, Nellie was wound up like a top after being in a kennel for over a month.

It took her at least another month to settle in with us, but when she did we knew that she intuitively understood that she was in her forever home.

Nellie’s turned out to be the relatively easygoing dog we had hoped she would be. She can get along with most dogs, and even cats! The last four years we’ve watched her grow into the awesome dog she was born to be.

Recently we had another health scare with her though. Nellie had been puking consistently at least a few times a week. We were scared. After all, she’s probably about 10 years old and “at that age” that’s all too common for a cancer diagnosis.

Nellie goes to the Flint Animal Cancer Center at Colorado State University.

So we took Nellie to the best of the best, Colorado State University’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital. And long story short, after a CT scan, the expert oncologists at the Flint Animal Cancer Center told us that yes, Nellie does have a mass in her liver, and a small nodule in her stomach.

But this isn’t anything to panic about. The liver mass appears to be a hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), which is a malignant tumor of the
epithelial cells of the liver. It may or may not grow but if it does, a liver resection is pretty straightforward and she’s a good candidate.

Her stomach nodule is suspected to be a benign fibroma or leiomyoma.

And the puking? Likely not related to either, and probably a GI issue.

Their recommendation is to monitor the masses with ultrasound and look into a “GI workup” to find out why her gut isn’t happy.

Nellie gets better medical care than we do! And once again, thank DOG for pet health insurance, specifically the good people at Embrace, who have approved her claims without hassles.

Nellie gets a bison bone for her Gotcha Day celebration

So today on this momentum occasion of her fourth Gotcha Day, we thank the universe that Nellie’s still with us in good health, enjoying life to the fullest and being the best girldog on the planet (at least to us!).

Cheers to many more Gotcha Days with our sweet Nellie!

I’m Still Lovin’ Life on 3.5 Legs!

Tripawds Spokesdog Nellie is still going strong on 3.5 legs. Join her in the 2026 Tripawds Virtual Marathon!

Well what can I say except that my mom is one lazy blogger. She hasn’t been here for a while, which dad reminded her about today. She felt guilty, and finished work early so she can let you know how I’m doing.

So here I am, at last!

I’m a little more mature, but still as purty as ever don’t you think?

Almost every day, mom and dad make me do my rehab therapy to keep my bones moving.

I do it so much, I was even a cover girl at Colorado State’s Orthopedic Mobility and Medicine pawty last fall!

Sometimes we hear my bones click when I walk. It makes my mom sad. She says it reminds her that I’m growing older.

Do I care? Nope! I might be close to double digit birthdays now, but I’m still having fun.

I’m ready to rock another Tripawds Virtual Marathon! Let’s do this!

Pawty on, Tripawds furmily! I hope my mom won’t wait another year to let you know that life on 3.5 legs is still pawesome for me.

Our One-in-a-Million Canine Co-Pilot

Just a little update on what Tripawds Spokesdog Nellie B. has been up to these days now that we are back in the lower 48.

Nellie has been adapting to life in the lower 48. It doesn’t seem to bother her too much that we aren’t living in snow and ice this year. We miss it more than she does.

And she also doesn’t mind that she lives in a dog house on wheels like her predecessor Wyatt Ray. After all, we got this one just because it has a couch for her.

Every day I tell her she is the best girl dog we’ve ever had, because it’s true. She asks for so little, and although she can be feisty at times, it doesn’t last more than a few seconds.

She is an easygoing, chill co-worker, the best kind for us. The best kind anyone could ask for.

One thing she’s not the biggest fan of, is going camping in our little truck camper. Sure she loves checking out the new scenery and all.

But living in the back of our truck even for a few days is not her ideal place. Nellie is too glam for that.

Her favorite things are either lounging on the RV couch, or getting chauffeured around in her Bark Ranger wherever it is that we happen to be. Right now, it’s the desert, and I’m pretty confident she’s loving the blue skies and mild weather. Don’t you think?

Nellie is the kind of dog you just can’t help but do anything for. She’s a one-in-a-million honorary Tripawd, that’s for sure.

Hoppy Howl-o-ween!

Nellie wishes everypawdy a very hoppy and festive howloween. Here’s a song she made just for her dad on his birthday!

Hey pawty peoples, it’s here! My human’s favorite day of the year, Howl-o-ween! I made this song just for my Dad, whose birthday is tomorrow. Hoppy Birthday pops, I love you!

Hoppy birthday dad!

There’s so much to tell about all we’ve been up to. But for now my humans are going to trick or treat — without me!

The thanks I get for making this video. Sheesh.

I’ll give you my latest pupdates real soon. Until then, may you get tons of tasty treats and candy tonight!

Love, Nellie

Alaska was Good for the Pack

Alaska was good for Nellie and us, too. Here’s how spending a real winter in the Arctic helped us grow smarter and stronger, together.

Winter in Alaska was as revolutionary for Nellie as it was for us. But we didn’t know that until after winter was over. Our beautiful German Shepherd from the mean streets of San Jose really didn’t like snow during those first couple of months. We weren’t so sure about it either.

During the first couple of months we felt so guilty for taking her north! She hated going outside even for short walks, especially when it got really cold in December. She expressed her displeasure by taking forever to get up for her last evening potty walk. And instead of enjoying the beautiful starry night with us, she would run back inside the cabin as soon as her business was done.

But what a difference a few months of an Alaska winter made for her.

Tripawd Nellie in her Burley Ski Stroller — *We all got a little winter-wise.*

By the time winter was wrapping up, Nellie decided she was a snow dog. Maybe our previous snow dawg Wyatt was channeling through her. Or maybe it was the Librella injections she started getting. But by February, the girl couldn’t get enough of the powder! She would roll in it, and burrow down so deeply into the icy terrain that she often came back up with cuts on her snout.

We had to tame her excitement over the snow.

Not just to keep her from looking like Scarface, but also to make sure she didn’t roll in frozen turds left behind by neighborhood dogs. We learned that picking up dog poop is quite an inconvenience. Especially when you have two pairs of gloves on your hands in minus 20-degree weather. I can’t blame folks for skipping that dog duty, and I confess that we skipped a few pickups too.

The only problem with letting your dog’s poop flash freeze on the sidewalk is that once the snow starts melting, all those frozen poops start melting too! Breakup season is one of the messiest times of the year, especially because of the thawing dog turds on the road.

Nellie became a team player, too.

*Nellie hangs with the Pariah Kennels Sled Dogs.*

During winter she got to hang out with real musher dogs, leash-free and engaging on canine terms without too much interference from the humans around them.

Nellie quickly learned how to behave in a large pack. That’s something she wasn’t too skilled at doing before we got to Alaska. She used to be a scruffy, loud street dog on the defensive around other dogs. But those sled dogs taught her what kind of behavior is expected from the new kid in town. That’s helpful when all the other dogs are faster and stronger than you.

Now we hope that translates back into the “real world” when we once again hit the road full-time in our upcoming RV.

It was quite a growth period for all of us.

This time last year, Nellie was as winter-stupid as we were. Today I’m happy to say that not only did she and all of us survive, but we actually had fun and became better beings in that strange and wondrous place called Alaska. It was heartbreaking to leave it behind in June.