Our dog Cuddy lives for adventure. She enjoys long, 15-mile hikes, running side-by-side with cyclists, swimming, playing fetch, tug-of-war, huntimg for mice and chipmunks, chasing squirrels, you name it - anything that involves physical activity is the bees knees for her.

She likely suffered a partial tear of her cruciate ligament late in the spring, as she began to show signs of lameness in her left hind leg. But she's a trooper, and she kept participating fully in her normal daily activities of epic hikes and hardcore runs. The day before Thanksgiving, when we let Cuddy outside, she bolted out the door. When she came back inside her left hind leg was completely suspended under her belly. After a trip to the emergency vet, she was diagnosed with a ruptured cruciate ligament (complete tear).

She has always been an off-leash dog. we never have to worry about her running away. Since this injury, Cuddy has not been allowed off leash. She looks out the window and cries, and it breaks our hearts. We are trying to teach Cuddy new tricks that don't involve a lot of physical activity to keep her mentally stimulated. She enjoys it for a few minutes but then loses interest shortly thereafter. It is evident that Cuddy craves pushing her body to its limits, and is rarely satisfied until she does. Cuddy is only 5 years old, so I want to restore her physical condition to what it was prior to her injury. For all the joy she brings us, we feel we owe it to her.