Yankee the super German Shepherd! In January 2023 our dog, Yankee tripped in a gopher hole. Over the next few days we noticed he was favoring one leg and would yelp in pain when jumping. After multiple tests and x-rays, our vet was confident it was a torn cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) essentially the dog equivalent of a human’s ACL. In February Yankee had TPLO surgery on what turned out to be a complete CCL tear. The weeks after the surgery he was required to be nearly immobile while the wound healed. Bathroom breaks required the use of a sling in order to hold him upright. Slowly but surely his leg was healing and he was gaining the ability to walk on it again. However, one morning in early March, Yankee refused to mive at all. Our vet suspected his other CCL tore. Unfortunately, the first surgery was too recent and we had to wait to have second operation. Despite being heavily medicated, Yankee would still whine in pain all night. It was a very hepless feeling seeing him in that much pain. During Yankee’s second surgery the surgeon noticed that not only was his CCL tore, but his digital extensor tendon was also completely torn. This tendon helps with movement and support. The surgeon was able to repair both. From here it was back to square one with rehab. It started with a lot of rest and gradually moved to assisted walks. As time went on, we incorporated step-over exercises and longer walks. On June 12th Yankee was officially cleared to run, hike and swim. It was a long, difficult process with many ups and downs, but it was all worth it to see Yankee playing again.