UPDATE 07-19-2010—

My dog, Toka, was part Australian Cattle Dog/German Shepard. She grew up in Rhode Island, and lived a happy & healthy life. She was my best friend. Practically my daughter. She was always there for me. She would be playful, protective, and would never leave my side when going through many traumatic experiences in my youth.

Unfortunately, just before her 11th birthday, she was diagnosed with Anemia, Cancer, and tumors. We learned of this news from a different vet, as ours was practically worthless. Refused to believe there was anything wrong with her. They also didn’t see a reason to examine her blood work. The new vet broke the devastating news to us; and two days later…I lost one of my best friends. She truly touched my soul and I miss her so much! No one, no animal, should have to suffer this way. Ever. I hope that a cure can be found someday soon.

— Lisa

UPDATE 4-14-2010—

Hello my name is Rebel Jo and I am a 7 year old rottie that has been diagnosed with osteosarcoma bone cancer January 2nd 2010 and it is in my right front leg.

I am writing this story to tell you about what I am going through and the changes in my life and my loved ones. Here are some of my favorite things I love to do with my mommy and pappy that I can’t do anymore. Because of the pain and discomfort that I now have with this cancer.

I love going for rides in the back of my mommy and pappy’s truck and feeling the wind in my face, and my ear’s flapping in the wind that makes me feel like I am going to fly. I also like going to the river swimming, fishing for rocks and just playing in the water with mommy. I also love going with my pappy and his hunting dog’s when he took them out hunting for that big raccoon, seeing who would smell it first. I would tell myself those guys weren’t going to show me up, but they always did, but I would act like the biggest master of all master’s. The most of all was getting to ride and watching over my pappy and making sure that he was ok, and helping mommy plant flowers and clean the sticks out of the yard. Sometimes I would sneak behind mommy and dig up the flowers and leave big holes in the yard. We would always go camping with mommy and pappy, but it’s going to be hard this year knowing I can’t go swimming in the river and taking my baths. As you would say those were the best days of my life doing the things I love to do!

Now instead of doing the things I love to do my life consists of going back and forth every three weeks to my chemo treatments in Pittsburg P.A. and going once a week to get blood work at my regular vet. The chemo is very costly to my mommy and pappy, but they will do without to see that I get the best treatment I possibly can. As you would know the chemo makes me very sick, it makes me not want to eat for a week or more, but mommy and pappy will make me people food or just take me through the nearest drive-thru to get me a cheesy burger, but sometimes I won’t even eat it. I also take ten pills twice a day, I hate to take them, but mommy tells me that they are good for me and that I must take them, even though I don’t want to, mommy will hide them in food or ice cream, no matter what she will make sure that I get them.

I also want you to know that I had a very best friend her name was Daisy she was my only sister that I ever knew. In July 2009 I lost her to the same cancer. I miss her very much! We would run through the yard playing fetch and chasing each other around the yard. Then six months later we got the news that I had the same horrifying disease. It devastated my entire family and loved ones, and me so much that we sat and cried! I often hear my mommy praying for me at night and I hear her crying and I want to just say it will be ok! Don’t worry!

My mommy would always call me her little baby boy and her little angel! Mommy never lets me down, she is always there for me! If something would happen to me my mommy and pappy would be so devastated because I am the only little baby boy they have!

Now that I have shared some of my story with everyone, I would appreciate it if you would donate what you could from the kindness of your heart to the CANINE CANCER AWARENESS, INC. 44 Devoe Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 or visit the website at http://www.caninecancerawareness.org. I want to thank you for taking time to read my story! I also want to give a big "Ruff" "Ruff" to Canine Cancer Awareness for all there help and support.

May God Bless everyone.

— Rebel (and mom Kathy)

CCA has donated $500 to help pay the costs of Rebel’s treatment. Please also give generously to Rebel. To help sponsor treatment, you can click on the PayPal donate button below or send a check to:

Canine Cancer Awareness, Inc.
44 Devoe Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

DONATIONS RECEIVED FOR REBEL:

07-04-2010 $50.00 Donation from Patricia Robinson

This donation is in loving honor of my two beautiful Angels Jessie & Nikita!!!! Love you girls!!!!

That’s great news, thank you so much for donating!

UPDATE 05-14-2010—

Laney died of Splenic Hemangiosarcoma. About 1 month before she passed away, she seemed to be slowing down — she didn’t want to go on long walks anymore and had trouble climbing up on my sofa or bed. I took her to the vet the week before she died to get some labwork done, and I never in a million years thought she would be gone 1 week later. They found 5 tumors — 3 on her spleen and 2 on her liver. I decided to do surgery even though they only gave her a 10% chance to make it thru 24 hours after surgery. But I really had no choice because the tumors were bleeding so the vet said they would have ruptured and killed her soon. She had surgery Monday, May 3rd. I was thrilled on Tuesday because she ate 3 bowls of food and was wagging her tail, exploring in the backyard, and she even had the energy to greet my friends at the door who came over that evening. The next morning she got up when she heard me feeding my other dog and ran into the room for breakfast so I thought that was another great sign. But then she passed away 6 hours later. The vet thinks a blood clot might have killed her. It was horrible. I adopted her when she was 5 because her old owners gave her to a shelter. She was the sweetest and most lovable dog. She loved to rest her head on my yellow lab’s back and cuddle with her and cuddle with me. She was one tough dog too. One time she got into a bunch of Christmas cookies and ate 100 cookies (some with chocolate) and survived that. Another time she jumped out of my Jeep as I was driving down the street when she saw a cat she wanted to chase. She didn’t even break a bone! And 1 1/2 years ago, a pit bull attacked her and she survived that attack. She got 50 stiches and the vet said one of the puncture wounds was a millimeter away from killing her instantly. I guess this was one battle that was too much for this tough dog to handle. I love her and miss her.
— Tara

Thank you!

Thank you!

UPDATE 4-9-2010—

Tara is our 9-year-old Shetland sheepdog and the first dog for our family. My son, Michael, picked her out from the litter when she was 6 weeks old because she was friendly and full of mischief- a perfect little boy’s dog. Over the years she has become a wonderful and loving member of our family.

Both our vet and I were shocked in December 2009, when he performed an aspiration biopsy for a lump that had recently appeared on her leg, and it turned out to be a mast cell tumor. Surgery to remove the tumor was quickly scheduled, but, unfortunately, our vet was unable to remove the entire tumor. Our vet suggested that we amputate Tara’s leg and told me that dogs usually adjust quite well to the surgery. It was so difficult for me to even think about surgery which would likely take away one of Tara’s favorite things to do- running around in circles on the hill near our house, herding her imaginary sheep. I decided at that point to try to get further opinions and information regarding treatment options and prognosis. We saw specialists in Rochester, NY, where we live, as well as at Cornell. I decided, after hearing what each doctor had to say, that the best treatment for Tara would be a course of radiation therapy at Cornell. After testing for staging and to make sure that the cancer had not spread, we began radiation therapy in February. Tara would stay at Cornell during the week and I would pick her up each weekend. The doctors and staff at Cornell were so wonderful to her that I never worried that she was lonely or unhappy. In fact, the veterinary students would let her go on rounds with them, so now I call her my “Ivy” dog! Tara’s radiation treatments were completed by the end of February and she had come through it like the brave little soul that she is. I thought that we were done with treatment, but when we returned for her first post- radiation visit, the doctors suggested that I should consider a course of adjuvant chemotherapy over the next 6 months. I am now trying to get the emotional and financial resources together so that she can start chemotherapy the end of April.

Without the generous financial assistance of the Canine Cancer Awareness Fund, I would never have been able to afford to give Tara the wonderful treatment that she has already received. I thank the Fund from the bottom of my heart.

I believe that, when we adopted Tara 9 years ago, I made a promise to her, words that keep running through my head from St. Exupery’s The Little Prince – “You are responsible forever for what you have tamed”. Without your help, I might have failed in keeping that promise to Tara. With that help, we are looking forward to many more wonderful years together. Thank you and God bless you for all you do.

— Sincerely, Michelle and Michael Callan and Tara

CCA has donated $1000 to help pay the costs of Tara’s treatment. Please also give generously to Tara. To help sponsor treatment, you can click on the PayPal donate button below or send a check to:

Canine Cancer Awareness, Inc.
44 Devoe Street
Brooklyn, NY 11211

DONATIONS RECEIVED FOR TARA: