Second Chances: November 2012

Dear Santa,

For Christmas, could you please bring me a family of my own? If it isn't too much to ask for, I would like a child to play with, maybe two. Kids are my very favorite! Could I also have a big yard to run around in with my kids and some tennis balls for them to throw for me? I have been a good boy Santa. My foster mommy tells me that all the time. She kisses me and tells me that I am sweet and beautiful. I love her. Even though she wishes that I could stay with her forever, there are other dogs in shelters that need her. I remember that. I was sad and scared when I was in the shelter. I want to help those other dogs, just like somebody helped me. Santa, if you bring me a family, I will love them forever. I will make them happy when they are sad. I will do my best to always do the right thing. I have been trying hard to learn that. With my family, Santa, please bring patience and commitment. I don't know what those things are, but Mommy says that nobody has given them to me before. She says that I need them most of all.

That's all I want for myself Santa, but I have another favor. Could you also please bring some blankets for the dogs that will spend Christmas alone in the shelters? It's cold there and sleeping on the cement is the worst. It's also boring and lonely so please bring them some toys too. If you could, send some volunteers to pet them and hug them and take them outside. That would be the best. The days that the volunteers took me out of my cage, even for a few minutes, were the only good ones I had there.

And Santa, there is just one more thing. You must know a lot of people. Could you please spread the word to everyone on your list about all the homeless dogs that will be forgotten this year. Let them know that even if they can't give one a new home, there are other things that can make a difference. Maybe they have some old blankets or toys that they could give. Tell them that a couple hours of their time this year could make the holiday a whole lot brighter for a dog who isn't as lucky as I am.

Thanks Santa!

Your friend,

Winston

On Saturday Jonathon and I represented our rescue at Arkanas' second annual Puppy Up! cancer walk. A rescue friend of mine hosted this event and I am so glad that she invited us to participate.     2 Million Dogs Foundation is the organization. (2milliondogs.org) It's mission is discovering the common links between canine and human cancers through comparative oncology research.  This entire program was founded by one man, Luke Robinson, who walked with his two dogs, 2000 miles, from Austin to Boston. There are now Puppy Up! walks hosted all over the country.

Dogs get cancer the same as humans do. They get breast, bone, lung, skin and other cancers. It makes sense since they live along side us, exposed to all of the same environmental factors that we are. The difference is that it develops much more quickly in dogs than it does in humans. Think how much more quickly a dog ages...years vs. decades. Therefore, treatment research results are known much more quickly. Obviously, all research is done on pets with pre-existing cancers and this is by no means animal testing. In fact, many dogs who would not otherwise have access to any kind of treatments, like shelter dogs or dogs with families unable to take on the expense, are part of the studies. This foundation is partnered with medical research teams from Harvard, MIT, and other big time medical facilities. They have recently funded a large study on breast cancer. It will be done on mammary tumors removed from shelter dogs during their spay surgeries. Those dogs will be free of their tumors and the medical research team will have unlimited cancer specimens to work with.   It's a win, win.

Ironically, I received the email from our director asking if I would run the booth for our rescue the day after Jax was diagnosed with his cancer. But cancer had touched my life long before that.  Several people in my life have battled cancer, some a long time ago, and some are still fighting today. I don't think a person exists that has not been affected in some way or another by this terrible disease.  Unfortunately, it doesn't discriminate, not even by species. I think it's amazing that Mr. Robinson has created this awesome foundation out of his two passions in life, his dogs, and finding a cure.

The reason for the event was serious, but it was really a great and uplifting time! My only complaint was that it could have been 20 degrees cooler. 85 in November...no thank you. There were many cancer survivors, both human and canine, participating in the walk. Some walked in teams and some walked in memory of loved ones passed. There was a silent auction (a weakness of mine) and lots of vendors and other rescue organizations. We got some good exposure for a couple of our rescue dogs and got our name out there in the community. Most importantly, the event raised almost $8000 for cancer research! It was a good day.

I assumed that Winston would have fun at the event, but I also assumed that he would be a little crazy and overly excited. I was wrong. I didn't even pull out the thunder shirt. He was perfect. He was very friendly, yet polite, and a total ham. He wanted to meet every person and play with every dog, big or small. I was extremely proud of him. He was also the only one of us that actually walked in the walk. Two little girls that were there with their mom asked me if they could walk him. It was so sweet and they had a great time. They took a million pictures of him. Sadly they were not in the market to adopt!