On a fall day in 2009, my then husband sat down across from me in my home office. He shared that he’d run into a former work friend earlier that day. That friend and her family had come to a difficult decision – it was time to rehome their five-year-old Golden Retriever. The family loved their dog enough to know they didn’t have proper time for her and she could have a different life with another family. My former husband had been wanting a dog and I could see this was important to him. Soon after, we went to meet Sammy. On November 2nd, 2009 – my 37th birthday – Sammy joined our family. Little did I know she would be my greatest gift.
Sammy is a spirited, talkative, sassy girl with a huge personality. She loves to hot lap around the yard, bark at me for anything and everything and is a master food stealer. I’ll be honest, she’s driven me crazy more times than I care to admit. She’s tested my patience. She’s made some days very frustrating. Even today she continues to keep me on my toes.
In late January 2018 I had a sense something was happening with Sammy. There weren’t significant symptoms. Maybe it was Mommy Instinct. A few weeks later Sammy developed a limp. I chocked it up to Sammy being a senior dog who enjoyed a good wrestle with her puppy brother. I cut her activity and waited for it to resolve. It did not. On February 27th – two days before Sammy’s 14th birthday – our primary vet shared her preliminary diagnosis. Osteosarcoma.
This is our story. A story of a pet parent and her senior dog. A story of managing her illness, enjoying life, maintaining normalcy for the pet family and the human family. A story of unbelievable pain and incredible joy. A story of appreciating each day and taking a journey one step at a time.
Financial, educational and emotional support for families whose canines and felines have been diagnosed with cancer and receiving treatment
Grant funding for companion animal cancer research at University of Wisconsin School of Veterinary Medicine, Madison, WI
