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And be sure to check out our Puppy Up! Blog. Puppy Up! is about the undaunted spirit of the dog! This Blog is dedicated exclusively to them, to telling their stories, and open to all who want to share!
Luke Robinson and Ginger Morgan present a check to Princeton University for the The Canine Mammary Tumor Program.
by Luke Robinson
[Wednesday, January 11, 2012] Six years ago to this day, I lost my boy Malcolm to metastatic cancer and on this anniversary, it is with tremendous honor I announce the funding of The 2 Million Dogs Foundation‘s first research initiative: A breast cancer study benefiting both humans and canines.
The 2 Million Dogs Foundation presented a check for $50,000 to Princeton University today to help fund the school’s Molecular Study of Canine Mammary Tumor Development and Progression: From Genome To Clinical Outcome.
Mammary tumors are the most common tumors in intact female dogs, and in humans, breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women – approximately one in eight women develop breast cancer during their lifetime. Mammary tumors in dogs and breast cancer in women have many similarities, both in terms of risk factors and biology.
The 2 Million Dogs Foundation chose this study for the following reasons:
First and foremost, it’s translational in that people stand to significantly benefit as well as our canine companions.
Second, it’s collaborative. The Canine Mammary Tumor Program began at The University of Pennsylvania with Dr. Karin Sorenmo whom we met while walking through Philadelphia. Collaboration, we feel, is key if we plan to make significant strides in cancer research.
Third, the tissue samples were collected from shelter dogs diagnosed with breast cancer, and they were all treated, at no expense, by UPenn as part of their program.
And finally, we feel that the approach of this study is novel, not incremental, and could potentially yield critical insights into metastatic breast cancer.
While we have donated $50,000, 2 Million Dogs has pledged to raise an additional $30,000 this year to study more tissue samples. Click here to help us raise the additional funds needed or contact ginger@2milliondogs.org for other ways you can help.
I owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the many, many people who made this day possible. My family back in Texas, our supporters, fans, and friends, both new and old, the hundreds of strangers that helped Hudson, Murphy and me get from Austin to Boston safely, the folks at 2 Million Dogs, and to Ginger Morgan, the Executive Director, who has believed in my vision since the day we walked through Memphis.
And finally, to those who had the courage to always believe. God bless you. Keep the faith and puppy up!
Postcript
I remember standing atop Savage Mountain, the highest peak on the Rails-Trails from Pittsburgh to DC in August of 2009. It was a glorious afternoon – a crystalline sky colored in an indescribable blue like the Frio River that cuts through the Texas hill country. I wrote a poem about Malcolm entitled “Savage Heart” and I thought it incredibly ironic that this mountain was our highest hurdle.
As I sat perched upon a rock, reflecting on our journey, I could see for hundreds of miles.
(Reprinted from http://2dogs2000miles.blogspot.com/2012/01/savage-mountain.html)
To view the video presentation, please click here.
To view the WZBN TV coverage from Princeton, please click here.
Kate Cordts with her dog Rowdy pose for a photo on November 17, 2011. Photo: SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, JUANITO GARZA / By Melissa Ludwig, mludwig@express-news.net
Portions of this article are reprinted under the Fair Use Doctrine covering news reporting and research. You may find the full article here. (From San Antonio Express News)
When Kate Cordts noticed swelling on the foreleg of her Great Pyrenees, Rowdy, she knew exactly what it was. Bone cancer.
“One of my previous dogs had the same disease. We had to put him down because it was too far along,” said Cordts, a librarian at the San Antonio Public Library.
A trip to the vet confirmed her suspicion, but this time she wasn’t ready to give up without a fight.
Putting her research skills to work, she found an experimental treatment at Texas A&M University’s veterinary school that could save her dog’s leg — and one day maybe the lives of children suffering from osteosarcoma, or bone cancer.
On Friday, Theresa Fossum, a veterinary surgeon at the Texas A&M Institute for Preclinical Studies in College Station, injected radioactive isotopes into Rowdy’s bone using tiny drills about the size of two human hairs. Researchers will watch the results carefully to see if the cancer shrinks and if the treatment could hold promise for humans.
“One of the reasons it costs $1.2 billion to get a new drug on the market is that most fail in clinical trials,” Fossum said. “Many get tested in mice with no immune system so they can grow a human tumor. Dogs are good models; they probably get cancer for the same reasons as humans and have an intact immune system.”
… Around 10,000 dogs a year develop osteosarcoma, which seems to favor large dogs like St. Bernards. The disease strikes about 900 humans each year in the U.S., many of them children under 15.
Just in time for the holidays! You can pre-order your 2012 Cancer Can’t Keep a Good Dog Down calendars here.
Our own Murphy is on the cover of the 2012 Calendar. And for the first time we have two covers from which you can choose. One is of Murphy running through a field in Bowling Green, KY just a little over a month before he was given rest. Cancer may have won the war but according to this picture, Murphy won the battle that day. It’s the battles won along the journey that we cherish and remember most.
The other cover is Luke carrying Murphy, the brave and valiant soldier, the one who was always the first out of the tent, who walked thousands of miles, always smiling, for others; the one whose courage and strength will always lead the way because he embodied our rally cry and our song, “Puppy Up!”
What makes our calendar so special? Our calendars aren’t just a collection of pretty faces, although they certainly are that. Each month features a special dog and his or her story, written by the person who loved them best. Our calendars also include not only the regular ‘people’ holidays but special dog holidays as well, like International Dog Biscuit Appreciation Day, Squirrel Appreciation Day, K9 Veterans Day, International Homeless Pet Day, Stand up to Cancer Day, and a whole collection of special days set aside just for dogs.
Additionally, our calendar features a gallery of photos of all the dogs entered into this year’s calendar contest, a gallery of last year’s winners, and special features like the 10 early warning signs of cancer in dogs, a selection of photos from this year’s Puppy Up! Walks nation-wide, a note from Luke, and a special message from our Executive Director, Ginger Morgan.
These calendars make great gifts for family and friends, your vet, groomers, pet stores, your Great Aunt Bessie from Duluth, and are terrific keepsakes as well.
We know you will enjoy the beautiful layout designed by Brian Kristensen and special features of our one-of-a-kind calendar. Please order yours today!
For orders over 10, please contact Ginger for shipping costs at: ginger@2milliondogs.org.
Photo courtesy of Lafmil Photography.
We’re not done yet! One more Walk this year and it’s in sunny California.
Tomorrow (Sunday, November 13th) is the Ventura Puppy Up! Walk for canine cancer awareness at San Buenaventura State Park. The walk begins at 1PM. To register, follow this link , click on the “Walks” button and choose Ventura.
Schedule of Events:
11:00am – 1:00 pm Registration
1:30pm – Walk Begins
Festivities until 5:00pm
Location:
San Buenaventura State Park
1200 East Harbor Blvd
Ventura, Ca. 93001
Come out, bring your pup, meet new people, enjoy the day, and have fun for a terrific cause. See you there!
The Puppy Up! 2011 Walk begins -- Belton, Texas
by Tish Beauchamp Cotham
Sunday, November 6, 2011 at 5:30 AM my alarm makes my headache, which was pounding, even worse. My only thought was “let me sleep a little bit longer” and “if I get up then please let the coffee be good.” These thoughts came and went fast because those are not the thoughts of someone who Puppys Up!
I had loaded my truck the night before so I only had to shower, grab a few last minute items, then head to the park. I arrived to a quiet park, free of cars, people and dogs. Within a few hours I was off and running! It was a day of remembrance, honoring and helping. It was a day like no other.
I watched as the four legged, three legged and two legged made their way into the park towards registration and vendors. Some came from as close as ten minutes away to as far as three hours away. The estimated 100 people with their companions came to walk two miles because of their own personal desire to make a difference in this fight against cancer.
I walk for Brutus.
I had no idea what I had done until I looked into their eyes, listened to their stories and shared tears with them. I had no idea what it truly meant until I stood before the crowd and began my speech. It was a simple speech in the beginning. I had thanked them all for coming, and introduced our sponsors and acknowledged our vendors. I introduced our human breast cancer survivor of four years. She’s a tough woman and refuses to let cancer keep her down. I moved onto our many canine survivors that were there in the crowd. Mast cell tumors, lymphoma, osteosarcoma were just a few. Then there were those individuals who, days before the Walk, had their shirts made in remembrance of the canines they had loved and lost.
I finished my speech and moved onto the dedication of the first Puppy Up! Walk in Belton, Texas which was organized each day for eight months for the love of Murphy Robinson. I had written so much about what I felt and what I wanted to say. I had told Luke that I was nervous about my speech and he simply said to speak from the heart and if I got stuck then to look at my bracelet and share what Murphy meant to me. With tears I did just that.
Following the dedication, the Puppy Up! song was played and my heart was racing with excitement and a sense of sadness. This was it — the moment had arrived for our two mile walk. I saw so much in each person. I saw tails wagging, smiles and tears. I saw history being made.
I will never be able to truly thank those that made today possible. There are no words that even come close. I know and realize the best thanks I could give is to never stop and most importantly, never forget.
What are Sibes? Siberian Huskies, of course! And they have a great blog about the upcoming Puppy Up! Walks around the country. They also write extensively about the history and goals of 2 Million Dogs. Check out their great blog and support them here.
Tell them 2 Million Dogs sent you!
Dr. Temple Grandin's new book.
Please visit the Finding Fuzzybutts Four blog and enjoy the latest pod cast with Luke and his special guest, Dr. Temple Grandin. Find out more about Dr. Grandin’s newest book, Animals Make Us Human here. To learn more about her work, please visit her web site.
A picture (or in the case a poster) is worth a thousand words. Check it out. If you’re in the area, help support the Costa Mesa Puppy Up! Walk by visiting this Pick Up Stix restaurant. For more information, please follow this link. By the way, their Puppy Up! Walk is this Sunday, November 6th at Fairview Park, 2525 Placentia Avenue. You can register early (until November 3rd) or right there at the walk.
Murphy and Ginger
I’m often asked, “How do you do it; work tirelessly for the cause and the mission?” And, “Why did you get involved in the beginning?” The truth is, in the beginning, I just wanted to make sure that Hudson and Murphy arrived in Boston safely. And if Luke got there safely, too . . . well, that would be an added bonus.
I watched over Hudson, Murphy, and Luke from the fateful day they walked into Memphis in August 2008, to the time they took their final steps into Boston on June 19, 2010, and I learned. I thought I knew that one out of three dogs get cancer in their lifetime and that one in four die from it. I thought I understood the meaning of “Puppy Up!” Then in 2010, I lost eight close canine friends to cancer, including my very own Pete. The numbers are just numbers until one of your own is one more. When I heard Pete’s diagnosis, I wept silently in a friend’s arms. I prayed to God that if he was truly merciful, he would take Pete and not make me have to make the decision that every pet parent dreads.
My prayers were answered.
Then, weeks after getting the news about Pete, our very own Murphy was diagnosed with nasal cancer. My cries were not silent this time. I wailed, kicked, screamed, and cried on the floor for hours. Not Murphy, my God, not Murphy. It was sick, unbelievable, that Murphy’s cancer had been growing while he walked all those miles to raise awareness of canine cancer. There must have been days he didn’t feel good. As Luke tells the story, Murphy was always the first one wanting to start the day, always the first one out of the tent in the morning. He never wavered.
That same strength is what kept Murphy going through eighteen rounds of radiation at CSU. He came back to Memphis, full of life, running in the back yard, taking down my Lilly and holding her there with that big Pyr paw. Sure, there were times he slept more than not, wouldn’t eat—or only if I hand-fed him. But there were also times he was all Murphy, and then some, demanding belly rubs, dinner. I had hope.
Those last months, there were times we danced, times we snuggled, times just shared. In the end, there were times we leaned into one another to just “be.” And then time ran out.
Time is what we have. One week before our Puppy Up! Walks, we’ll be walking in unison across the country in nearly twice as many cities as last year. For some of you this is your city’s first walk. You may get the same questions I get. “How do you do it? Why did you get involved to begin with?”
I can’t answer that for you. But personally and as the executive director of 2 Million Dogs, I’m asking that you take a moment before your walk begins to remember and dedicate each step to the one who was always the first out of the tent, who walked thousands of miles, always smiling, for others though he suffered himself; the one whose courage and strength will always lead the way because he embodied our rally cry and our song, “Puppy Up!” And I have my answer. He is still my reason. Murphy.
Puppy Up!
Ginger Morgan
San Antonio TEXAS: This year the Puppy Up! Walk in San Antonio will host Luke, Hudson, and Indiana. They raised the most funds for their walk, and so won The Fuzzybutts’ appearance at their Walk.
The Fuzzybutts are coming! C’mon out on November 6 to meet Luke, Hudson, and Indiana. You don’t want to miss this event. Register today to Puppy Up! against cancer. Each one of us will make difference to fight this deadly disease.
To register for the San Antonio Walk, please follow this link.
To see if there is a Walk near you, and to register, please follow this link.
A cancer – free world starts with one mile, one dog at a time. Register today to walk on November 6 to Puppy Up! against cancer. Support those with cancer, honor the friends we’ve lost, walk for those we can help.
