My name is Buddy. I was adopted into my FURever home when I was about 4 along with my Mom. That was the best! There I was at camp (well, actually it was the shelter, but I look at everything like it’s fun) and my furless Mom came in and saw me. She thought I was a bit of a trainwreck but took me home anyway. YAY! We had the most fun. We had a pool, and then we moved near a river and I LOVED to swim. A few years later I had a black lump on my head that turned out to be Melanoma. We took it off. Then another, and another… We took about 8 off over a couple of years. This was a slow moving cancer.
My pawrents were not new to K9 Cancer. They had lost their last dog, Bob, to Hemangiosarcoma. They lost him suddenly and had no chance to fight. Mom decided she would not go quietly into this dark night and was determined something good would come of this evil so she started my own Facebook page to help others fighting this fight. I started raising awareness about K9 Cancer… what it is, how to fight it, and most importantly: How to LIVE with it. I reminded everyone what it meant to just BE THE DOG! Mom named my page “Buddy’s Be The Dog Life” because that’s what a dog does. We don’t know we have cancer, we just go on “being the dog.” We just know 2 times: NOW and NOT NOW. If it’s NOT NOW, it does not concern us, so we don’t worry about what is to come and we just do fun stuff. I would sometimes go to the DOGtor and do icky stuff, but then it would be over and I would go back to being the dog, usually after an ice cream cone! I had an amazing ride and FABULOUS last 2 years. I went to the ocean, the mountains, camped, swam, went to parades, had parties, went to parties and lived with joy. Finally I developed a Mast Cell Tumor that they could not get clean margins on. Then nasal cancer and liver cancer. Mom and Dad and I had a deal, I would love them unconditionally and they would do the same for me and that meant they would let me go if I hurt. One day it seemed I could no longer live with the joy I so loved so they sent me on ahead of them with peace and dignity.
My 2800 friends on my Facebook page gathered and decided to honor me in a way that would help those left behind, which is what I would have wanted… They started a fund in my name that lives on in my memory on Surf Dog Ricochet’s page and all the proceeds go to Chase Away K9 Cancer. Ricochet was a friend of mine and swam in my pool with me before I left. It is a true honor that she hosts this fund on her site. So now, on this 6 month anniversary of my moving on, we celebrate the wonderful contribution all of my FURiends made in my honor. I have an amazing pack, and I’m so humbled and honored to walk with them!! Way to be the dog!!
Checkout Buddy’s Video Tribute Buddy’s life Lesson, “Be The Dog !!”
Carol, thank you for sharing Buddy and choosing “Chase Away K9 Cancer” to share his story with and to help us raise K9 cancer awareness and donations to help all dogs. Buddy’s fans with the help of our dear friend Surf Dog Ricochet have helped to raise over $3,000 in donations, you have to love the power of the love from our dogs 🙂
Together I know we are making a difference. Also I have a good feeling those two are enjoying the good life waiting for us !! Keep up the great job on your FB page spreading the word of K9 Cancer awareness !!!
Cera
