Our Gracie lost her battle with cancer May 9, 2001. She lived over 8 months longer than all the vets predicted. She was a very beloved member of my family and will be greatly missed. --- Foster Mom, Jeannie
Our Gracie lost her battle with cancer May 9, 2001. She lived over 8 months longer than all the vets predicted. She was a very beloved member of my family and will be greatly missed. --- Foster Mom, Jeannie
By her Hospice Care Foster mom, Jeannie
She was left in a "night pen" in West Virginia. One of the caretakers, Barb, arrived at the shelter for work one morning and found her there. As soon as she got the Dobie out of the pen, she saw the back leg. It was very swollen and disfigured. Assuming it was broken, Barb called her boss to come take the dog to the vet. Upon inspection, the vet suspected it was cancer. The poor Dobe, now named Gracie, was in a great deal of pain, so something had to be done. Either they put her to sleep, or they amputate the leg. These folks had already fallen in love with this sweet dog, so they worked for the next week to raise the money needed for surgery.
Gracie came through the surgery fine. A biopsy was done on the tumor in the leg, and it was cancer – osteosarcoma. Gracie came back to the shelter to recover and there she was given a large bed with a ton of blankets and a lot of love. Barb put her picture & story out on the internet looking for a home for her, and that’s how we found her. They were very willing to work with DAR&E, but looked over our contract and did a reference check on me before they would release her to us. It was great to see that they were so careful about where their dogs went! Over the weekend I went to pick up Miss Gracie. Barb doesn’t work weekends, but came in to see Gracie off. I was so impressed with what I found there. The shelter was packed with dogs, but they were well-cared for. All the folks working there Saturday morning came out to see Gracie leave. Gracie is a blue girl, probably about 5 ‘ish years old, she’s very thin and fairly weak and is still recovering from her surgery. She’s got a very sweet, gentle nature and willingly came with me and got in my truck. Barb told me one of the girls at the shelter had bought Gracie a "Cancer Survivor" t-shirt, which she will send to me as soon as she gets it. There wasn’t a dry eye in the group as I pulled away with this special Dobie-girl.
Gracie’s long-term prognosis is not good. This type of cancer typically is very malignant and spreads fairly quickly. She probably had it for quite some time before her prior owners got rid of her. For now, she’s eating well and gaining weight and every day she gets stronger. She loves to play with the other dogs, and races through the woods on three legs like you would not believe.
Our Gracie is pretty much unadoptable, but she was a Dobie in need. I’m very proud to be working with a rescue organization that was so willing to take on this sweet girl, even knowing her health issues. The compassion for the Dobes that I have found in DAR&E is one of the many reasons I joined them. The compassion I saw at that shelter in West Virginia helps to maintain my faith in human beings. There are still a lot of good people out there…