12 Years And Going Strong!

The Puppy Up Foundation (formerly known as both “2 Million Dogs 2 Miles” and before then “2 Dogs 2000 Miles”) is celebrating its 12 year anniversary!

Condensing 12 years of milestones, heartbreak, accomplishments, dogs and their people, places, and events into a few paragraphs is impossible, so I’ll just hit some of the highlights, with a brief introduction for those of you just coming to the story, and then let a few friends tell the rest.

What started all of this?

Every day, all over the country ― all over the world ― people lose their beloved dogs to cancer. But back in 2008, when our saga began, canine cancer wasn’t as well-known as it is now. Hard to believe, but many people didn’t even know dogs could develop cancer.

Luke Robinson was one of those people. So when he lost his Great Pyrenees, Malcolm, to osteosarcoma (bone cancer) after a two year battle against the disease, Luke was determined to find out why. The loss of Malcolm devastated Luke so much it changed the trajectory  of his life. Before Malcolm was given rest, Luke promised him that he would devote the rest of his life to ridding the world of this devastating disease.  And so starts our story. But how would Luke reach people and tell his story ― and theirs?

Whatever he did, it had to be visible and immediate. Luke had to make personal connections with people― others who had suffered loss, understood the pain, and also wanted answers.

So with his other two Great Pyrenees, Hudson and Murphy (AKA The Boys), Luke set out on the road, a walk from Austin (Texas) to Boston (Massachusetts) to tell people across the country about the growing emergence of cancers in companion animals — cancers that are, we were to discover, in many cases, identical to the same cancers in humans.

The Austin to Boston walk started in March of 2008. Luke and The Boys were loaded down with backpacks of gear for the miles and months ahead. Remember, this was long before reliable cell reception and phone cameras, so communication was often sketchy or non-extant. Luke didn’t have a road crew as such – just a handful of people in different states, on the other end of unreliable cell reception, who tried to stay in touch, keep track of where they were, and set up places for them to crash when the weather was too unpredictable.  And there were occasions when Hudson and Murphy would hunker down with new friends on the road when the terrain was too dangerous to let the dogs travel. Who knew there were alligators in Arkansas? So there were times when Luke was on his own.

As they travelled across the country, they encountered recluse spiders, misquitoes with the appetites of velociraptors, tainted Twinkies, flooded tents, evil-eyed squirrels, bottle-throwing truckers, dangerous storms, irate Church ladies, destroyed equipment, dead cell batteries, personal injuries, and a host of other obstacles. Luke, more than once, had been taken for homeless, and occasionally taken for dead. One person even called the police to report his body being picked over by “two white varmints” feasting on his carcass. Despite it all, they made a remarkable network of friends, supporters, and allies from around the country, and followers from all over the world.

As he walked, we published a daily email newsletter and kept an online blog (https://2dogs2000miles.blogspot.com/ ). Our company of supporters has grown remarkably over the last 12 years. The work we have produced, the research we have funded, and the knowledge we have gained and shared has grown exponentially.

Memphis Cements the Cause

It was in Memphis that Luke and The Boys had the good fortune to meet Ginger Morgan, who would become our Executive Director. Ginger is an Organizer Extraordinaire, and had he not met her,  Puppy Up would not be the organization it is today. Ginger remembers it like this:

“How I met Luke. I got an email from a friend who got an email from a friend about this guy walking from Austin to Boston to bring awareness of canine cancer, who needed a place to have an outside event. I was the Executive Director of the Humane Society at the time and we had space. The event Luke needed the space for was the day after The Humane Society’s largest event of the year. I remember very clearly stating, “You can have the event here, but I can’t help you” as I’d been working very late the night before. Twelve years later and I’m still here. I guess that’s what happens when you fall in love with a Pyr named Murphy.”

With Ginger’s expertise, the help of a host of volunteers, and a growing support of sponsors, Luke and The Boys not only made it to Boston, but we also began several programs  to support our growing education and research goals, including the PuppyUp Walks around the country, and our yearly Puppy Up “Cancer Can’t Keep a Good dog Down” calendar.

Our friend Eric Brandstetter’s dogs  were in our 2014 calendar contest and he remembers this:

 

“One day, grieving the loss of my black Lab Zoe, I was surfing Facebook and came across an article about Luke Robinson and his 2000 mile walk.  This caught my interest and then I started looking into the PuppyUp Walks.  Through Puppy Up, I have learned a lot about canine cancer and met a lot of people within the organization like Erich and Ginger and many other wonderful people that have had their lives effected by cancer.  Organizations that bring awareness to cancer are dear to my heart, having lost 2 dogs and fought cancer 3 times myself. I applaud organizations that help with the funding and research to find a cure for this horrible disease.

‘Here’s a little about my puppers I lost to cancer.  Zoe, a black Lab, was born November 1, 2001 and adopted from a Georgia animal shelter.  She was a active and loyal companion until she came in the house one day limping. We saw the vet and it was determined she had to have her rear right leg amputated.  After that she just didn’t recover. She had a hard time getting around, so I took her back to the vet and after tests and x-rays it was determined she was terminal. I was there holding her as she took her last breath on May 2, 2011.

‘Zoe’s  sister Saffron was a yellow Lab mix, born November 1, 2002 and adopted from a Georgia animal shelter.  Saffron was a spunky, adventurous puppy, who survived a poisonous snake bite at a year old .  She was a very healthy dog until in December 13, 2012. I woke up to her having seizures and rushed her too the 24 vet. After testing it was determined she was riddled with cancer and there was no hope. Before I could say goodbye, she passed away.   In 2013 Zoe and Saffron were part of the Puppy Up calendar contest.”

I asked our friends Doreen Buchler and Dawn Osborne to share their memories of Puppy Up and how they became involved.

(Doreen Buchler) “Riley was diagnosed with Osteosarcoma in September 2009. That moment changed my life forever. Riley’s left front leg was amputated, as it was the origin of the cancer. From that point on I wanted to make sure Riley lived her life to the fullest for whatever time she had left. In May 2010 I decided I wanted to take Riley on a big trip. A friend had found a Facebook group about a man walking across the country to raise awareness of canine cancer. He was inviting people to walk The Final Mile with him in Boston, Massachusetts.  Riley and I decided we were doing it. That Final Mile with the Puppy Up organization was one of the most amazing things I was able to do with and for Riley. We met amazing people, Riley shared that part of her journey with her hundreds of fans on Facebook, she helped Puppy Up raise awareness of canine cancer and we made lifelong friends through our experience with Puppy Up. The Final Mile truly enhanced the bond Riley and I had before she left us in January 2011.

(Dawn Osborne) My girl, Sunny, was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in January 2009. After healing from her right leg amputation and 5 rounds of chemotherapy, she bounced back to her old self; playing, running, and enjoying life. We met Luke, Murphy, and Hudson in March 2010 as they were walking through Connecticut. Sunny and I, along with a friend, Kae, traveled to Boston in June 2010 to participate in the Final Mile Walk. We met so many wonderful people and dogs who had experiences with cancer similar to ours. Before I became involved with the PuppyUp Foundation I was not aware of how prevalent canine cancer is, and how similar it is to human cancer.

Many months and many miles later, Luke and The Boys finally arrived in Boston. On June 19, 2010, there was a celebration at Back Bay Fen, with hundreds of friends and their dogs, from around the country, in attendance. The day was sunny and warm, which was perfect for The Blessing of the Animals. And there was, of course, also a Gala in the evening ― another chance to celebrate a huge accomplishment ― for Luke, Hudson, and Murphy, for Ginger, and for everyone else who supported Puppy Up along the way. And it was a chance to make new plans for the future.

So, here we are. 12 years in the future. Thanks to our many supporters, volunteers, sponsors, and friends, who work so hard, we have been able to fund many research studies into comparative oncology, and we continue to educate people about canine cancer and how our canine friends help us understand how cancer works in both pets and people.

If you’d like to learn more about Luke’s travels, our 2dogs2000miles blog will tell a lot of the story. And you can continue on the journey with us by following us on Facebook.

Do you have a memory of Puppy Up? We’d love to have you share on our Facebook pages.

To learn more about The Foundation, please follow the link to our web page, where you can find out about our PuppyUp Walks that take place throughout the year all over the country, read about the research we sponsor, and coming soon, find out about our 2021 Puppy Up Calendar contest.

Thank you to all who have made the last 12 years of The Puppy Up Foundation a success. Here’s to our future!

Puppy Up!