“Such short little lives our pets have to spend with us, and they spend most of it waiting for us to come home each day. It is amazing how much love and laughter they bring into our lives and even how much closer we become with each other because of them.” ― John Grogan, Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World’s Worst Dog
In This Issue: Our Hero, Hudson–one of the contestants in this year’s American Humane Hero Dog awards; New Veterinary Clinics and Veterinary Oncologists Announced for Madison, Wisconsin; Thank You, Ginger. No Ordinary Woman,; Upcoming PuppyUp Walks; April is National Cancer Control Month; Interview With The Founder; Pup of the Month.
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American Humane Hero Dog Awards
Hudson — Emerging Hero
Hudson
Our Hero, Hudson, is one of the contestants in this year’s American Humane Hero Dog awards. His story is an amazing one, and if you’ve followed The Puppy Up Foundation you know all about his travels, all the people whose lives he’s touched, and all the people who love him. But if you haven’t, or need a refresher, a brief glimpse into this wonderful fellow’s story is below. We know you’ll want to vote every day for this extraordinary dog! You can cast your vote (every day) here.
In 2008, Hudson began walking from Austin to Boston with his Papi Luke, and his brother Murphy to bring awareness to canine cancer. The trip took them over 2 years to complete, and when they walked the final mile into Boston, The Puppy Up Foundation was formed. Within the next year Murphy would be diagnosed with cancer and lose his battle. Hudson was devastated.
Since then Hudson has travelled from New York to San Diego, Miami to Seattle and many cities in between teaching people the similarities between canine cancer and human cancer and how research in dogs can help people through comparative oncology. Dogs and people get the same types of cancers and many times they are very similar in nature. Studying naturally occurring cancer in dogs can lead to better treatment options for both dogs and people.
Hudson loves people and is frequently used as a model to show them how to check their own dogs for lumps and bumps. Early detection is the best way to fight cancer. Hudson is evidence of that as a smaller than a pea sized lump was found on his ear. He was diagnosed as having a Mass Cell Tumor. Since then he has had 3 additional tumors removed.
Because Hudson is a survivor, he also helps people understand that a cancer diagnosis is not always a death sentence for their best friend.
New Veterinary Clinics and Veterinary Oncologists Announced for Madison, Wisconsin
We are pleased to welcome the participation of two new co-presenting sponsors for our 2018 Madison, Wisconsin PuppyUp Walk: Madison Veterinary Specialists and The University of Wisconsin Veterinary Care. Thank you for your continued support of PuppyUp Madison. We are proud to partner with you, to work with you, to help you, and to promote the high quality of care you provide to our community fur family.
Additionally, we would like to introduce Esther Chon, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology) with Madison Veterinary Specialists, and Mackenzie Pellin, DVM, DACVIM (Oncology), DACVR (Radiation oncology), Assistant Clinical Professor – Medical Oncology, Department of Medical Sciences, University of Wisconsin – Madison, highlighting their contributions to the field of veterinary medicine, with an emphasis on veterinary medical oncology and radiation oncology.
Esther Chon DVM, DACVIM
Dr. Esther Chon, DVM, Diplomate ACVIM (Oncology) became a veterinary oncologist because it allowed her to combine her love of animals, science and hope. She cares deeply about her patients and their families, and cherishes the opportunity to provide them with support and more quality time together. She also appreciates being part of a collaborative effort within a multi-specialty hospital to provide the best care for all of her patients.
Dr. Chon is a California native and did her undergraduate and veterinary medical training at UC Davis. She did a rotating internship at the Veterinary Medical and Surgical Group in Ventura, CA; an oncology internship at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston, MA; and was a clinical associate at Animal Clinical Investigation, LLC in Washington, DC. She then did her residency in veterinary medical oncology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, after which she stayed on as a clinical instructor and completed a post-doctoral fellowship studying canine melanoma.
Dr. Chon is a member of the Veterinary Cancer Society, Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association, American Veterinary Medical Association and American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine. She is published in the field of veterinary oncology and has presented her research at conferences nation-wide. She continues to be actively involved in research and is a frequent invited reviewer of many peer-reviewed veterinary journals.
When off duty, Dr. Chon enjoys spending time with her loving husband, three wonderful and vibrant sons, and surprisingly patient rescue terrier/Chihuahua mix who excels at fly-catching despite being blind in one eye.
For more on Dr. Chon, please follow this link.
Dr. Mackenzie Pellin
Dr. Mackenzie Pellin tells us, “My clinical interests are aimed at educating pet owners, veterinary students, and the public about the biology and treatment options for various cancers, and tailoring a treatment plan to each pet and their family. I have particular interests in the combination of radiation and chemotherapy to achieve the best outcome for patients. Research interests include combination chemotherapy protocols and assessing lung tumor motion on CT for more accurate targeting of radiation therapy.”
On a more personal note, she says, “I grew up with lots of dogs so always wanted to be a veterinarian, and wanted to be an oncologist since college when I worked with a young dog with osteosarcoma. I have 3 personal dogs, all over the age of 10. One of them is a cancer survivor – he had a soft tissue sarcoma removed in September. I also lost one of my dogs to cancer last May – he had lymphoma and GI disease. I am also expecting my first human baby on May 25th.”
For her bio and professional publications, please follow this link.
We are excited and grateful to welcome these two new co-presenting sponsoring clinics and their respective veterinary oncologists to the Puppy Up Family. We look forward to gaining from their expertise.
Thank you, Ginger. No Ordinary Woman
Ginger Morgan, Executive Director of The Puppy Up Foundation.
(Erich Trapp) I wrote this for Women’s History Month, which, you’ll remember, was March. The purpose of Women’s History Month is “to increase consciousness and knowledge of women’s history: to take one month of the year to remember the contributions of notable and ordinary women, in hopes that the day will soon come when it’s impossible to teach or learn history without remembering these contributions.”
Are there “ordinary” women? I wonder. I haven’t met any.
We all have women in our lives who make us better, help us focus, set us in the right direction (watch us fall off a cliff and then repel down the side to rescue us – again.) There have been many women in my personal life who deserve recognition. I admire them all. Each deserves credit for her personal and professional achievements. All are experts in their fields. Far better at their jobs than most men they will ever encounter. Any men, perhaps. They have to be. Sadly, our society gives only brief lip service to these remarkable women for one month a year.
But today I would like to acknowledge one special woman and my friend, the President and Executive Director of the Puppy Up Foundation, Ginger Morgan, for her dogged-determination to see us flourish and become all we dream of becoming. One step, and literally one paw, at a time.
It’s time Ginger was recognized for the driving force she is, and the inspiration she commands. Quite often, over the past 10 years, she has single-handedly held our organization together. This is not hyperbole. She has put out fires, guided a man and his two dogs across both sides of the continent, kept the Board of Directors on track and in line, sought out and secured sponsors, volunteers, and venues for our activities. Yes, there is now a small handful of others who contribute to the progress of our goals. But Ginger has been the guiding energy and strength behind (and in front of) the Foundation since its days as 2 Dogs 2000 Miles.
She jumped on board 10 years ago in 2008, working for over three years without any compensation, and little recognition, and has held the reigns since. For much of her tenure at Puppy Up, Ginger traveled on her own dime, whether it was to rally the troops at PuppyUp Walks or establish networks with veterinary clinics and canine oncologists throughout the U.S. Luke Robinson, our founder, has generated much of the inspiration for the Foundation, but Ginger is the women who gets people moving and gets projects done. She finds the right people for the job, and when that fails, she does it herself. I could say tirelessly, but I know better. She has forfeited much these last 10 years, and, to the benefit of those receiving funds for research and educational projects, has refused a raise for the past three years so that more money could be dedicated to the goals of the Foundation. It’s about time she received the thanks she deserves.
In that time, in that 10 years, she has never taken a vacation that wasn’t a “working vacation.” Her cell phone is always on — to solve a problem, contact a sponsor, arrange meetings with veterinarians and volunteers across the country, and make sure the machinery of the Foundation is well-oiled and running.
When I recently spoke with her, I asked the most important question – a true indicator of the person she is and the sacrifices she has made to make our Foundation work. I asked her, “How many companion animals have you lost since you started with Puppy Up? And how many have been lost to cancer?” I could hear her counting in her head. “Since 2008? I have lost 13 animals. Both dogs and cats. Lost to cancer? Six.”
What is important to know about this number is that, despite her own personal loss and considerable grief, Ginger never missed a meeting, never turned away a volunteer, never failed to answer a call from me or another Foundation member, never ceased to help Luke and The Boys – wherever they were on their journeys.
Recently she lost a treasured friend to cancer and was responsible for her friend’s estate, including her friend’s dogs. Yet, amidst the turmoil and sorrow of having such a burden, Ginger never failed the Foundation or postponed her considerable responsibilities.
All of us connected with Puppy Up owe Ginger a heartfelt thank you for the many sacrifices she has made, and continues to make every day, to make certain we achieve our goals and ideals.
Puppy Up, Ginger. Thank you.
Erich Trapp, Puppy Up Foundation Board Secretary and writer for The Puppy Up Foundation
Upcoming PuppyUp Walks
PuppyUp Walks in April and May
We have a number of PuppyUp Walks to attend in April and May. Here’s the rundown on where and when.
April 21 in Spring, TEXAS. Events begin at 9 AM and run through 1 PM at the Rob Fleming Park and Lodge, The Woodlands, TX. For complete details, including how to register, please follow this link. https://puppyupwalk.org/
In May we have three Walks to choose from.
May 5 in Nashville, TENNESSEE we have a PuppyUp Walk starting at 9:30 AM and running through 2:30 PM at the Edwin Warner Park in Nashville. Here’s the scoop: Please join us on Saturday, May 5 at the Edwin Warner Park, Shelter 11 for PuppyUp Nashville and Puppy Jam 2018. Join our emcee Cherish Lombard, anchor of News 2 (WKRN) at 4 for our cancer hero celebration ceremony. The event also includes a vendor fair with vendors/sponsors (current Gold Paw sponsors are Phoebe & Friends Photography and Value Vet), K-9 demonstrations from the Special Operations Division (canine section) of the Metro-Nashville Police Department, refreshments by Smokin’ Buttz and No Baked, and a silent auction that is NOT to be missed. There will also be a memorial wall, dedicated to those people and pets that have lost their battle with cancer and will include those currently fighting this disease. We are thrilled to announce Puppy Jam 2018, a celebration of the Nashville music scene, with acoustic performances by Nick Alligood, Liza Drake, Catt McCreary, Page Mackenzie, Eric Ryan and Taylor Marie Wagner from noon – 2:00 pm. Register now at www.puppyupwalk.org/nashville for only $25! Price increases to $30 on May 4.
Dr. Pamela Lucas with BluePearl Veterinary Partners
Dr. Pamela Lucas (pictured) with BluePearl Veterinary Partners has been an amazing supporter of our upcoming event and mission.
Dr. Lucas tell us, “Cancer is such an emotionally charged word, and it will affect every one of us in our lifetime. I have lost family, dear friends, and my own pets to cancer. I have also devoted my life to fighting cancer in animals and people. My master’s is in Comparative Oncology, which is the study of similarities in cancer causes, development, and treatment between people and dogs. Research is vital for finding the cure to this devastating disease, and my own research in PAC-1 has progressed from a clinical trial in dogs with lymphoma, to helping fight brain cancer in people. The Puppy Up Foundation helps raise money for clinical trials. Moreover, it is an outlet for people to come together to feel they are doing their small part to help in the fight to cure cancer”.
Also on May 5 we have a Walk in Lancaster NEW HAMPSHIRE, at Centennial Park, Lancaster. For more information follow this link.
And on May 19 there will be a PuppyUp Walk in Elkhart, INDIANA from 9 AM to 1 PM at Central Park in Elkhart. You can find more on that walk here.
You’ll find a complete list of our PuppyUp Walks here.
Want to start a walk in your area? Check out how here.
April is National Cancer Control Month
The purpose of National Cancer Control Month is to raise awareness about cancer.
That’s also one of our three guiding missions of The Puppy Up Foundation.
How common is cancer in dogs?
Unfortunately, cancer is one of the leading causes of death in older animals. According to the Animal Cancer Foundation (ACF), 1 out of every 4 dogs and 1 out of every 5 cats will develop cancer in their lifetimes, and each year, approximately 6 million dogs and almost that many cats are diagnosed with cancer.
Cancer in pets can be found in the skin, bones, breast, head and neck, lymph system, abdomen and testicles. Leukemia is the most common type of cancer in cats and lymphoma and mammary gland cancers are the most common types of cancers in dogs.
What is Cancer?
Cancer is not just one disease; it is a group of diseases that can appear almost anywhere in the human or animal body. How it develops and its symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment vary widely based on the cancer type and where it is located in the body.
Cancer refers to cells growing out of control. There are over 100 types of cancers, but they all start with cells that begin to divide without stopping, and have the potential to spread to surrounding tissues or organs.
There is an important distinction we must make. Cancer is malignant growth, meaning cancer has the potential to spread (metastasize) to other parts of the body. This often occurs when cancer cells migrate from their primary or original site to nearby lymph nodes. Cancer cells can circulate throughout the body in blood or lymph vessels, and even a very small number of cells can produce new tumors. Cancer is classified according to its original location.
For more on National Cancer Control Month, please visit our blog.
Interview With The Founder of Puppy Up
Indiana, Luke, and Hudson
Interview With Luke Robinson, Founder of Puppy Up
Question: You recently celebrated the 10 year anniversary on March 16th when you and Hudson and Murphy left Austin. What does it feel like?
Luke: It’s been one helluva journey hasn’t it? For all of us! To think what began with just me and Hudson and Murphy and a couple hundred bucks in my pocket on an uncertain trek from Austin to Boston telling Malcolm’s story from town to town. And look at what we have built from it. I’m very proud of what we all have accomplished but I think we all hoped we’d be further along. But I understand the macro and micro reasons and I’ll be talking about them in an upcoming Puppy Up Studios Series. We still have lots more work to do. But I am excited about the next 10 years for Puppy Up! So many great projects in the works.
Question: So what’s in store for the next 10 years?
Luke: Hah! I just got asked that question doing a radio interview with the fine folks of WVRC in Milwaukee. The good news is I’ve been pondering this for a long time and have a few things I’ve been thinking about and working on. The first is from a conversation I had late last fall with one of the top scientists in the country in translational/comparative research. I asked him, like I ask so many veterinary oncologists, what is the ROI (Return on Investment) that I can communicate to the stakeholders of Puppy Up – our donors, volunteers and sponsors all around the country?
I went on to explain what I meant. Puppy Up can show the dogs we have helped through the clinical trials we fund as well as all of our educational and awareness campaigns as well and our pet parent empowerment walks. But what we can’t demonstrate is a decrease in the incidence of cancer plaguing our companions. If that’s true, then what really are we trying to accomplish within the community and what are the benchmarks and metrics?
Because although I’m not a scientist, I do know that cancer levels in our canine companions are so unnaturally high. Genetic diseases do not typically occur at this prevalence within populations. My question then to the scientist was, are we then ultimately trying to normalize cancer levels?
Without hesitation, his response was, “I don’t think we will ever see normal levels again.”
Now, I’m one of those people who can see far distances into the future but sometimes not ten feet in front of me so I found this profoundly important and here’s why: Not only is prevalence of cancer within the canine population so high, but from my travels to so many oncology clinics and pet parent communities across the country, I am also deeply disturbed by another trendline. More and more I see dogs 6 months diagnosed with lymphoma and 1-2 years old with bone cancer, and although some disagree about the decline in age of diagnosis, it is occurring nonetheless.
Take these two trends – (1) continued rise of cancer in the canine population or even if we’re able to hold the line and (2) dogs are diagnosed at younger ages – and ask yourself this question. How will this effect a prospective pet parent’s desire to adopt a dog in the future? In 10 years, if getting a Golden Retriever meant a coin flip that it would die from cancer and it might develop it as early as 1-2 years old – would that alter their decision process?
I’m betting so, and this is one of the reasons we’re accelerating so many projects and running them in tandem.
My second thought about what we’d like to accomplish as a foundation and a community within the next 10 years is closing the gap entirely between human and veterinary medicine. I want pet parents to have access to all of the treatment and diagnostic technologies that people have. We share the same toolboxes as it were, and I believe this is achievable as we have made significant strides in the previous decade.
Finally, and this is something we’ve been thinking about a lot at the Foundation – what truly are we trying to transform and impact? And here it is. The Puppy Up Foundation is challenging and changing the way society values our companions socially, spiritually and scientifically though all of our works and our mission. And as the founder of Puppy Up, I think that sums it up pretty much perfectly. All of us have worked hard at the foundation and we have come far these past 10 years and I’m very excited about the next 10!
Question: Do you have updates on Puppy Up Studios?
Luke: Oh, yeah, hey thanks for reminding me. I’m building content. Been on the road the past two weeks – the Maiden Voyage of the ‘Mobile Puppy Up Studios’ filming some of the patients and pet parents in our clinical trials and the scientists. I’ll be in the editing bay next week and we’ll have some good stuff up then.
Question: What about the Power of Companions Monument?
Luke: We’ve received some inspiring submissions but in talks with people here in Memphis, we’ve come up with a ‘Footprint’ or ‘Pawprint’ for the monument so that everyone will have a better understanding of the vision. I’m going to have it professionally mocked up and should have it soon. It’s very exciting!
Questions: Anything else for this month’s newsletter?
Luke: The deadline for Hudson’s Hero is soon so please vote for him. While in the editing bay I’m going to put together a video about how much he’s done for this cause. Thanks to everyone for voting.
[Please vote every day for Hudson here.]Pup of the Month
April 11 was Dog Therapy Appreciation Day. To honor all the dogs who serve humanity, this month our Pup of the Month is dedicated to all the wonderful Therapy Dogs who make our lives easier and the world a kinder place. Thank you to the dogs and the people who raise and train them!
Nair and Bjorn
We have been selected to participate in a fundraiser from the amazing Nair and Bjorn. 20% of every purchase will be donated back to us when you select the Foundation at checkout. There are also 3 designs where 50% of every purchase will be donated back to us! These designs are This Bracelet, This Necklace and This Tag Helps Save Rescue Animals.
Please remember upon checkout you have to select The Puppy Up Foundation from the list to make sure the donation goes to us. This is for any of their handmade designs. You will not be able to complete the checkout process without selecting an organization. For the Tees/apparel purchases, just go ahead and order.
Please visit the website at https://nairandbjorn.com/ to take a look at their amazing products.
Disclaimer
The Puppy Up Foundation does not endorse nor recommend any particular product, service, or treatment. We offer information strictly for educational and/or informational purposes. We believe it is the pet owner’s responsibility to do the research and draw his or her own conclusions.
We can always use your help. If you’re interested, send me an mail at ginger@puppyup.org.
Sincerely,
Ginger Morgan, Executive Director
The Puppy Up Foundation
