Indy at the Golden Gate Bridge
SAN FRANCISCO, CA– “He’s walking 2,000 miles for what?”
On Thursday (October 2) Luke Robinson and his dog Indiana crossed over the Golden Gate Bridge as part of a 2,000-mile trek–on foot–to fund a little-known area of cancer research known as comparative oncology.
“It isn’t just about dog cancer. Luke set me straight on that right away.” says Jimmy Howard, who walked 60 miles with Robinson after reading a feature on him in the local newspaper.
“That first day, I said something about ‘dog cancer,’ and Luke said, ‘No, no, no… this is about everyone’s cancer.’”
Robinson is the founder of the Puppy Up Foundation (formerly 2 Million Dogs), which supports humane cross-species studies of the disease, it’s causes, and possible cures. He will be in the San Francisco area for most of the weekend.
In the course of studying cancer, researchers discovered that dogs get many of the same cancers as humans. At first glance that was bad news, but since dogs naturally have shorter life spans than the average human, that shorter life span is a variable that can enhance cancer research: studies and drug trials conducted with dogs deliver the “whys” and “hows” faster. When a veterinarian discovers a new way to treat osteosarcoma in a black Labrador, for example, those findings may be applied to human treatments as well.
Robinson has invited all animals lovers and cancer survivors (human and canine) to join him as he and his dog Indiana make their way toward San Diego. Anyone who cannot join Robinson can track the duo’s progress down the U.S. coast to Mexico by visiting www.2dogsagainstcancer.com.
Luke Robinson and his dog Indiana will be at Moulin Pooch this afternoon, Saturday, October 4th (1750 Union St., San Francisco, CA 94123, phone: 415.440.7007) at 5:30 PM.
He is also on Instagram at @2dogs2000miles.
To learn more, please contact Ginger Morgan at ginger@puppyup.org.
