10 Years On — Congratulations to The Puppy Up Foundation!
Back in 2006, Luke Robinson lost his beloved Great Pyrenees, Malcolm, to osteosarcoma. Before that day, he had no idea that dogs too could get sick and die from one of the world’s deadliest diseases. Stricken with grief for his much-loved dog, and determined to tell people that cancer is epidemic among our companion animals, in 2008 Luke walked across America with his two Great Pyrenees dogs, Hudson and Murphy, first from Austin to Boston on a trek called 2 Dogs 2,000 Miles. Not satisfied that he was reaching enough people, he and his dogs Hudson and Indiana (Murphy succumbed to cancer in 2011), then walked along the entire west coast of America, reaching even more people. The Today Show showed up. Animal Planet showed up. And as it broadened its scope and influence, 2 Dogs 2,000 Miles turned into 2 Million Dogs, and then transformed into The Puppy Up Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting research in the highly-specific and under-developed area of comparative oncology.
This month we celebrate 10 years of the work of The Puppy Up Foundation. We continue to build one of the world’s largest pet and people cancer communities. We carry on our efforts to educate people about the deadly epidemic of cancer in our animals and the tremendous potential of comparative oncology. And we persist in our scientific objectives: broadening our understanding of the links between human and companion animal cancer, creating a cross institutional collaborative platform, developing new approaches to research, and funding translational cancer studies that benefit both pets and people. In just 10 years as a grass-roots, non-profit organization, through the generous help of thousands of people across the country, we have funded hundreds of thousands of dollars in research, education and awareness. But 10 years is merely a beginning.
We hope you will celebrate this milestone with us, thanks to the efforts of our Founder, Luke Robinson, our Executive Director, Ginger Morgan, and the many people behind the scenes who continue to help The Puppy Up Foundation grow and thrive.
And a genuine heartfelt thanks to all the dogs who have inspired us to begin this work, and encourage us to continue our mission, even in — and more importantly because of — their absence.
Congratulations. Carry On. And Puppy Up!
We have an update on The Power of Companions Monument from Luke:
Dates: Like most projects I work on I try to gauge initial indications of interest and refine. People are getting excited about the Monument – both in its potential and importance but submissions for our ‘Concept Contest’ have been a little light so we’re going to slow the process down to expand it and explain it more thoroughly.
Since it speaks to both Life and Loss of Companions, making it collaborative is important to us. So we’re going to extend the deadline for submissions for at least another month. We’re trying to time it with other events, etc., and will let you know soon.
Next up – click here for a link to our ‘Working Draft’ of the Executive Summary for your review and comment and click here for our Sponsorship Levels. We already have our Titanium sponsor in mind and are currently in discussions. More later but check for updates at PuppyUpStudios.org.
Upcoming PuppyUp Walks
Upcoming PuppyUp Walks
April is a beautiful month. Spring is just beginning, the grass is starting to turn green, trees and flowers are starting to bloom, and there’s a delicious new-beginnings smell in the air. What a wonderful time to go for a walk with your pup! And we have two perfect PuppyUp Walks for you to enjoy together this April.
PuppyUp Huntsville, Alabama will be held from 12 noon to 3:00 PM on April 7 at the Providence Elementary School, 10 NW Chalkstone Street Huntsville, AL 35806. For more information on this event and how to register, please follow this link.
The PuppyUp Walk in Spring, Texas will be held from 9 AM to 1 PM on Saturday, April 21, at Rob Fleming Park & Lodge, 6055 Creekside Forest Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77389. You can find out event and registration details here.
We hope to see you there!
To see where and when all the upcoming PuppyUp Walks will be, please click here.
Oh, and don’t miss out —
The 2018 PuppyUp Couch Potato Walkless Walk continues through March 16. If you haven’t yet registered, there’s still time. All you need to do is surf over (from your couch or other comfy place) to this link (trust us, this is effortless) and register. Then, sit back, relax, and don’t walk. It’s that easy.
If you want to post a selfie, we’d love to see it on our Facebook Page. And tag your friends and invite them to join in the fun.
This is an stress-free and painless way to pitch in and fundraise for cancer research to benefit both pets and people.
All participants get bragging rights and will earn a well-deserved nap. Registration is $25 and includes a PuppyUp backpack and a bandana. Raise $100 and you will receive a PuppyUp tee shirt!
How To Create A Dog-Friendly Garden
How to Create a Dog-Friendly Garden
In keeping with both March being Poison Prevention Awareness Month and the arrival of spring (yes, it’s out there somewhere, rumored to be March 20th this year), we thought this would be a perfect time to publish this great article on creating a dog-friendly (and safe) garden.
Learning how to create a dog-friendly garden is the perfect way for you and your four-legged friend to enjoy the outdoors together. Owning a garden, or a dog, takes planning in and of itself, so combining the two definitely requires a little research on your end. From using vertical garden planters to training your dog specific manners, there are many tricks to having the best of both worlds. So don’t fret; by following the tips in this guide you are sure to give Fido the best gardening experience possible without sacrificing your garden’s appeal.
Work With Their Instincts
Dogs are natural protectors who need to feel safe within their territory. This means that your canine will probably be spending a lot of time patrolling the fence perimeter searching for anything that may pass by and get their attention. You should work with this need to protect by incorporating trails close to your fence line for your dog to follow.
It’s easy to set up a pathway using grass, wood, or other gardening options to keep your canine patrolling with ease. Your dog will want to traverse this area every time someone passes by so be sure to leave them enough room. Three feet is enough for regular sized dogs. You may need to make this aisle wider if you have a large dog.
Dogs Love to Dig
Most dogs love to dig around your fencing area in an attempt to get a better view of passing pedestrians. If your dog is extremely athletic, they may even be able to jump your fencing. When dealing with a dog that can leap fences with ease, you simply plant scrubs in front of the fence to prevent your pup from getting directly next to your fencing. Dogs that dig may require you to extend your fence deeper into the ground to prevent your pet from escaping.
Protect Your Plants and Your Dog
This really comes down to garden planning. You should place your delicate flowers in raised pots, such as in these Ario Lite Planters or in the center of the garden where they are least likely to be trampled by your dog. Hanging baskets are another awesome way to enjoy your plants without allowing your pet access to them.
Be sure to do your research before you add any plants to your garden to ensure they are not poisonous to your pets. Pesticides, poisonous plants, and other harmful garden scenarios should be avoided at all costs. Remember, your dog is very sensitive to chemicals and even the smallest amounts can cause your pet to needlessly suffer.
(For the full story, please visit our blog.)
Researchers show a cancer defense mechanism could be turned back to attack tumors
UCLA engineers and scientists have engineered a type of synthetic protein—a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, that responds to soluble protein targets. The advance shows great promise for helping the body’s immune system seek out and destroy cancer because it could boost the effectiveness of immunotherapies against solid tumors that are otherwise highly resistant to the body’s immune response.
The study was published in Nature Chemical Biology.
“We have generated the first example of a CAR that can help white blood cells—specifically T cells—convert tumor-produced proteins from suppressants, or ‘downers’ for our immune system, into stimulants that trigger robust attacks on the tumor cells,” said Yvonne Chen, the study’s principal investigator, and an assistant professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at the UCLA Samueli School of Engineering. “This could lead to new therapeutic applications, particularly in the treatment of solid tumors.”
For the complete article, please visit our blog.
From The Founder
YBD Here – Elon Musk and Bezos are inspirations to me in how they run so many potentially transformational projects in tandem so, as a friend of mine calls it, I’ve been scaffolding things together. But – I’ve been a bit remiss in posting updates at Studio/on Social Media – Bad Big Dog, Bad! But lots more coming soon. Here are the Headlines…
Hudson the Hero!
Recently Hudson – our Fearless and Famous Fuzzybutt who backpacked well not quite 4k Miles for Canine Cancer – has been nominated for the American Humane Hero Award. See his story here. I guess I’ve seen too many of these in my travels to put my heart into it and it’s my personal belief that heroism isn’t a popularity contest but I understand how these things work. You can vote daily though I won’t be pestering you with daily requests – I don’t do that nor pay anyone to do it. Since there is no posthumous award for Murphy I personally believe it would be good for all of us that Hudson receive it on behalf of both their service. Thank you for all who help to get out the vote. To catch a glimpse of the unassuming hero himself, click here.
Puppy Up Studios Update
Couldn’t be more inspired and pleased with the direction and progress this is taking but it’s become a rather, well, Yer Big Dog sized project. And, I’m excited for what it could represent for our future – as a platform. However, I’m trying to keep all my projects self-funded and it’s going to take more time than I initially projected to do properly. Keep you posted literally but I think you’ll begin to understand the vision better soon. At some point, I’ll need to bring on help to grow it faster.
Puppy Up. Talk Soon. YBD
Pup of the Month
Pup of the Month
Tuesday was K9 Veterans Day. (Please visit our blog for the complete article.) And though it is an honor to finally have a specific day set aside for our military K9s, our four-legged heroes deserve more appreciation than one single day. If you would like to do more, please follow this link to help K9 Veterans.
It is with the sacrifice of these selfless dogs in mind that this month’s Pup of the Month honors all the dogs throughout history who have helped and continue to help in the service of humanity: dogs in the Armed Forces, therapy dogs, airport and security dogs, natural disaster search and rescue dogs, tracking and hunting dogs, herding dogs, sled dogs, guard dogs, detection dogs, police dogs, service and assistance dogs, dogs in entertainment, and best friend dogs.
The poor dog, in life the firmest friend,
The first to welcome, foremost to defend. — Lord Byron
Thank you all for your loyalty and love.
3x your impact! Amazon is tripling the donation rate on your first smile.amazon.com purchase – through March 31! Go to smile.amazon.com/ch/47-2319212 and Amazon donates to The Puppy Up Foundation. Thank you.
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
