As I was meandering along the many twists, turns and hyperlinks that make up that wonderous place we call the internet, I came across a grassroots charity that just passed a huge milestone. Chase Away K9 Cancer recently surpassed $1 million dollars in donations. That’s an incredible number that most startup non-profits never reach. It’s a testament to a lot of hard work that began years ago on a dock in Oregon.
The Sad Story That Inspired A Wonderful Movement
Cera Reusser, Founder of Chase Away K9 Cancer, retells the story on the non-profits website:
Chase was a beautiful female black Labrador, who achieved the title of AKC Master Hunter, along with being an Elite Jumper in DockDogs Big Air and NW Challenge Champion at Diamond Lake in 2005. She was the picture of good health and vitality until her “mom,” Cera Reusser, discovered a lump under her chin while giving her night-time loving. The lump turned out to be metastasized cancer which after diagnoses it was nasal carcinoma. Even after the best possible care by a Board-certified veterinary oncologist it was too late to save Chase. She died three months shy of her seventh birthday. But her unfailing devotion to her family and her courage throughout her ordeal earned her the title of hero.
On the last day of Chase’s short, important life, Cera recounts bringing Chase to Sauvie Island for a last swim. She says the water in the Willamette was never so clear as it was on that day. As a dog owner myself, I’m so happy the two were able to share this last, beautiful moment together. And dogs and their human companions are eternally grateful, too. Because that poignant moment manifested into a life-long passion for Cera: to fight canine cancer until there’s a cure.
Congratulations to Chase Away K9 Cancer on a job very well done!
If you’d like to donate to Chase Away K9 Cancer, you can do so here.
