Kass is the dog in the photo at the beach. This photo was taken 2 weeks before I made the heartbreaking decision to say good bye.
Kassa Bella was my first dog. She was the usual naughty puppy and many times wondered what we had done. By the time she was a year old she was my
companion and soul mate. She was an amazing dog who loved learning new things.She was a natural at agility, tracking and paws to music, loving every moment
of it. More so than I. Among the many things she did she would have my slippers by my chair each night when I came home, put her own toys away, loved people, and had a spark in here eye I could never catch on camera. At 2.5 she was diagnosed with bone cancer of the jaw. We were devestated. I was in a dog cancer group looking for answers when I was asked to join a small group ecently started by Anna and Cindy called Bone Cancer Dogs.
In 7 years BCD has grown into a non profit organisation dedicated to funding research, awareness, education and support for families with bone cancer dogs.
The organistaion regularly donates money to vet hospitals for research. This in turn helps humans. We can never bring our dogs back,but we hope sharing our pain
might help others I am honoured to know such caring people.
Kass bravely fought for 10 months and on 9/2/2004 (2 weeks after this photo) I let her go with dignity before the cancer ruined her
beautiful face.You can read her story if you click the link at the bottom.
During this time a very close friend Lyn was diagnosed with bone cancer. Once again I was devestated. Over the years I watched Lyn fight, go into remission only to have the cancer return and fight again. Like Kass she fought a very brave battle. Refusing to give in.
Watching someone close to you fight and not be able to do anything is so hard. I wanted to help, but didn't know what to do. When she could no longer work I would visit regularly and on one visit took the collars I was making for a friend in the USA.. Lyn became animated as she thought of new ideas insisting I sell them. No one would buy them...She insisted. One day going home in tears as I often did I thought. I can sell them.I can sell them and the proceeds go to the bone cancer and in my small way hope I can help others like her and Kassa fight this. Lynn loved working with the collars, her pain seemed to ease as together we , had coffees, laughing forgetting the black cloud that hung over us.After a head injury I have trouble putting the hardware on and Lyn would giggle and give me the confidence to go on with them.
Lyn and I started this web site in 2010.Lyn was the most amazing gentle person. She wasn't at all bossy, but had a way about her that you followed her in what needed doing. Even during her fight she was still thought of others. One day out of my mouth popped I hate cancer it isn't fair. Her reply was. " I don't want it either, but I hope a child is saved by me having it."
In July 2011 Lyn lost the battle. She met the first grand child she so longed to see and the pain became too much for her. For several months doing collars didn't seem the same without her, so didn't do any for months. I am proud of our efforts and so sad Lyn can not be here to see the end result. I know she would be smiling from ear to ear all excited for the new ones we would make together.Some would be amazing and others would have us in tears of laughter wondering what was in our coffee. It is hard going on without her beside me, but we have to go on and continue to fight for them.
No human or animal should ever have to fight the fight they fought.
In memory of Kassa and my wonderful friend Lyn. Forever in my heart. You will never be forgotten.
http://www.bonecancerdogs.org/
http://kassabella.tripod.com/kassabella/
I have a photo of Lyn with her first grand child that will go in here.
Kassa Bella was my first dog. She was the usual naughty puppy and many times wondered what we had done. By the time she was a year old she was my
companion and soul mate. She was an amazing dog who loved learning new things.She was a natural at agility, tracking and paws to music, loving every moment
of it. More so than I. Among the many things she did she would have my slippers by my chair each night when I came home, put her own toys away, loved people, and had a spark in here eye I could never catch on camera. At 2.5 she was diagnosed with bone cancer of the jaw. We were devestated. I was in a dog cancer group looking for answers when I was asked to join a small group ecently started by Anna and Cindy called Bone Cancer Dogs.
In 7 years BCD has grown into a non profit organisation dedicated to funding research, awareness, education and support for families with bone cancer dogs.
The organistaion regularly donates money to vet hospitals for research. This in turn helps humans. We can never bring our dogs back,but we hope sharing our pain
might help others I am honoured to know such caring people.
Kass bravely fought for 10 months and on 9/2/2004 (2 weeks after this photo) I let her go with dignity before the cancer ruined her
beautiful face.You can read her story if you click the link at the bottom.
During this time a very close friend Lyn was diagnosed with bone cancer. Once again I was devestated. Over the years I watched Lyn fight, go into remission only to have the cancer return and fight again. Like Kass she fought a very brave battle. Refusing to give in.
Watching someone close to you fight and not be able to do anything is so hard. I wanted to help, but didn't know what to do. When she could no longer work I would visit regularly and on one visit took the collars I was making for a friend in the USA.. Lyn became animated as she thought of new ideas insisting I sell them. No one would buy them...She insisted. One day going home in tears as I often did I thought. I can sell them.I can sell them and the proceeds go to the bone cancer and in my small way hope I can help others like her and Kassa fight this. Lynn loved working with the collars, her pain seemed to ease as together we , had coffees, laughing forgetting the black cloud that hung over us.After a head injury I have trouble putting the hardware on and Lyn would giggle and give me the confidence to go on with them.
Lyn and I started this web site in 2010.Lyn was the most amazing gentle person. She wasn't at all bossy, but had a way about her that you followed her in what needed doing. Even during her fight she was still thought of others. One day out of my mouth popped I hate cancer it isn't fair. Her reply was. " I don't want it either, but I hope a child is saved by me having it."
In July 2011 Lyn lost the battle. She met the first grand child she so longed to see and the pain became too much for her. For several months doing collars didn't seem the same without her, so didn't do any for months. I am proud of our efforts and so sad Lyn can not be here to see the end result. I know she would be smiling from ear to ear all excited for the new ones we would make together.Some would be amazing and others would have us in tears of laughter wondering what was in our coffee. It is hard going on without her beside me, but we have to go on and continue to fight for them.
No human or animal should ever have to fight the fight they fought.
In memory of Kassa and my wonderful friend Lyn. Forever in my heart. You will never be forgotten.
http://www.bonecancerdogs.org/
http://kassabella.tripod.com/kassabella/
I have a photo of Lyn with her first grand child that will go in here.