The Canine Cancer Caucus
That was what was written on our special shirts that many people were wearing yesterday in Washington, DC, when we gathered at the Lady Byrd Johnson Grove in LBJ Park to start our 2.5 mile walk to the Reflecting Pool. And the best part of the day is that finally, I actually got to attend an event! I was so excited.
Proof Positive that I was there the entire time, as here we are at the starting part. Right now, I am saying a little special prayer for all the dogs who are not with us today, and especially our wonderful Princess Daisy. It is sad to do this without Daisy, but WillowBee has come along to represent the girls in the family and she is doing a pretty good job as spokesdog.
Here is another picture that our friend Miss Phoebe of My Squeaky Ball took of me at the start I think I look a bit chubbo in this picture.... I have some shoulder muscles that must have popped out overnight (or was it the camera angle?) I'm not normally so beefy, but I wanted you to see my special scarf with PUPPY UP! on it. My leash was bright pink too, so I matched. That's important.I don't think you need to make any comments regarding my color choices. I happen to think Pink looks very nice on me, and if my manliness comes into question, I'll just have to explain how I got a blood transfusion from a girlie boxer when I was only 8 weeks old and dying from rat poison, and therefore, I have mixed blood. Phew.
So we gathered in the grove and waiting until a lot of folks had arrived, and some reporters from Channel 7 and from Channel 5 were coming with their cameras and they talked and took pictures too.
So we starting walking and boy it was a long, long way. Mom says 2.5 miles and my paws feel like it, but it was worth every minute. After we crossed a beautifu bridge, which was way too high for my liking, by the way, we got in front of The Lincoln Memorial which is my Sister's favorite place in DC.
Here is my friend Moose in front of that building:
He's a big guy, you know. He's what they call a Great Dane. I'm just a Good PitBull.And then we got to the reflecting pond and we all stood to have a few photo opp's and to say some more prayers and wishes for our friends who have or had cancer. Here's my friend Smurf in front of the pool:
Smurf didn't have his Puppy Up shirt but he wore his Redskins Jersey and looked really nice. He is actually one of the dogs on the news programs that came on Fox News at 5pm and on ABC News at the same time (5pm). But if you missed that, have your MousePerson click on these links and you can watch the video's.I especially loved meeting Lily who came all the way from Colorado and is (by the way - an American Bulldog, not a boxer, like they said on the news) and Lexi, who is small, small little pup, rescued from a Puppy Mill and now suffering from breast cancer. Here are their pictures:
Lily
LexieHere is a nice picture of me and my WillowBee and my sis, Lydia and her husband Patrick, in front of the reflecting pool (which is very green..... I might add). In fact it is scary.
It was so much fun walking and walking with all my dog friends and with our beautiful baby WillowBee, who as you can see is now as tall as me. I must admit that WillowBee was actually a very good dog. Surprise, surprise.Here is Moose and his Mom in front of the pool:
You can sure see how BIG Moose is when he is sitting next to his Mom, can't you? Yippers. And Mom says she has seen Great Danes much taller than Moose. I hate to admit this, but I am a little bit afraid of him. See in the very back? That is The Washington Monument. It's really tall also.
And then we all started walking again, around the left side of the pool on the way to The World War II Memorial, which is very pretty but sad. Some of you may remember that my friend, Forest Gump walked in the reflecting pool when he was looking for Ms. Jenny, but I think it was less green at that time. Or maybe, Forest wasn't the brightest bulb, but I still admire him. I like to be called Bob Gump, but I say "Life is just a box of Wagatha's"
I think it's a good thing to be like Forest from time to time. Think about it, won't you?
There is my friend Smurf again, with his Mom, who is named Beth. Beth had too many shirts on when we started and she is obviously shedding some as we progress. And here was a brave Mastiff who really wasn't afraid to walk near that green water. Oh Boy.
He is carrying a back pack with his own snacks and water. Now that's called thinking ahead! I just made sure my Sis, Lydia, had all that stuff ready for me and Willow. Walking was a big enough chore. I honestly don't know how Huds and Murphy do it every day. They are my heroes.So we made it to the end of the walk at The FolkLife Festival Site and boy, we were happy, happy to sit down and rest our paws:
This is me and my Mom and WillowBee and our handy dandy portable water bowl, compliments of Mr. Tim of Poo Bare It's very nice and of course, color coordinated!Mr. Tim also cleans up Goose Poop, so I wonder if they could get him to clean up the reflecting pool?
Once we got to the end of the march, we all gathered around to listen to some talking by Mr. Luke (The Big Dog his-self) and Ms. Ginger (who we call MamaG) and two very nice doctors who helped us to understand all about how awful canine cancer is and how we can work hard together to find a cause and a cure.
We heard first from Dr. Ashley Hughes from Friendship Animal Hospital. Dr. Hughes is very pretty and very inspiring. Here is a picture and her story:
Ashley Hughes, DVM
I grew up riding horses, and surrounded by animals, but it never occurred to me to become a veterinarian until two years after I graduated from Vanderbilt University with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. I was riding my horse one day, wondering what I wanted to do for a living, when it hit me- being a veterinarian was the ideal career for me.
I enjoy all of veterinary medicine but have a special interest in Surgery, Emergency/Critical Care and Shelter Medicine. I am also the author of the Friendship Tails, a blog that provides an insider's view of life here at Friendship, and lots of great pet health information. I graduated from the University of Florida's College of Veterinary Medicine - go Gators! After completing my internship at Friendship, I was lucky enough to stay on as a Staff Veterinarian.
I have surrounded myself with loving animal companions that include four dogs and three cats; Westin, Tia-- a Brittany Spaniel, Sparkle - a Rat Terrier, Lilly - a Chihuahua mix and Furla, Vegas, and Breaker - all Domestic Shorthaired cats. Amazingly, my menagerie gets along most of the time. I also enjoy riding horses, cooking, playing tennis, and reading.
And then we heard some very comforting words from the amazing Dr. Chand Khanna.
Chand Khanna, DVM, PhD, ACVIM, Oncology Referral
I am a graduate of the Western College of Veterinary Medicine in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. My specialty training included a Small Animal Medicine and Surgery Internship at the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, followed by a residency in Internal Medicine and Oncology at the University of Minnesota. I am board-certified with the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (Oncology). My training in cancer research includes a PhD from the University of Minnesota, where I studied immunotherapy of metastatic cancers, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health where I was a Senior Staff Fellow at the National Cancer Institute. Recently, I created and now head the section of Comparative Oncology at the NCI.
My primary area of research is cancer investigational drug development. Since moving to the Washington, D.C. area, I have been able to couple my research interests with my love for clinical veterinary oncology through my work with Oncology Service at Friendship Hospital for Animals, and through the development of Animal Clinical Investigation, LLC.
I am on the editorial board of the Journal of Veterinary and Comparative Oncology, am a reviewer for many clinical and scientific journals, and have authored several manuscripts and textbook chapters in the field of veterinary oncology and cancer biology. I am Chairman of the Perseus Foundation, a Maryland-based non-profit organization seeking to improve the lives of animal and human cancer patients.
I have five dogs and cats but only two children and one fabulous wife. When not treating cancer, I am playing golf with Drs. Glassman and Rusk.
Here is Dr. Khanna's nice face:
If we ever have need of an Oncologist, we will want to see Dr. Khanna, but we told him when we met him we really never wanted to ever see him again. He thought that was funny and a pretty good idea.
If you want to learn more about Friendship Hospital for Animals, please ask your Mouse Person to click here.
And lucky for us here, Dr. Khanna also comes to our fantastic hospital in Leesburg, called The Life Centre You can learn a lot more facts about cancer in animals if you spend some time on both of these web places in cyberspace.
So when the talking was over, and the news reporters had left, we all took a big sigh, got on our sore paws and started back to where we had left our automobiles.
I can tell you that I was one very, very tired boy on the way home, and our Miss WillowBee was even more exhausted. But here is a picture of my friend Moose, and I think that just about says it all:
Good Night, Moose. Sleep tight.
Love and LIcks,
Your friend Bob
Blogging Boy Pitbull ExtraOrdinary
Puppy Up Everyone!
Oh and don't forget to vote for your favorite candidates for this years 2010 Cancer Can't Keep a Good Dog Down calendar. Fly your mouse to Voting pages for 2dogs2000miles 2010 Cancer Calendar We are pulling for Lexie and LIly and our very own Schultz - who we took care of for a long, long time until he passed away.
Rock on, Schultz.
VOTING ENDS TONIGHT ON THE 2010 Calendar Submissions and it's only $1.00 per vote. So do it now.
Thanks,
BOB
Categories: We Have a Dream
Tags: Canine Cancer Caucus 2 Dogs 2000 Miles
Bob, as always your mom and sis made this event successful. Great news coverage, too. Moose is grateful for having met so many new faces, including you and WillowBee! Luke (Hudson & Murphy) have a knack for what they are doing - and thank goodness they are. I love Lexie's photo... with the tongue flopping out the side of her mouth!
Now... Was Schultz a Great Dane? He sure looks like one. xxxooo
Yep, our Schultz was a beautiful Great Dane, just like Mr. Moose-Man!
We are sad that he didn't make the 2010 calendar, but we still think about him all the time!
I'm sure he and Princess Daisy are up to something, up at The Bridge.
Love,
Bob
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HI Bob, loved your story. Jasper and Janey your WV pyr neighbors so enjoyed meeting everyone. Hope to see you all at the new dog park and will be passing the link for your blog to lots of dog lovers we know. Maybe we will run into each other at future events.
Hi Mr. Jasper and Ms. Janey.
I very much enjoyed the day we spent together with the walking and the sightseeing.
You guys are sure a lot bigger than Huds and Murphy. HA.
Bob
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