Lisa was always called “Smiley Girl” because she always looked like she had a smile on her face. She was a stray dog with a big smile, crooked tail, and a ready hug for anyone she met.
One day, Lisa didn’t have the energy to eat, drink, or move. I took her to the vet where she was hydrated and monitored. She would need exploritory surgery to find the cause of her illness. In the middle of surgery, the doctor called. She had cancer, so far progressed that it was futile to try any kind of treatment. She went over the rainbow bridge that day, taking her smile with her.
“Sadly, cancer affects one in every three dogs,” says Ginger Morgan, executive director of PuppyUp Foundation. “Of those, over half will unfortunately die of cancer. Even though COVID-19 has hit all nonprofits hard, we must continue to educate people about cancers in our companion animals, how similar they are to cancers in people, and how the research we fund benefits both. This local walk helps bring awareness to our dog community and raises money to fund comparative oncology research.”
Join the festivities, including a dog game with Positive Dog Trainers of the Mid-South, music by Nora and Billy, vendors, and Mempops with Mempups for your dogs to enjoy. Celebrate the joy animals bring to our lives — a bond that is not broken by illness or death — while raising funds for awareness, education, and research for canine and human cancers.
PuppyUp Memphis, Shelby Farms Park Visitors Center at Jones Pond Pavilion, 6903 Great View, Sunday, May 2, noon-4 p.m., free-$35.
