In the Summer of 2005, when walking my dog, Furio, I thought I saw a bear under my back deck. I quickly ran on top of the deck only to look down and see a very scared, emaciated Rottweiler looking back at me. He was obviously a stray and it took me two hours to chase him down and bring him into my home. His collar was severely embedded, he weighed 70lbs (30lbs underweight), had no hair on his hip area from where he had been sitting on concrete for so long and he cowered anytime you walked near him. I called every shelter in Asheville only to hear what I already knew - he is a breed that is not typically very adoptable due to common public misconceptions. His chance for adoption or even survival at a shelter was very slim. We decided he would be our own and we would do everything possible to show him how great life could be. We gave him his first chance at a good life.

After his first vet visit, we realized just how poor his first couple years of life had been. He had roundworms, a staph infection and had to be put on a really high quality, human-grade food to get his body in good shape. Since then, he has been healthy, happy and very spoiled.

On February 13, 2009, Rocco had an appointment for his yearly checkup. Our veterinarian felt his lymphnodes and then said they felt abnormal and she thought it was Lymphoma. We were devestated. She sent off tests and said results would be back on February 17. Over the weekend, while waiting and hoping for good results, I started researching canine Lymphosarcoma. We hoped for the best but wanted to be prepared for the worst.

On February 17, 2009, our veterinarian called and said that she was sure he had Lymphosarcoma. She could not tell us what stage it was in but said that without treatment, he would live approximately 4-8 weeks. Lymphoma is not cureable but it is a highly treatable form of Cancer in dogs. With chemotherapy he could live from 6 months to 1 year as an average, but the goal is to try to put the dog into remission and keep the Lymphoma from coming back. While doing research, I found many dogs who have lived for four + years after Chemotherapy, some even staying in remission and surviving the Cancer. There was no choice to be made. As part of our family, Rocco deserved a chance at life and that's exactly what we gave him. He started Chemotherapy just a few days later at Upstate Vet Specialists in Greenville, SC. It was an hour drive to each visit, but it was well worth it to have the knowledge and experience of a specialist.

We did not have the money to do diagnostic testing. In fact, we didn't have even a quarter of the money we needed for Chemo (it ended up being around $12,000) so we went straight ahead with the Madison-Wisconsin protocol. He did not respond well and had to be put on a special protocol because his Lymphoma was so aggressive. He reached remission and we celebrated every day with him. On July 2, he came out of remission and although we aggressively tried more treatment, he never reached another remission.

After his diagnosis, we decided to take Rocco to a waterfall, even though he was never much of an outside dog. He ended up loving every second of the hiking experience and became a complete trail dog. He hiked at least twice a week and was always by our side when we decided to go for a hike. Hiking with Rocco has taught me one of my greatest life lessons - take your time with lifes adventures. You will always get where you wanted to go, but you will have more time to enjoy life along the way. Rocco was never in a hurry, whether its dark and we were on top of a mountain, or we heard the sound or a large animal in the forest. He always reminded me, unknowingly, to relax and enjoy the journey.

In the beginning of August, Rocco was just beginning to show the physical signs of his Cancer being out of remission. He was tired, couldn't make it for his usual hikes and his Lymphnodes became larger every day. His spleen and liver were also affected and were growing larger. The second week of August, Rocco couldn't walk anymore and developed Lymphedema in his back right leg. We tried to up his dosage of antibiotics and go full-force with holistic remedies but his health only declined. On August 31, Rocco passed on his own while lying next to his brother and best friend, Furio. It was the hardest loss that I have ever experienced and not a day goes by that I don't cry over my boy. We buried him at home right in front of a large field of hay, where we have buried our guinea pigs who have passed.

I carry Rocco with me every day. I carry the beautiful memories and I also carry the painful, but the good outweighs the bad. Before Rocco, I had no idea that 1 out of every 4 dogs will die of Cancer. Before Rocco passed, I promised him that I would always help other dogs with Cancer and that is a promise that I will never break. I spread the word about Canine Cancer every chance I get and I am starting a Hike to Cure Canine Cancer in Rocco's memory.

One tip would never be enough. See a specialist, it is worth it. Take as many pictures as you can. Visit a holistic vet. Make sure that your dog is not eating ANY grains/carbs. Fix a home-cooked diet, if at all possible. Don't be sad around your dog, he doesn't know he has Cancer! Always remember that Cancer can't keep a good dog down. I lived by Laurie Kaplan's famous words.. "Not today and not without a fight!" DON'T GIVE UP! Your dog is fighting hard so fight right along with him!