My sweet little Charlie is an 8 year old Aussie/Rottweiler mix (we think). He has been my constant companion for the last six years. By my side during some incredibly rough times and was always there shoving his little face under my hand to make sure I knew he was there for me. He went to work with me every day and was the official shop dog at the store I managed; greeting all customers and their pets with open paws. He did tricks to entertain and would occasionally wander in to the local pizza restaurant and sit pretty for a meatball.

Last September, I lost my job and although I was managing with the meager resources I had, nothing could have prepared me for what was about to happen.

I took Charlie to the vet to check out a little cough he had developed and the X-ray showed a large tumor in one of his lungs. I took Charlie immediately to an oncologist who did an ultrasound and determined there were no other tumors. This all seemed very positive. We immediately scheduled him for surgery to remove the lung and it appeared that they got it all. However, when the histopathology came back it was the worst possible news — he had adenocarcenoma and would likely have no more than a month or two to live. I was in a state of disbelief, he looked and acted perfectly normal–not at all sick! He is still just as bright and happy as he appears in these photos.

Fortunately, his wonderful oncologist, Dr. Jeanette Kelly said that with chemo therapy he could potentially have years left and I could reasonably expect him to live out his normal life span. The only thing standing in the way was money. I was devastated and had just depleted all the savings I had and could not bear the thought of losing my best friend in the world because I couldn’t come up with the cost of treatment. They suggested that I reach out to these funds which have been established for people in my situation. Thanks to your incredibly kind donors, we have enough for two more treatments!

I have had a job and have been self-sufficient my whole life so it hit me very hard to have to ask for help, but I would do anything to help my precious little guy and I am so incredibly grateful this fund was here. I hope to become a donor myself one day soon and be able to help someone else in my position.

Charlie has now had two chemo treatments and has experienced no negative side effects. He still appears perfectly healthy and is enjoying life as much as ever. He is being pampered a bit more and is milking it for all its worth! I’ll keep you posted on his progress.

Most sincerely,

Jill and Charlie Miller