Tomorrow is National Dog Day! A day that celebrates all breeds, mixed and pure, and the joy they bring to our lives each day. Join me in helping future dogs add more days to their lives, by supporting the Morris Animal Foundation. For over a decade, the Morris Animal Foundation has been on a mission to end canine cancer with their Golden Retriever Lifetime Study (GRLS). This groundbreaking study is the largest and most comprehensive prospective canine health study ever undertaken in veterinary medicine in the United States. Its purpose is to identify the nutritional, environmental, lifestyle and genetic risk factors for cancer and other diseases in all dogs. Since 2012, with the help of veterinarians and dog owners, the Foundation collects health, environmental and behavioral data on 3,000+ enrolled Golden Retrievers, known as Heroes. They are now using the data collected for Foundation-funded research into early diagnostics and targeted treatments.
Research such as the Hemangiosarcoma Initiative, which is dedicated to “funding, people and resources to advance the prevention, detection and treatment of, and potentially cures for, this devastating cancer. The initiative is a multiyear, multimillion-dollar endeavor to dramatically change the story of Hemangiosarcoma from one with an ending of almost certain death to one with a new beginning.”
In December we suddenly lost our Chuck Billy to this devastating disease. One moment he was happily playing in the freshly fallen snow, the next he was fighting for his life. Hemangiosarcoma is an aggressive canine cancer that affects the blood vessels, especially the spleen, heart, and skin, that often takes the life of a dog at the same time that it is diagnosed. We can’t let Chuck Billy’s death and the passing of so many of our friends to this cancer, be an ending, without hope for a better future for other dogs. A future “where science meets hope,” thanks to the Morris Animal Foundation.
Now through August 31, 2025, Mae Philanthropies will double the impact of your gift to support canine health studies like the Hemangiosarcoma Initiative, and many others. Donations to the Morris Animal Foundation are being matched, dollar-for-dollar, up to $25,000. I know budgets are stretch thin lately, but even a small gift of $10 becomes $20, $25 becomes $50, and $50 becomes $100. It all adds up to hopefully make a brighter future for all dogs, so no family has to endure this sudden goodbye.
Please join me on National Dog Day in supporting the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime study. “Unleash the power of science to bring hope and health to dogs, so no family has to face the heartbreak of a dog lost too soon.” Angel Chuck Billy and I were NOT Heroes in the study, but as long time supporters, we ask that you help this important cause.
