I’d like to say that to know Zoey was to love her, but truly that would be doing her a disservice, just to meet her was enough to make you a fall in love.
Zoey was our first foster and boy was she a doozy! Our plan wasn’t to fall in love with her, the plan was to have her a couple weeks, perhaps a tad longer due to the fact that she had a small mast tumor on her paw that would require surgery and recovery time. Originally we set up a visit to see how she fit in and if we thought we would be able to handle her needs…. and by the end of the day we were smitten.
Long story short Zoey’s tumor was removed, her recovery was incredible and then we got the heartbreaking call that the biopsy came back as stage 3, extremely aggressive and she was given 30 days. Obviously we were crushed….but Zoey was fine, more than fine actually, she was great! Her diagnosis lead me down a rabbit hole of research, frantic to learn if anything could be done and what to expect. Encouraged by GRRIN, I found aggressive protocols that perhaps brought a bit of hope and together we pursued every chance that there was for her. She deserved it.
In the meantime Zoey was such a happy, joyful dog! She was always, always busy. Laying right in the middle of the kitchen during dinner prep, with her little paws crossed, was a favorite spot. Any snack was this girl’s best friend. She knew exactly what time I left to drop off/pick up my son and never missed a ride, usually with her smiley head out the window. Our dog Kasey couldn’t make a move without her joining him to see what he might be up to. Walks were her jam. She went to as many GRRIN outings as possible, where she charmed everyone that met her.
Thirty days passed and our girl was thriving. Doctors who in the past had been hesitant to try anything were now open to chemo. Chemo came with a lot of possible horrible side effects, but not for Zoey, she championed through and her personality continued to shine.
For months Zoey continued to live her best life. It became common to answer the question “how’s Zoey?” with “Great! Besides the cancer.” And she really was incredible. Little setbacks happened that aren’t worth remembering. She amazed doctors, continually charming anyone she met and she met quite a few.
She spent wonderful holidays with us, always needing to be right in the middle of the party, where she clearly belonged.
I wish I could say that we were complete ‘foster fails’ and that our girl was still with us, but unfortunately we lost Zoey on Dec 30th, almost 6 months from the date of her prognosis.
We’re beyond grateful that we were able to meet, love her and be part of her journey. We’re so grateful for the incredible support GRRIN was able to provide for her. We’re grateful to her first family for raising such an amazing, well trained, lovely girl.
I think we’re most grateful that although Zoey had terminal cancer she was never sick. She brought a sweetness and joy to every day. She was part of our family and we truly loved her. Zoey was our ‘girlie girl’ for too short a time but her memory and the lessons of having her will remain with our family forever. We wouldn’t trade a minute of knowing and loving Zoey!
