Kuma – August, 2016

We got Kuma (aka Dahlia) from NCBR last October. She came to us after she had mast cell tumors removed. She actually chose me the day we visited her at Cheri’s. She sat on my lap and looked as proud as could be! She quickly stole our hearts. My husband has never had animals so it was quite an adjustment for him. He may not say he loved her, as I surely do, but he will be quick to tell you she was a VERY good dog, she was so well behaved. It took Kuma a while to realize she was at her forever home but every day/week she showed us more of her loving personality. She was very well mannered, rarely barked, walked great on leash, traveled well…. We just couldn’t have asked for a better dog. We have a very big yard, Kuma used to run full speed from the back of the yard and charge through the doggie door, then she would saunter through the house. It was fun to watch her! I miss her tremendously!! 

“Last spring she developed two more tumors, one on her ear and one on her lip. Our vet examined her and reviewed her history. He said they may be mast cell tumors. We treated her with prednisone and antibiotics but they continued to grow. We had them removed when her lip started to ooze blood. Our vet confirmed they were mast cell tumors. Unfortunately within two weeks she developed more tumors in her neck/jaw area. After many vet visits he told us we weren’t going to cure her. There were a couple of options to prolong her life but my husband and I didn’t think that would be fair to Kuma. We knew we were going to have to put her down, we just didn’t know when. We waited until she had trouble eating. That was the hardest thing for me to do. In my heart I know we did the right thing, but boy, that was hard!

“While Kuma came to us with some bad habits (counter surfing and sleeping on the couch or bed), she was just the best dog!! We thank Cheri for “making it happen” for us.”

Sincerely,
Jan O.