With Love, Licks, & Pepperoni Sticks

Meet our newest Companions in Crisis recipient, Pepper. This sweet lady is being treated by the incredible staff The Oncology Service at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center in Springfield. You’re in great hands, Pepper! We’re sending you and your family lots of love.

Read a letter from Pepper’s mom below [shortened]:

Dear FETCH a Cure,

Pepper is my beloved fur baby. I have had her since she was months old. With that said she has been my emotional support animal for 13 years going on 14. I have struggled my entire life to find something that could give me strength, support me and give unconditional love that won’t let me down. I found that in Pepper. She is the reason I get up, the reason I fight to remain strong, she is my world, my everything. My shadow.

I was DEVASTATED and my heart was shattered when within these recent one weeks’ time span from a senior exam with clean bill of health to suddenly lymphoma an incurable cancer. How? Why? I spent countless days not sleeping, not eating, vomiting because of my nerves. Feeling helpless what can I do. She has SO MUCH life left in her. I take her to a nursing home where my uncle works at to help cheer up the elderly.

She along with her sister are my world. I recently had to apply and pay $7,000.00 for her sister who had mast cell cancer tumor surgery removal. I am a single pet parent and both mean everything to me. I am still trying to pay off that bill. I have been eating ramen noodles just so I can afford for vet bills. I’d rather starve and go hungry knowing that any penny I had went towards my fur babies. In such tough times with this coronavirus and bills and the world today I find myself struggling not knowing where to turn to.

Pepper loves to hike, play and run around with her hedgehog toy. My dogs are all I have and she is strong like her mom and she has a fighting chance, but mom finds the finances very hard these days. The guilt how could I pay for my sister, but not help her. I am doing alllll that I can to help her. I am hoping all of my other volunteer work and picking up stray dogs and cats will turn around in our case. That what goes around comes around. Good Karma. We could sure use that now.

Everyone says she acts like a 2-year-old puppy. Pepper is so full of energy. Loves swimming till this very day, playing fetch and boy does she love her treats. I am not giving up on her. They are all that I have and it would be a shame if money got in the way of an otherwise healthy dog’s life. She has normal blood cbc levels, kidney liver heart and lungs all normal healthy. Cancer isn’t fair.

With this pandemic I fear of being laid off and also with pandemic it’s stressful waiting in the car not being able to be inside to comfort my Pepper in new environments. I anxiously wait in my car. It’s been a lot these past few days.  Thank you for listening to Pepper’s story and she prays that FETCH a Cure can help make this entire process easier by helping with finances.

Love, Licks, & Pepperoni Sticks, 

Pepper, Zelda, & Ms. Bogle