ESTES PARK, Colo. — Their loss was profound and recent. But Jason and Amy Kinsey knew they had to be here. So they loaded up their two young yellow Labrador retrievers, Betty and Georgie, and drove two hours from their Castle Rock home to participate in the early morning K9 Cancer Walk to raise money for research they hope will help others.
"We're honoring Daisy, and so many others," Jason Kinsey says, proudly attired in a T-shirt memorializing the yellow Lab nicknamed Big D, the beloved Lab they lost in November to lymphoma. "I called her my first child."
The couple were among nearly 400 people who gathered - most with one or more dogs in tow - under sapphire skies here Saturday to raise money for the non-profit Morris Animal Foundation (MAF), which finances all types of animal health research, including scores of studies supported through its Canine Cancer Campaign.
"In our lifetime, we will see dramatic improvements in treating, but also in preventing, canine cancer," says Wayne Jensen, MAF's chief scientific officer.
When all was said and walked, $42,098 was raised from the event, which took place high in the Rocky Mountains. This was one of four such fundraisers this year to raise money for MAF's Canine Cancer Campaign; one earlier this year in Elk Grove, Calif., drew about 600 people and brought in $64,000.
The MAF walks are among dozens of efforts put together by giant organizations and tiny grass-roots groups to collect cash that is channeled to researchers working to develop treatments for cancer, which experts say kills one in four dogs. Among upcoming events:
-- Sept. 25 in Allentown, Pa. The Bruiser Memorial 5K run and the Sarge Memorial 5K walk, organized by the Bethlehem-Allentown chapter of the non-profit National Canine Cancer Foundation, aim to raise $9,000 for canine cancer research at the University of Pennsylvania's School of Veterinary Medicine.
-- Oct. 10 in Los Gatos, Calif. A 2-mile walk in Vasona Lake Park will raise money for MAF.
-- Nov. 5 in Portland, Ore. The Bark and Bowl bowling event will raise money for the National Canine Cancer Foundation.
-- Nov. 13 in Long Beach, Calif. A 3K walk for people and their dogs, sponsored by Veterinary Pet Insurance, will raise money for the non-profit Animal Cancer Foundation's search for more effective, less toxic treatments to decrease cancer deaths in people and pets. This is the fourth year for the Long Beach walk; the VPI-organized walk in Brooklyn, N.Y., in April brought in more than $8,000.
-- Dec. 5 in Coconut Creek, Fla. A walk in Tradewinds Park aims to raise $15,000 for MAF.
"In five to 10 years, scientists will make some significant findings to fight the battle," says Gary Nice, president of the National Canine Cancer Foundation.
The foundation is on track to bring in about $500,000 this year for research (about double last year's figures), much of it through 12 local chapters across the nation that put on fundraisers throughout the year.
For millions of pets, the efforts haven't come in time. But in Estes Park over the weekend, the walkers showed their support of research so cancer can be conquered sooner, not later.
"It's good to meet people and discuss progress and what else can be done," says Christie Burak of Loveland, Colo., who walked with three companions: Zora, her black Great Dane; Hawkeye, her 19-week-old high-energy black German shepherd; and Jyxi, her oldie-but-goodie Italian greyhound who hitchhiked in comfort in a nicely padded, fully vented doggie backpack.
Burak was there to honor her Great Dane mix who died in 2006 of a spinal tumor. Her fervent hope, she says, is that someday soon, "others won't have to go through that."
Predisposed, by breed
Any dog can develop cancer, but certain breeds are more susceptible to certain types, according to the Morris Animal Foundation.
-- Bernese mountain dog: Histiocytic sarcoma (soft tissue)
-- Boxer: Lymphoma and brain cancer
-- Cocker spaniel: Lymphoma
-- Golden retriever: Lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma (blood vessels/spleen)
-- Labrador retriever: Lymphoma and hemangiosarcoma
-- English springer spaniel: Mammary gland cancer
-- Pug: Mast cell cancer (skin)
-- Shar-Pei: Mast cell cancer
-- Greyhound: Osteosarcoma (bone)
-- Rottweiler: Osteosarcoma
-- Collie: Nasal cancer
-- Scottish terrier: Bladder cancer and skin/mouth melanoma
-- Chow chow: Stomach cancer
-- Flat-coated retriever: Bladder cancer and skin/mouth melanoma