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When I’m not busy growing tumors….
Niney-nine point nine percent of my life and time is *not* devoted to cancer or any facet of it.
Out local-yokel paper did an article this week about our business. It’s mostly about my wife, but I got a mention too.
I’ve always felt that when our attention is directed away from ourselves and is focused on something or someone we love, for that wonderful moment we’re cancer-free. I was at a music festival a couple of weeks ago and there were four children in the camp who were singing a bluegrass song. One of the little girls was four years old. It was such a beautiful and remarkable joy to watch that cancer couldn’t have been further from my mind. While they were singing, I didn’t have cancer. Or bills to pay. Or work piling up for me at home.
Rescuing labrador retrievers, which is what the article is about, is another of those activities for me.
You can read it here:
http://www.syvjournal.com/archive/5/13/248/
“Standing on my Head”––my chemo journal
T3a Grade 4 N+M0
RC at USC/Norris June 23, 2006 by Dr. John Stein -
12 Replies
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Wow…love your photos.
I admire and thank you for the fostering you do. What a wonderful way to make the world a better place.
Wendy -
OH MY GOSH, Zach. I LOVE THIS PICTURE! Now this is a Prize winner. Keep it up, Zach. I am sure there is not anyone here that wants to stop you.
Zach, I bet you I could sell these in my store easily if framed :)
Wait until you see my Snapping Turtle ;)
Alice
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Too late.
Last picture, and my favorite. This was not staged.
Image removed
“Standing on my Head”––my chemo journal
T3a Grade 4 N+M0
RC at USC/Norris June 23, 2006 by Dr. John Stein -
[quote author=Wendy link=topic=1004.msg6366#msg6366 date=1183291810]
[quote author=Zachary link=topic=1004.msg6270#msg6270 date=1183073410]
By the way, old dogs are the sweetest. They have a very special place in my heart, and some people, God bless them, actually seek out older dogs to adopt, knowing that they are the hardest to find homes for and are usually the first that are put to sleep at the pound.
[/quote]Dear Zach,
Did you ever meet my “daughter” Ruby?
We adopted her in Nov. ’04, I saw her picture and fell in love. I had no idea then what a wreck she was, poor thing, similar to your dog. She has had many litters of puppies, probably was a puppy mill refugee, found in bad shape on the street. She was bald when we got her…still pretty thin, her coat, but so much better.
She is also the BEST dog, and gets on well with the cats, the 5 of us sleep together every night.
Wendy
[/quote]Wendy, I hadn’t met Ruby, but she looks like she knows a good situation when she sees one!
We rescued a sweet girl from a puppy mill last year:
Image removed
As you can see, she was probably in a similar situation to your Ruby. I could strangle these puppy mill breeders.Here’s a picture of two of our dogs at our work:
Image removedI could go on. Better stop me now while you can.
Zach
“Standing on my Head”––my chemo journal
T3a Grade 4 N+M0
RC at USC/Norris June 23, 2006 by Dr. John Stein -
Wendy, what a cutie!
Alice
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[quote author=Zachary link=topic=1004.msg6270#msg6270 date=1183073410]
By the way, old dogs are the sweetest. They have a very special place in my heart, and some people, God bless them, actually seek out older dogs to adopt, knowing that they are the hardest to find homes for and are usually the first that are put to sleep at the pound.
[/quote]Dear Zach,
Did you ever meet my “daughter” Ruby?
We adopted her in Nov. ’04, I saw her picture and fell in love. I had no idea then what a wreck she was, poor thing, similar to your dog. She has had many litters of puppies, probably was a puppy mill refugee, found in bad shape on the street. She was bald when we got her…still pretty thin, her coat, but so much better.
She is also the BEST dog, and gets on well with the cats, the 5 of us sleep together every night.
Wendy
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Zach, the thought of putting these dogs to sleep is such a heart breaker. You and your wife are doing such a heroic and wonderful thing. Thank you for all that you are doing for these fine animals and for sharing with us.
Rosemary, do hope you will beable to stay in contact with us while you are on vacation to let us know how Beau is doing and what crop is growing this year. Did you happen to cook you up some corn while you were there last time?
Zach, the dog’s are Beautiful. Again, thank you for sharing.
Alice
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Beau looks very much like Clifford. This breaks my heart.
I’ve got Beau so trained, because he is very, very big and I can’t put him on a leash and control him, so when we walk or I let him out in the back field on his own, he ALWAYS gets a big doggie treat for coming home. If I say “TREAT”, he obeys anything that I say.
This is a good thing. Beau is almost as big as I am.
I can hardly look at those pics, Zach. I want to adopt all of them.
Your BC friend,
Rosemary
Rosemary
Age – 55
T1 G3 – Tumor free 2 yrs 3 months
Dx January 2006 -
Thank *you*, Rosemary and Alice.
This is the dog we’re fostering right now:
http://www.fetchingcompanions.org/html/foster_dogs.html#Anchor-Summe-54838She was picked up as a stray, and I’ve never seen a dog so filthy and matted.
Now she’s beautiful. How someone can dump a dog like this–or not come looking for her when she goes missing–is beyond me.
By the way, old dogs are the sweetest. They have a very special place in my heart, and some people, God bless them, actually seek out older dogs to adopt, knowing that they are the hardest to find homes for and are usually the first that are put to sleep at the pound.
Zach
“Standing on my Head”––my chemo journal
T3a Grade 4 N+M0
RC at USC/Norris June 23, 2006 by Dr. John Stein -
I am going next week during the vacation period to dog sit my nephew’s Golden Retriever, Beau. He is so sweet and he is getting old. It will just be me and Beau in a big, stylish house with a covered porch and a view that looks out over fields and fields of North Carolina farmland surrounded by forest. Last year, there was planted corn so tall that you had to look up to see the sky. I can’t wait to see what is planted there this year.
Thanks again, Zach for helping the doggies.
Rosemary
Rosemary
Age – 55
T1 G3 – Tumor free 2 yrs 3 months
Dx January 2006 -
Another, Wow Zach, from me too! This was a Wonderful story about Two Amazing people.
I am just so delighted you shared this with us! I really enjoyed reading it and getting to know you and your wife better.
Thank you soooo very much and best wishes to you and Heidi.
Sincerely,
Alice
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Wow, Zach! I do love dogs so very much but am so limited as to how much I can help. I do everything that I can, but it isn’t much. Thank you so much for what you do on their behalf. I really enjoyed the article about your business. I am so glad that you are here.
Your friend,
Rosemary
Rosemary
Age – 55
T1 G3 – Tumor free 2 yrs 3 months
Dx January 2006
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