|
Meet SAR Goldens Brady and Chase
(Cancer Treatment Grant Recipient: Brady)
Golden Chase looks pretty happy working here on the water, even
though he believes it is all a fascinating game. We learned
about SAR Goldens Brady and Chase from their handler, Deana
Hudgins, President of
the
Ohio Search Dog Association,
Inc. (OSDA), a non-profit all volunteer response unit that
primarily provides qualified K9 search teams to assist in
locating missing persons.
They also are educating agencies and the general public about
the use and benefits of such teams in search and rescue
missions.
OSDA has
assisted with search operations in Ohio and in neighboring
states, including searches for Alzheimer patients, mentally
handicapped individuals who have wondered away from hospitals or
their homes, and missing or abducted children. They have
additionally worked on operations involving victims of drowning,
violent crime, plane crashes, and various types of natural or
man-made disasters.
This photo shows Deana with
her two incredible boys, (right to left) Brady and Chase.
Brady’s specialties include Live Finds and Area Search, while
Chase’s skill specialties are Human Remains Detection and Air
Scenting. Brady's certifications (as of July 2008)
include: NAPWDA Area Search, NASAR SAR TECH II, NASAR Canine SAR
TECH II, and Canine Good Citizen Certification. Chase's
certifications (as of July 2008) include: NASAR SAR TECH II,
Water HRD — Southern Tier Police K9
Assocation, NASAR Canine Human Remains Detection-Land (III),
and Canine Good Citizen Certification.
Sadly, we learned about this hard-working family, when in June
2008, an application arrived for one of our
Working Dog Cancer Treatment Grants.
Here is Brady's story as told by his loving mom, Deana.
|
 Brady
is my baby, my partner, my loyal and loving companion. He is the
first dog I trained for search and rescue. He was born on February
15, 2002 in Rootstown, Ohio at Gangway
 Kennel.
He was the only boy in a litter of five. He came home on April 18,
2002 and began his search and rescue training immediately.
We are members of the
Ohio Search Dog Association,
Inc. (OSDA). We train as a team twice a week and respond,
free of charge, twenty four hours a day to requests from polices,
fire and emergency management agencies to assist in the search for
lost and missing people throughout Ohio and around the country.
In April of 2003 Brady received his first search and rescue
certification from the North American Police Work Dog Association (NAPWDA)
in Area Search. He has been recertified by NAPWDA in Area Search
every April since, including April 13, 2008.
Brady was certified as an Area Search Canine SAR
Tech III by the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR)
in 2004 and an Area Search Canine SAR Tech II in 2007. Brady has
loved to work from the first day I taught him puppy run-aways, the
building block for area search canines. Brady’s overwhelming love of
people of all ages, races and abilities has made him an outstanding
search and rescue dog.
 He
is OSDA’s star when it comes to PR events and demonstrations. Long
after the other dogs on the team have tired out Brady is still eager
to meet and greet anyone who comes near our booth in the hopes that
they will stop and pet him for a while. Brady assists me with dozens
of demonstrations each year including the Ohio Child Abduction
Response Team (CART) training for law enforcement agencies around
the state.
I have been truly blessed to have Brady in my life. He has brought
so much joy, love and happiness to my life. He has been a forgiving
partner as we have navigated through the learning process of the K9
Search and Rescue world. He has also taught me so much about being
present in the moment of our lives and the lives of our loved ones
every day.
My teammates have been a huge support system for me during this
process. We have some fantastic people and dogs who happily go to
work whenever called and willingly put themselves in harms way to
help return the missing to their families. K9 Search and Rescue has
become my calling and I have been so blessed to have had Brady share
this journey from the start.
I have been devastated by his diagnosis. I pray that I am making the
right decisions in his care and treatment and that I can help him
have the longest healthiest life possible. I was caught completely
off guard by the diagnosis since he was showing absolutely no signs
of feeling ill in any way. He was working, playing and living day to
day like normal. I took him in to be checked because he had a small
mass behind his shoulder blade about 2 cm wide. I, along with my
regular vet, the oncologist and the surgeon, were totally unprepared
for the diagnosis of hemangiosarcoma.
Brady had surgery to remove the mass on May 23,
2008 and the margins came back clear however radiographs and CT
scans have picked up lesions in his lungs that may be metastatic
disease but at this time they are too small to tell for sure. He had
is first chemo treatment on June 9. He has been receiving weekly
CBCs to monitor his blood. Brady has handled the chemo very well
with no evident side effects.
To look at Brady you would never know he was
sick, and for that I am eternally grateful. He runs and plays with
Chase, his 4-year-old full brother who is also a search and rescue
K9, every day. We have pool parties in the back yard and walk about
three miles each night.
Brady still licks his bowl clean after every meal
which he devours in less than a minute and he has really been
enjoying all of his medicine and supplements since I give it to him
in hot dogs three times a day.
I am praying for a miracle for Brady and trying
to enjoy every day he is feeling well. I am more than willing accept
the financial debt that comes with maintaining the health and well
being of both Brady and Chase, but the bills for Brady’s surgery,
tests and treatment have been overwhelming. I can’t thank you enough
for your donation it will definitely help ease the burden. |
Deana's
Progress Updates for Brady
DECEMBER 8, 2008
Brady lost his battle with hemangiosarcoma on November 21,
2008. The cancer had spread throughout his body including most
of his organs. A tumor ruptured in his brain and caused
blindness in both eyes and he had completely lost his appetite.
At that point I knew it was no longer fair to make him continue
to fight when he was so very tired and the blindness scared him.
My heart is broken and Chase, my 5 year old Golden and Brady's
full brother, is lost without Brady. I am truly grateful to have
had Brady in my life and I am fortunate to have gotten the
chance to take Brady to the beach in Florida in September. He
had a great time running and playing. He was even well enough to
play the day before he passed away.
Brady has taught me so much about love, loyalty and happiness. I
hope to honor him by continuing to dedicate myself to K9 Search
and Rescue. Brady was a fantastic ambassador for search and
rescue and the
Ohio Search Dog Association. I am sending you some
photos from our trip to Florida and of Brady's last event for
the
Ohio Search Dog Association.
AUGUST 6, 2008
Brady had a treatment last Thursday. The radiologist felt that
there may be some more lesions in Brady’s lungs since his second
treatment. The lesions do not appear to be getting larger but
the fact that there are more of them led Dr. Fulton to recommend
changing chemo drugs. He will receive treatment every two weeks
instead of every four weeks. Brady still seems to be feeling
fine and he is enjoying pool parties in the yard and training
with
OSDA
every weekend. Brady’s next treatment is August 14 and we will
be doing radiographs and an abdominal ultrasound at this time.
Hopefully this new drug will help Brady reach remission.
OSDA
has had a very busy summer. Chase and I, along with our other
human remains detection dog have responded to four searches for
drowning victims during the past four weeks. Both dogs have done
a fantastic job. Thanks for keeping us in your thoughts. I’ll
send you another update after Brady’s next treatment.
 JULY 11, 2008
Rochelle, I just wanted to thank you for the care package
you sent for Brady and Chase! They love the treats and we have
made good use of the toys already. They really like the stick
since we can play with it in the water. I have already decided
to purchase the cards to use as my Christmas cards this year. I
can finally send pictures of my boys to all of the people that
send me pictures of their kids every year.
Brady and Chase are both doing well. The three cutaneous
bumps on Brady have changed dramatically. One is completely gone
and the other two have decreased in size and they are now flat
instead of having a raised surface. His next CBC is on Monday
and his next treatment is July 31. He is feeling well and he was
able to attend training this week. He did a great job and you
would not have been able to tell any difference between his
performance this week compared to his performance pre-diagnosis.
He had a great time doing the working and seeing all of his
teammates.
Chase is also back to work. We worked a water search
(drowning) on Tuesday which was halted that night due to high
water and we are going back out tomorrow to resume the search.
He also attended training with Brady. It has been really
beneficial for all three of us to get back into the routine of
training and doing what we love.
JULY 7, 2008
Brady had his second treatment last Thursday. He tolerated
it very well with no side effects other than some tiredness on
Friday. Dr. Fulton feels that the lesions on the left side of
his lungs appear smaller. However, they aren't sure about the
two lesions on the right side. The have either grown very
slightly (1mm or less) or they are unchanged. We decided to go
forward with the same treatment protocol. Brady is feeling well
and he is going to get to go back to training this week.
JULY 5, 2008
Brady
returned for his second chemotherapy treatment on July 3,
2008. He is working with Dr. Lisa Fulton, an excellent
Veterinary Oncologist. Deana believes he still seems to be doing
well. And, she has promised to keep us up-to-date on his
progress.
Making a Difference
Please help support our cancer treatment program with the
purchase of cards. This first card, hopefully leading off a series of cards honoring our
wonderful working dogs, was inspired by SAR Golden Brady. The
design below is featured on oversized 5¼" x 7¼" quality classic
ivory linen cards, which are a hefty 80-pound weight. The set
includes matching 70-pound ivory linen envelopes along with 10
glossy puppy stickers (can be
purchased separately).
The cards are blank inside to allow for your own
message.
|
|
