Intro Chapter

The story I am about to tell is one of courage, strength, and compassion. It is also a story of trials and heartbreaks. If by the end of my story you have not shed a single tear, your love and compassion for our four-legged friends is virtually non-existent.

Animals have been the subjects of human writings for thousands of years, from Alexander the Great's legendary horse, Bucephalus, to modern stories such as "Marley and Me". Throughout these stories there is various proof of how important all animals are to human society. We have domesticated them for use as transportation, for war, and as companions. Since we no longer rely solely on animals for transportation or warfare, we have absorbed them into our homes and families as companions that are near and dear to our hearts.

Over the years, human beings have come to realize more and more how important our furry (or not so furry), friends are to us. We have defended them, written laws for them, given them rights (at least in certain places), and allowed them to steal away our hearts. We have even developed a multi-billion dollar industry based solely on our pets, because we care-or because we like to dress them up! Part of this industry is the medical research field, which has taken leaps and bounds in its accomplishments and discoveries during more recent years. Many topics researched in the medical field for humans have also been addressed in the animal world.

The phrase "man's best friend" is one almost always applied to one of our most beloved companions: the dog. It is an understatement at best. Dogs are the most common household companion in the United States today. They are our friends, our K9 police, our military working dogs, our protectors, our supporters, and so much more. Any person with a true love of dogs can feel the deep bond and connection between human and animal. Human beings still rely on our dogs for many different things, and our dogs rely on us to care for all of their basic needs, and some extra.

When your dog is sick, where do you take it? The vet. A doggie doctor. As mentioned before, medical research for animals has made many breakthroughs that have helped millions of animals worldwide. Unfortunately, for animals as well as humans, there is one disease that as of yet has not been curable past a state of remission. It is one of the mysteries of medical science: cancer.