In May 2018 my family found out that our 15 year old family dog, Ellie, had a 10cm cancerous mass on her liver and pancreas after she collapsed when being taken out for a walk. The fact that she had developed cancer wasn’t really a surprise as she was an older pup, however, she really was a part of our family and had been there for the majority of mine and my sister’s upbringing. The vet explained that she would have to be put down imminently so we prepared for the worst. Until we came across Fitzpatrick Soft Tissue and Oncology Centre. We made the hard decision to try and remove the mass from Ellie’s liver with the hope that she’d have a slightly prolonged and happy end to her life. After some really difficult weeks we were able to bring Ellie back home and now, 16 months later, she’s just like a puppy again - bounding through fields with an appetite like a Labrador (we have considered whether they swapped her stomach with one), but we are so incredibly grateful to still have her with us in 2019.

It made me realise how much I rely on Ellie. When I’d come home from a hard day at school and she’d be there ready for a cuddle. When I’d lost my nan and she was there ready to cheer me up and play. When my mum broke her shoulder and Ellie kept her smiling. You don’t realise how much of a companion they are. The fact that I rely on Ellie so much makes me admire those pups that are companions for those with disabilities. That’s why I’ve decided to raise funds for Dogs For Good this year, because dogs really do good. I’ve decided to test myself in order to raise awareness for this incredible charity. I’ll be completing the following events with my best friend, sister and boyfriend over the course of 2019:

- 5k Colour Run, Windsor
- Weybridge 10k
- Hard As Snails 10k
- Scottish Half Marathon

I’ve decided to raise £1,000 for the puppy partnership scheme at Dogs For Good. This means that if I raise £1,000 we’ll be able to fund part of the training (it costs a total of £5,000 in total!) for an assistance pup from the moment they turn 8 weeks old up until they’re partnered with an owner. £1,000 may seem like a lot, but that amount can help to change someone’s life completely.

So if you’d like to support the deterioration of my knees and probably the development of athletes foot, then I would be so grateful if you could donate to this cause. Even if you donate £2 instead of having your morning coffee, it all helps to support the training and development of these assistance dogs. Something that’s so vital to our community and cannot be done without the support of the public, like you and me!

Becky X