To celebrate the Dog Cancer Ride Across America, we hereby officially declare the months of June 2008, July 2008 and August 2008 to officially be “Dog Cancer Awareness Month”
3 Months!!!
“3 Months!,” I heard them declare – “Why that’s not even grammatically correct!”
I know. But dog cancer has become such an epidemic in this country and around the world that it’s going to take 3 month to get the word out and start making the changes we need to make a difference and help keep our dogs healthy, happy, and cancer free.
When I first wrote my book, Curing Canine Cancer, and again when I launched the Dog Cancer Ride Across America – each event was targeted not at prevention, but at curing the disease that had already appeared. The book, for my dog Marty who was diagnosed with cancer in March of 2006, and the ride for all the other dogs around the country whose owners can’t afford to give them the care they deserve.
But the more I got involved in both projects, the more I realized that dog cancer care after the fact is not enough. That pounds of cure won’t overcome a few simple ounces of prevention. And that the only way we’re really going to make a difference with the literally Millions of dogs who get cancer each year, is to make sure people are working to prevent this disease in the first place.
Before I started caring for Marty, I had no idea the extent of the dog cancer problem in this country. But as I researched and learned I came to realize just how bad things were, and more importantly, that they didn’t have to be that way.
Here’s a dirty little secret… cancer is not a dog disease. Out in the wilderness, you won’t find many chemotherapy centers set up for wolves, and in the proper healthy environment, instances of dog cancer are actually pretty rare.
Yet it’s estimated that in America 1 out of every 4 dogs will die of cancer. How can that be?
Well unfortunately, once you start doing more research, the answer is obvious…
We’re giving our dogs cancer.
I don’t have the time or space to go into details here – and I’ll go into much greater detail throughout Dog Cancer Awareness Month (all 3 of them) – but suffice it to say that in our efforts to create the easy clean – perfect lawn – cheap food – etc. – world, we’ve managed to “poison” our dogs environment. And that things in the environment that may be safe for us can have a very different effect on our dogs who are sniffing, and lying, and eating and living right down in the chemical environment we’ve created.
Like I said, I don’t want to get into too much detail here – yesterday was my 2,000 word blog post and I really DON’T want to repeat that today (for your sake and mine)…
Plus, one of the nice things about being on a bicycle (with a dictaphone voice recorder stick) for 6 hours a day, is that you’ve got lots of time to think (and write) – so over the next few weeks I’ll actually be writing a book – more like a large pamphlet, actually – to share everything you need to know to make sure that your current dogs stay healthy and that your future pets can be clear and cancer free.
So for now, welcome to Dog Cancer Awareness Month. Welcome to The Dog Cancer Ride Across America (things are about to get super beautiful down here, as we’ve just entered the valley towards John Day Fossil Beds National Monument). And hopefully, in addition to raising money to help dogs who already have cancer, we’ll be able to help many more live longer, healthier and happier, cancer-free lives.
From Service Creek, Oregon (Population 2) I wish you good night and a very happy “Dog Cancer Awareness” month.
See you down the road.
Ted Schneck
for www.DogCancerRide.com
