Mya was a beautiful puppy; certainly she was every breeder and owner's dream. And she developed into a lovely companion as well as an outstanding representative of her breed. She easily achieved her conformation title with major specialty wins and she seemed to always love the attention and theapplause. Her Junior and Senior Hunt Test titles followed as well as all but one last Master Hunter leg needed to secure that title. She loved the field, hunting and virtually any activity that allowed her to be outdoors. Hunting the open fields of South Dakota was a "vacation" every year and you could see her delight upon arrival every November. After hunting season she continued torun, play and be a normal dog in every way. Her family included four other Shorthairs so she always had someone to include in her daily fun and those games that GSPs live to play. Life was good.
No one ever expects to hear the word "cancer." You cannot begin to prepare yourself for the diagnosis or the thoughts that come into your mind as you hear that your beloved dog will face the fight of his or her life. It was no different with Mya. It came at a time that was joyful and happy because she had just whelped 8 healthy, beautiful puppies who were just one week old. Noticing an enlarging growth on her right leg as she nursed her newborns, it became very obvious to us that this was anything but normal. Tests and x-rays confirmed our worst fears. The diagnosis was Osteocarcoma.....one of the deadliest forms of cancer in dogs. The goal at hand was to get the newborns to three weeks if possible and begin treatment immediately in an effort to save Mya's life. And so we began an all out effort with guidance from Dr. Ann Jeglum in West Chester, PA , a nationally recognized oncologist and cancer researcher, who also owns German Shorthaired Pointers.
Dr. Jeglum wasted no time and she initiated a protocol that was innovative, aggressive, positive and almost overwhelming to us. But there were no options in our minds and we became focused on what would become a test of our minds, our hearts and our great love for our precious girl. As days and weeks progressed the stress was obvious and the financial burden was there was no turning back. Kahla traveled long hours from southern Virginia to Pennsylvania, stayed for days in motels and never once complained. After all, it was for Mya. Carl held down the home front and cared for the rest of their Shorthair family as it became very obvious that this would be one very long and far reaching battle. Days turned into weeks and it soon became obvious that Mya would lose her leg despite the fact that the tumor was killed. It would readily be given up if it meant surviving the cancer. In only a matter of weeks after surgery Mya was running, swimming and beginning to reclaim her life again as a three legged shorthair. She traveled back to South Dakota, hunted and enjoyed her life again. It was as if she never missed a beat. She also trained, was tested and achieved her Therapy Dog title with those 3 legs. Dogs, unlike humans, never question "why me?" We should all be so innocentand accepting of obstacles in our lives; even the most challenging.
In the year and a half that followed Mya lost one of her kidneys to some of those cancer cells that migrated to her kidneys but her other organs remained "clean" and we were thankful for every clear test and for every day that we were all given in having her in our lives to love and enjoy. She had quality of life and she continued to do everything just as she had done before her illness. You could see that she was happy and that she relished every bit of freedom that her three legs gave her. She did everything that she had done before her diagnosis and that included a return to the ring in 2014 for Parade Of Title holders at the GSPCA National Specialty Show. Presented by Kahla and moving around the ring once again you could see that she clearly enjoyed the thunderous applause and it was all for her. Everyone knew Mya. She had been given a new title -- "Wonder Dog" and she was every bit of that and so much more.
We lost our precious Mya in January this year, 2015, and the pain of that loss remains with us every day. She is missed beyond words and somehow it will just never be quite the same without her. But in her memory and in her name there will be hope because her "work" here is not done. Her reason for coming, and for being, is now realized in our goal to bring assistance to other Shorthairs and their owners who will experience the fight of their lives in battling cancer. It is the number one disease that takes our beloved dogs from us no matter the age, the great care, the bloodlines or the economic status of the owner involved.