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Help Fund Lifesaving Research
Created by Kellie Dunn
Oso and Arlo's Osteosarcoma Fundraiser
2026 UPDATE: Our 2nd Experience with Osteosarcoma
We lost the brightest light we have known on the morning of January 8th, 2026. Arlo was diagnosed with bone cancer in late March. Arlo was lucky to have so many treatment options that Oso didn’t have as there have been many advancements in the short 6 years between our encounters with bone cancer, and we are proud to say that we did every single thing that could possibly be done for him. We said yes to everything (we can never say enough good things about pet insurance). He had surgery to remove the tumor on his scapula, and he was fortunate to keep his leg and recover full walking ability with 60% of his scapula gone. He bravely went through chemo, got cutting edge immunotherapies, Eastern and Western herbs, a special diet, acupuncture, and more. He did it all while still living with the joy and light that he always exuded. He took everything in stride and always found a way to live – still chasing deer, hawks, and coyotes with the same vigor, going on walks, doing therapy visits in the community, and saying yes to every adventure.
What Arlo faced wasn’t easy, but he was himself all the way through. Arlo was the boy who healed our hearts after we lost Oso, and we likely will never make peace with the fact that we had to lose him to the same terrible disease we lost his brother to, but we did catch it early thanks to Oso and we knew to make every minute count with him too. Those 10 extra months weren’t easy on any of us, but they meant everything. That was extra time with didn’t get with Oso. Of course we are left here with a huge Arlo shaped hole in our hearts wishing we could’ve had more, but we are more grateful than words can ever say to everyone who helped and supported all of us through this. Give your pets a little extra love and a treat in honor of Arlo for us and remember that time is precious.
We are so grateful to all the medical advancements that Arlo benefited from, and we want to do our part to help fund the next wave of improvements in osteosarcoma treatment in the hopes that one day bone cancer can be overcome. Thank you for your help in getting families more time together.
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2019:
As you know, we lost our beloved Oso to osteosarcoma (bone cancer) on November 5th. As our lives are forever changed by this loss, we are working to heal our hearts by making a positive difference in the world around us while trying to live more like Oso.
We have felt strongly about holding a fundraiser for canine medical research in Oso's honor with the hope that maybe we can help make it so that in the future other families don't have to go through what we went through. After asking around, we have learned that the Morris Animal Foundation uses funding to support osteosarcoma research in dogs, even providing the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with funds to investigate the use of immunotherapy in dogs with bone cancer, which is one of the most progressive in terms of research.
We also want to use this fundraiser to honor the memory of some other dog buddies that we recently lost to osteosarcoma - Ranger, Astro, Houdini, and Tucker. It's heartbreaking to know how many people connected to us have been devastated by this in the same time frame as us. We want a world where families never get blindsided by this aggressive and silent killer.
Thank you for your help in supporting life saving research for our best friends in the hopes that this terrible disease doesn't have to rob people and their pets of time together. And thank you so much for loving our sweet Oso and for your support of Gary and me through our most difficult time.
We lost the brightest light we have known on the morning of January 8th, 2026. Arlo was diagnosed with bone cancer in late March. Arlo was lucky to have so many treatment options that Oso didn’t have as there have been many advancements in the short 6 years between our encounters with bone cancer, and we are proud to say that we did every single thing that could possibly be done for him. We said yes to everything (we can never say enough good things about pet insurance). He had surgery to remove the tumor on his scapula, and he was fortunate to keep his leg and recover full walking ability with 60% of his scapula gone. He bravely went through chemo, got cutting edge immunotherapies, Eastern and Western herbs, a special diet, acupuncture, and more. He did it all while still living with the joy and light that he always exuded. He took everything in stride and always found a way to live – still chasing deer, hawks, and coyotes with the same vigor, going on walks, doing therapy visits in the community, and saying yes to every adventure.
What Arlo faced wasn’t easy, but he was himself all the way through. Arlo was the boy who healed our hearts after we lost Oso, and we likely will never make peace with the fact that we had to lose him to the same terrible disease we lost his brother to, but we did catch it early thanks to Oso and we knew to make every minute count with him too. Those 10 extra months weren’t easy on any of us, but they meant everything. That was extra time with didn’t get with Oso. Of course we are left here with a huge Arlo shaped hole in our hearts wishing we could’ve had more, but we are more grateful than words can ever say to everyone who helped and supported all of us through this. Give your pets a little extra love and a treat in honor of Arlo for us and remember that time is precious.
We are so grateful to all the medical advancements that Arlo benefited from, and we want to do our part to help fund the next wave of improvements in osteosarcoma treatment in the hopes that one day bone cancer can be overcome. Thank you for your help in getting families more time together.
---------------
2019:
As you know, we lost our beloved Oso to osteosarcoma (bone cancer) on November 5th. As our lives are forever changed by this loss, we are working to heal our hearts by making a positive difference in the world around us while trying to live more like Oso.
We have felt strongly about holding a fundraiser for canine medical research in Oso's honor with the hope that maybe we can help make it so that in the future other families don't have to go through what we went through. After asking around, we have learned that the Morris Animal Foundation uses funding to support osteosarcoma research in dogs, even providing the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign with funds to investigate the use of immunotherapy in dogs with bone cancer, which is one of the most progressive in terms of research.
We also want to use this fundraiser to honor the memory of some other dog buddies that we recently lost to osteosarcoma - Ranger, Astro, Houdini, and Tucker. It's heartbreaking to know how many people connected to us have been devastated by this in the same time frame as us. We want a world where families never get blindsided by this aggressive and silent killer.
Thank you for your help in supporting life saving research for our best friends in the hopes that this terrible disease doesn't have to rob people and their pets of time together. And thank you so much for loving our sweet Oso and for your support of Gary and me through our most difficult time.
MAR
4
4
SEP
18
18
If you're interested, here's a link to a blog post that the Morris Animal Foundation wrote about Oso and our family's experience: https://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/article/life-interrupted-insidious-cancer-takes-beloved-dog-too-soon Thank you everyone who has contributed to our fundraiser. It means more than we could ever tell you. We are hopeful that one day osteosarcoma will have a viable treatment.
JAN
30
30
JAN
20
20
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