This is Athena (Snooter, Snoots, Skip). She came to me via a friend in 2011 as a puppy. She brought love, life, and laughter to my home and loved my two older dogs. Athena has been with me through marriage, divorce, college, and now graduate school.

Athena was diagnosed with an aggressive, incurable carcinoma in early October. To get a fuller picture of the cancer and whether it was operable required a CT scan that had to be done under anethesia (due to its location in the lungs). While looking into options to pay for these the CT scan and possible surgery, she collapsed and required emergency care where I made the decision to do the CT and ultimately surgery. The doctors removed two lobes of her lung and additional bronchial tissue to remove as much of the tumor as possible. The tumor was biopsied and came back with the worst news that it was the most aggressive form of this type of cancer. At that point I made the difficult decision to not pursue chemotherapy. The surgery and CT scan cost nearly $10,000. But it was worth knowing exactly what was going on and giving Athena more time.

Sadly, I made the very difficult decision to euthanize Athena on November 19, 2025. She was 14.5 years old. The surgery gave me nearly 6 more weeks, most of which were good, with my sweet girl. But her cancer took its toll and it was time.

Athena was everyone's emotional support dog. Everywhere she went, she brought smiles to people's faces and loved to get pets and make new friends. She was so sweet and gentle and just absolutely loved people. i brought her to school with me since undergrad, and she loved the students and brightened their days. Athena's office for the past 5 years is near a classroom, and the students loved to de-stress (especially during midterms and finals) by coming to pet her and say hello to her. She loved playing outside with her mom and hooman friends—hiking, jumping in streams and lakes, mountain biking, camping, and she even tolerated paddle boarding. She had all the energy in the world and LOVED to run but was also relaxed and calm at home. She was happiest being outside around her people. She was the goodest girl.

Although she has now crossed the Rainbow Bridge, Athena's hooman is asking for help to continue paying off her vet bills.

Athena has brought so much joy and love to everyone around her, I'm now asking for help to give back to her. The CT scan required anesthesia (due to the location of the cancer) with dye and was $3,000. The surgery was $6,000. Both procedures were done by the wonderful doctors at Bridger Veterinary Specialists in Bozeman, MT (I am happy to share receipts). Every donation will go toward paying off her medical care.

If by some miracle we raise more than the amount, the extra money will go to a charity that helps dogs get the medical care they need. Any little bit helps.

Rest easy little Athena. I love and miss you sweet girl.