Rally for Sully: A Service Dog Facing Kidney Cancer

Service dog Sully needs our help.

Hi, my name is Maya. I’ve known Jo, Sully’s human, for just about my whole life—but I was first licked and loved by Sully himself a couple of years ago, after I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. After helping Jo navigate the long hospital hallways in her electric wheelchair, Jo and Sully joined me for many of my lengthy chemo appointments, with Sully climbing right into the hospital bed with me. He’d lick my face and have me laughing hysterically during moments that would have been so dark without him, while bringing joy to the hardworking chemo nurses every time they entered the room. I can personally attest to Sully’s immeasurable love and affection, his unwavering desire to help, and his immense focus on ensuring that his humans are safe and comfortable at all times.

Sully’s whole world is being a helper, but now he needs us to help him too.

Sully is a five-year-old black Labrador Retriever, a highly trained disability service dog from NEADS World Class Service Dogs, and Jo’s daily lifeline. But over the last several weeks, Sully’s behavior began to change and it became clear that he was experiencing some discomfort. Jo, being the wonderful, attentive dog-companion she is, jumped into action to find out what was going on and how to fix it. Distressingly, Sully’s veterinarian discovered a mass in Sully’s left kidney, which is likely to be a renal carcinoma. He'll be having surgery tomorrow, June 3, to remove his entire kidney. Despite having pet insurance, Jo is facing thousands of dollars in veterinary bills in just the first few weeks of Sully’s treatment. His future prognosis—and what additional treatment he may need—won’t be known until after that surgery. What we do know is that continuing care will be critical, and it will be expensive.

Throughout Jo and Sully’s wonderful time together thus far, Sully has been an incredible and loving companion who gives Jo independence, safety, and support in living with disabilities. He can find and bring Jo her phone, fetch her medications, press automatic door buttons, help unload groceries, and nudge doors shut. He’s helped Jo travel across the world—from Scotland and England, to weddings and ordinations and conferences, and to the streets of Disneyland where he excitedly met Chewbacca himself. On Election Day, he was even part of a safety squad at polling places in Pennsylvania. He’s well-known at Jo’s grocery store, where he pulls bags of carrots from the produce shelves (Sully loves carrots). He is truly the epitome of a Good Boy!

When a service dog is ill, it also suddenly takes away support their human partner relies upon to live a full, independent life. As one of Jo's mentors wrote to her, "I'm so keenly aware that Sully is so much more than your dog (and a dog is already so much). You must be gutted to be without your hands and legs. This is the worst." While the core of Jo and Sully’s bond is an unbreakable mutual love and respect, Sully’s role in Jo’s life transcends that in so many ways. Helping Sully now will allow him to continue providing Jo with love, companionship, and assistance—which Sully loves to do. But while Jo focuses on Sully’s healing and what she can do to support him through this hard time, she will also have to navigate her life without relying on his usual support for her. Because as much as Sully is Jo’s Service Dog, Jo is also Sully’s Human, and Sully needs help the most right now.

Please consider helping us give Sully the chance to keep doing what he does best—helping, healing, and being the Goodest Boy in Jo’s life and in the communities that love him. Every single donation helps cover his surgery, follow-up care, and whatever treatment may come next.

Thank you for helping us fight for Sully, the amazing, loving pupper who‘s dedicated himself to helping Jo and others.