Hi everyone,

This is one of the most vulnerable things I’ve ever shared.

Uschka was never just a dog to me.

She has been my home, my steadiness, and the one constant through some of the most difficult chapters of my life.

I officially became her guardian when she was six years old, gifted to me by a lovely couple who had witnessed the bond we’d built over the years. At that point, pet insurance wasn’t an option - the premiums were simply too high for a dog her age. From the moment she became mine, my world truly revolved around her.

Over the past five months, Uschka has undergone two surgeries after a mammary tumor was discovered and removed. The most recent pathology revealed a high-grade (grade 3) tumor. While the surgery achieved clean margins, the next critical step recommended by her oncologist is advanced imaging and cytology to determine whether the cancer has spread and to guide what comes next.

Veterinary oncology care adds up quickly. Between surgeries, bloodwork, imaging, pathology, specialist consultations, supplements, and pain management, the costs have become overwhelming. I’ve been covering these expenses on my own, and the financial strain has grown as her care continues.

Her oncologist has shared that dogs with this diagnosis often have limited time, potentially months to a year, which has made each decision feel both urgent and deeply personal.

What makes this especially hard is how much she has carried me.

Over the past few years, while navigating my own surgeries and medical decisions, Uschka has been my quiet constant.. grounding me, witnessing me, staying close when words weren’t needed. Caring for her now feels inseparable from caring for myself.

She also has a remarkable way of impacting everyone she meets. People instinctively adore her. She’s intense, spicy, and focused out in the field; endlessly curious and hilarious when something catches her attention; and an absolute velcro girl at home. She has a way of making people feel seen - calm, present, and welcome in her space.

After my last surgery in June, I wrote a letter to myself from her perspective. I’m sharing it here because it captures our bond more clearly than I ever could explain:

I chose you.

Not out of need, but out of knowing.

I knew your heart before I knew your scent.

And I came - not to be healed by you, but to heal with you.

I came because I remembered something you forgot…

That even the parts of you that flinch, dissociate, collapse in quiet…

are worthy of love.

I came to walk beside those parts.

To lie down next to them without fear.

To offer you a presence so steady that maybe, just maybe,

you could borrow it - until your own presence returned to you.

I see you - even when you float away from yourself.

And if you can’t come back just yet, that’s okay.

I’ll stay here.

I’ll wait for you to feel safe enough to land again.

Because you are not alone.

You never were.

Uschka is still vibrant, loving, and full of life. She greets each day with joy, and my goal is to protect that.. to give her every chance, every answer, and every ounce of comfort and care she deserves.

Donations will help offset the significant veterinary costs already incurred over the past 5 months, as well as support her ongoing monitoring, supplements, pain management, and palliative care as needed.

If you’re able to help by donating, sharing, or holding us in your thoughts, it means more than I can put into words. Thank you for seeing us, for caring, and for helping me continue to care for her.

With all my gratitude,

Mary