Merri Leber-Perrone of Holland says her miniature schnauzer Holly became more caring the day doctors gave Leber-Perrone a diagnosis of colorectal cancer a few years ago.
“The day I came home with the diagnosis, she was very clingy. She didn’t leave my side,” Leber-Perrone said. After surgery, little Holly provided even more comfort.
“She cuddled right up to my chest. Then she would get up and lay at my feet,” Leber-Perrone said. “She knew that my feet were cold.”
Her cancer was cured two years ago after surgery at St. Mary Medical Center in Middletown, she said.
Leber-Perrone was among dozens of dog lovers and cancer survivors who gathered Saturday for Bensalem Bark for Life at Neshaminy State Park from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Bark for Life is a sister event to the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in which people walk to raise money for cancer research. Walkers are often living with cancer or are people whose lives were touched by cancer.
About 50 dogs and their owners registered to attend for $20.
Hollie Havens, chair of Bensalem Bark for Life, said Saturday’s event did not have a fundraising goal, though proceeds benefit the American Cancer Society.
“It’s really just getting the dogs out with their families,” Havens said.
Pets are reliable sources of comfort for families dealing with cancer. Bark for Life began because dogs are not permitted at Relay for Life events, and cancer survivors wanted a relay they could do with their dogs, she said.
“They’re great caregivers,” she said.
Once the brief relay was done, owners and various breeds of dogs perused the event, which featured 28 vendors selling items such as gourmet dog pastries, specialty dog leashes, water ice and flip-flops.
The Pennsylvania State Animal Response Team provided on-site pet micro-chipping services at the event for $25.
Robin Goldblum, a veterinarian with Indian Walk Veterinarian Center in Newtown, was on hand to safely administer the microchips.
“Microchips are the number one ID method if an animal loses its tag,” Goldblum said.
The chip is the size of a grain of rice but contains contact information normally included on a dog tag, she said.
Veterinarians use a needle to insert it under the skin between the dog’s shoulder blades, she said. “It’s the same as an injection,” Goldblum said.
When held over the dog, an electronic device owned by animal shelters and veterinarians can detect a 15-digit code on the microchip. When that code is typed into a national database, the dog owner’s contact information is revealed, Goldblum explained.
Michelle Grundahl of the Bucks County Animal Response Team said that she has identified lost animals through microchipping.
“If people find a dog, they should take it to a vet to see if it has a microchip,” she said.
Grundahl and Goldblum said volunteers are needed to get the word out about microchipping and urged anyone interested in volunteering for the state or county Animal Response Teams to visit www.pasart.us for more information.
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