Nora, retired K9 Officer
Donation protected
On November 2nd, we received devastating news that our adorable and loving Nora has oral melanoma. The cancer started in her jaw and has metastasized into her lymph nodes. Most of you reading this may have already known and love Nora. For those of you who don’t, here is her story.
Nora first came running into our hearts about 10 years ago and since has touched and loved many people along her journey. She served alongside her human partner Carlo as a K-9 explosives detection officer at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. Officer Nora and Carlo worked at very exciting and special events such as several World Series Games, 49er games, Super Bowl City (2016) and tons of San Francisco conventions. They both walked and patrolled around the city (mostly the financial district), frequent SFO and trained all over the bay area. Throughout her years of service she participated and excelled at numerous K-9 competitions locally and as far as Las Vegas, NV. Which by the way was her first airplane ride out of CA where she charmed our way into first class. The flight attendant could not help it but love Nora as she stared at him with her warm brown eyes. Nora, Carlo & I was bumped up from coach to first class. She sat on my lap as everyone boarding the plane greeted her. KTVU Fox 2 News even did a story about Nora during the 2016 Super Bowl. All the while being the best partner and family pet that anyone could imagine.
Nora also did what she could to help others in her community. She worked with United Way yearly at the Federal Reserve Bank and posed in pictures with people in exchange for their donations. She helped her fellow K-9 colleagues campaign for the Cover Your K9 Foundation. They once used her picture for their campaign merchandise; Nora is very photogenic.
On December 2016, Nora began her retirement. Many of her friends at the Federal Reserve Bank and other police departments were sad to hear that they won’t be seeing her daily. However, it was time for the lovely service dog to finally live her days just as a dog with her older fur sister Pixie. Nora is truly a unique dog, she is loved by her community and many others all over the world. She shares her life with the Calacal family, which includes Carlo - her dad and police partner, myself (Arceny) her mom, Pixie – her older Border Terrier fur sister and Brayden – her human baby brother.
Her dilemma began mid October when I noticed swelling in her gums. I kept monitoring it and would notice her gums would bleed when she would eat. The swelling increased and covered most of her back teeth. We took her to the vet and had them surgically remove a portion of the mass to check for cancer. About a week later, our worst fears were confirmed; it was cancer – Oral Melanoma.
If left untreated her vet estimated Nora would only have 4-6 months left to live. The cancer is aggressive and the location of the mass made it complicated. We spoke to 3 veterinarians that suggested it was inoperable. The life expectancy of her breed is 12-14 years, with some living even 15-16 years. Nora has so many more years of joy to give. She loves life and lives to make others happy. It is hard to imagine not doing everything humanly possible to save her life. We were referred to the VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialist where we were given hope.
They gave the treatment options, which were surgery, radiation and the melanoma vaccine. Surgery would completely remove the left side of her jaw causing her to have a shift jaw and additional dental work. We have chosen the 8-week treatment of radiation and melanoma vaccine. From there we can assess what to do next.
The good news is that, if successful, Nora’s life can exceed than what was estimated. The VCA can monitor the progress of the radiation each week. However, the bad news is that this procedure estimated to cost $8,000-$15,000. This is a burden that no one family can bear, but with many much can be accomplished, and so we sincerely ask that you would consider donating to Nora's treatment. If we can get this message out to 3,000 people that donate just $5 then we will be able to help Nora get the life saving treatments that she needs and give back to this amazing dog that has put smiles on many faces.
Thank you in advance for your donations, your thoughts and your prayers!
WE LOVE YOU NORA!
Nora first came running into our hearts about 10 years ago and since has touched and loved many people along her journey. She served alongside her human partner Carlo as a K-9 explosives detection officer at the Federal Reserve Bank in San Francisco. Officer Nora and Carlo worked at very exciting and special events such as several World Series Games, 49er games, Super Bowl City (2016) and tons of San Francisco conventions. They both walked and patrolled around the city (mostly the financial district), frequent SFO and trained all over the bay area. Throughout her years of service she participated and excelled at numerous K-9 competitions locally and as far as Las Vegas, NV. Which by the way was her first airplane ride out of CA where she charmed our way into first class. The flight attendant could not help it but love Nora as she stared at him with her warm brown eyes. Nora, Carlo & I was bumped up from coach to first class. She sat on my lap as everyone boarding the plane greeted her. KTVU Fox 2 News even did a story about Nora during the 2016 Super Bowl. All the while being the best partner and family pet that anyone could imagine.
Nora also did what she could to help others in her community. She worked with United Way yearly at the Federal Reserve Bank and posed in pictures with people in exchange for their donations. She helped her fellow K-9 colleagues campaign for the Cover Your K9 Foundation. They once used her picture for their campaign merchandise; Nora is very photogenic.
On December 2016, Nora began her retirement. Many of her friends at the Federal Reserve Bank and other police departments were sad to hear that they won’t be seeing her daily. However, it was time for the lovely service dog to finally live her days just as a dog with her older fur sister Pixie. Nora is truly a unique dog, she is loved by her community and many others all over the world. She shares her life with the Calacal family, which includes Carlo - her dad and police partner, myself (Arceny) her mom, Pixie – her older Border Terrier fur sister and Brayden – her human baby brother.
Her dilemma began mid October when I noticed swelling in her gums. I kept monitoring it and would notice her gums would bleed when she would eat. The swelling increased and covered most of her back teeth. We took her to the vet and had them surgically remove a portion of the mass to check for cancer. About a week later, our worst fears were confirmed; it was cancer – Oral Melanoma.
If left untreated her vet estimated Nora would only have 4-6 months left to live. The cancer is aggressive and the location of the mass made it complicated. We spoke to 3 veterinarians that suggested it was inoperable. The life expectancy of her breed is 12-14 years, with some living even 15-16 years. Nora has so many more years of joy to give. She loves life and lives to make others happy. It is hard to imagine not doing everything humanly possible to save her life. We were referred to the VCA Bay Area Veterinary Specialist where we were given hope.
They gave the treatment options, which were surgery, radiation and the melanoma vaccine. Surgery would completely remove the left side of her jaw causing her to have a shift jaw and additional dental work. We have chosen the 8-week treatment of radiation and melanoma vaccine. From there we can assess what to do next.
The good news is that, if successful, Nora’s life can exceed than what was estimated. The VCA can monitor the progress of the radiation each week. However, the bad news is that this procedure estimated to cost $8,000-$15,000. This is a burden that no one family can bear, but with many much can be accomplished, and so we sincerely ask that you would consider donating to Nora's treatment. If we can get this message out to 3,000 people that donate just $5 then we will be able to help Nora get the life saving treatments that she needs and give back to this amazing dog that has put smiles on many faces.
Thank you in advance for your donations, your thoughts and your prayers!
WE LOVE YOU NORA!
Organizer
Arceny Calacal
Organizer
Daly City, CA