Jake passed away in January of this year at the age of 12. He is sadly missed by our family. In Jake’s memory, my wife and I have set up a charitable foundation in his name to help other dogs. - Joe Moscato

.Hello, my name is Cheyenne, and it's very nice meeting you! I'm a pound puppy and was rescued by two loving guy's, T and B. T is the alpha dog in our pack, I'm next and B ranks third ( but that's okay, I've got him trained to sneak snacks for me.) I'm 14 years old, but I have to admit, that ever since we moved here two and a half years ago from the South, and with the colder climate, I act like I'm half my age.

Several years ago, my guys noticed a small lump on my right leg, and decided to get it checked. I'm so glad they did too, because it turned out to be a very aggressive sarcoma. So one day I went to my doctor's office, took a little nap and when I woke up, it was gone! The only bad part about the whole thing, was that I had to wear some sort of plastic cone around my head. And once I got over all my buddies calling me names like "dish network" or "cone dog"
it was okay, although it did make scratching my ears VERY difficult!

Within the last year, that pesky lump started to grow back and due to some very serious health concerns and some financial difficulties, my guy's were at a loss on how to get me back to a doctor. But life has a funny way of working things out. Two wondertful angels, Robyn from All4PetsWNY, and Joe from the Jake Memorial K9 Assistance Foundation, were gracious enough to say that they would split the cost! And boy, does that make me happy!

So, on Tuesday, April the 19th, my new favorite Vet, Dr. Balonek, of the East Ridge Animal Hospital, is going to make me take another nap and when I wake up, that tumor will be gone again! I don't really understand how that happens, but I know one thing, it's going to make sure that I have some more years with my family. And to be honest, if these angels hadn't come along, I would hate to think what it would be like for my guy's if I wasn't around.

Signed ( Paw'd ) Cheyenne

The Jake Foundation will assist in pet relocation.  We work with the Shepard breeds only on a case-by-case situation in order to find good homes for dogs whose owners cannot provide for them anymore.  We recently placed a dog named Sophie.

          We were asked to find a good home for this two year old unsprayed female white Shepard.  Since the owner could not afford the cost of spaying we would have to find an owner who would take her “as is”, free of charge.

          Within three weeks Sophie found a great new home.  Her new owner is a vet tech who used to work at our vet hospital.  However, she had recently moved to the State of Washington and already owned a rescued white Shepard.  We contacted her in Washington in September and she wanted Sophie as is.  In October she flew to Rochester, made all the arrangements for Sophie’s adoption and a week later they took off for Washington State and Sophie’s new home where she joined her new owner’s other dogs and a happy new life 3,000 mile away.  This is a classic success story and we in the Jake Foundation were so happy to be part of it.

Hello. My name is Jessica and I am a 21 year cancer survivor. I was diagnosed when I was three years old (I am now 24) with Neuroblastoma Cancer. I had tumors wrapped around my spinal cord and my organs and was given a very small chance of even surviving the chemotherapy and radiation. I beat the odds although today, I am not without medical problems as a result from the chemo and radiation. I have a very hard time walking, sitting, standing, and getting up because of the pain in my hips, back and legs. About 6 years ago, my family and I adopted our labrador/retriever, Blue. Since then, I have grown up and moved out on my own and Blue has come with me. She is the most intuitive, loving, wonderful dog that I have ever known. She helps me get up when I'm having a hard time, listens when I have to talk, and loves me unconditionally!

Blue recently started scratching her ear causing an infection and a hematoma on the inside of her ear. While the vet and I had hoped that antibiotics and steroids would help everything to heal, I was told there might be a possibility that Blue would need surgery to drain the hematoma and suture her ear back together. It felt as if a huge weight had been lifted off my shoulders knowing that my puppy would be able to finally get what she needed to get better and be free of the pain. Blue was doing so well after her surgery and I was optimistic that the problem had been solved. However, Blue took a turn for the worse when I woke up one morning and found that she had knawed the fur and skin off of her legs and was bleeding on the living room floor. My heart dropped. After taking her back to the vet, we decided to go ahead with allergy testing to help determine what might be bothering her so much that she can't help doing this to herself. She has been on steroids for almost two months now to try and stop the itching and inflammation. There is only so much more of that kind of therapy that we can do without it affecting her internally.

When Joe called to tell me that the Jake Memorial k9 Organization would help me pay for her first year of medical treatment, I was overwhelmed with love and joy. My poor puppy has been suffering for so long and I'm really hoping that the when the allergy test comes back we can start treating her immediately. She is already almost back to her regular puppy self chasing her brother and sister cats just by knowing that she is being taken care of! Thank You for this amazing gift of being able to help my dog feel better and for giving me my beautiful girl the help she needed so that we can take care of each other! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your support, kind words, and help towards Blue's bright future!

Love Always, Jessica and Blue

P.S. My mom and brother are also so thankful! How blessed we are that you chose to help us!

Hi.. My name is Malakai and I am a 13 week old German Shepherd puppy. My mommy named me Malakai because it means "My Messenger" and now as I
look back... I think she was on to something! Maybe I was meant to tell my story so people would get involved with Jakes Memorial K9 Foundation to help families like mine.

On November 4th 2011 I was attacked by another dog who was much bigger than I am and unfortunatley I was just a bit too little to get away or to defend myself in anyway and I was severely injured. The other dog bit one of my vertibra and chipped some pieces off that are now floating around in my neck. I also had lots of swelling and bruising to my neck and chest and as I looked up
at my mommy, I could tell that my injuries were much worse than she first thought... and during my attack, my gramma was trying to save me but fell and broke her arm so we both had to wait til mommy and daddy came home to help. My dad called the ambulance for gramma and my mommy rushed me to the
hospital to get the help I desperately needed but unfortunatley she could not afford what it would take to make me better. Sadly, she had to take me home where she laid with me all night til morning and then she began her search for someone, anyone who would be able to help me. She called every place she could
think of but no one would help me unless my parents could pay my medical bills up front. Finally, she had one last idea and that was the lollypop farm website and there on the site she found Jakes Memorial K9 assistance foundation! She was so happy and started to cry as she called to see if someone could help me. They became my Guardian Angels! They helped my mommy get the medical attention I truly now needed and found her a hospital that would help me and best of all they paid my
medical expenses so I could get better and go home. It's been five lonely days in this hospital without my mommy but with a new hair cut and lots of new friends I am now ready to go home to see my family and start my new journey to a great recovery and a wonderful life ahead of me thanks to Joe and his foundation. I am thinking now that when I grow up I am going to be as loyal and giving as Jake was to his family and mine and I will never ever forget all he has done for everyone...

Thank you for everything your foundation has done for me. You are truly a blessing!

Sincerely,
Malakai & Family

This is Storm. She is a four month old Australian Sheperd. Storm has traveled a tough journey in her short life and thanks to the Jake Memorial K9 Assistance Foundation she has been granted a chance to survive! They donated $750 towards her surgery, without them I could not have afforded help for her!
I got Storm from a breeder for free and was told she was the runt of the litter and the other puppies didn’t allow her to eat so if I fed her too much she would not be able to hold it down. I was told she would outgrow this spitting up issue. Unfortunately this was not the case. I took her to my vet and they diagnosed her with Megaesophagus with a Vascular Ring Anamoly. This condition is only correctible through surgery. Without this surgery Storm could not hold any food down and her health was rapidly deteriorating. I immediately started looking into where I could get the surgery done, and found out that Cornell University Hospital for Animals is the only place. I went there and got another diagnosis from them that confirmed what my vet had found, unfortunately. I was then given a price of $5,000 for the surgery.
I love Storm with all my heart and was heartbroken when I was told this, because I do not have this kind of money. The vet at Cornell said she needs the surgery ASAP or her health will have gotten so bad she will be suffering and will need to be put to sleep. I could not imagine this, and immediately started towards my goal of raising the money so my puppy can live the long and healthy life she deserves.
After only ten days, lots of googling, faxing applications, and fundraising I was able to raise $4,600 towards Storm’s surgery. I was amazed at how many compassionate and amazingly generous organizations there are that helped Storm and I. Without them she would not have been given the chance she deserves.
Storm had her surgery on November 17th and has been on the road to an amazing recovery ever since. I noticed a difference in her spirits as soon as I picked her up. This was a one-time corrective surgery that will allow her to lead a normal doggy life. She has amazed the Vets with her quick rebound and strength. Upon going in for surgery I was told that she had a very low chance of survival because of her frail condition, but made the decision to proceed anyways, because she would not have had any chance of survival without the surgery.
Storm is now well on her way to becoming a beautiful dog. She has tripled in size since her surgery and eats through her mouth and can hold it down without any problems. She didn’t even get up to 2 lbs. in her first three months of life, and now is almost 9 lbs. at only four months. She has such a strong will to live and strive, and I cannot explain in words how grateful and thankful I am for the Jake Memorial K9 Assistance Foundation, they are truly amazing! They have done more for Storm than I can explain. It is because of organizations like this that animals that would otherwise have no chance are helped and granted life!