When Kathleen Zuidema was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, the doctors gave her one year to live.
A difficult decision
Six months later, Kathleen says that she is doing well, but is faced with a very difficult decision: She needs to find a loving home for her three Australian Shepherd mixes. Her dogs are known as “The Aussie Posse”: 11-year-old Autumn Moon, 4-and a half-year-old Mona Luka, and her 4-year old brother Finnegan.
Kathleen wrote on Facebook:
“This is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. […] My heart is breaking and I’m sobbing as I write this. As a lot of you know I have been fighting cancer for about a year and a half and things are now progressing to the point where I need to secure a home for the posse. They are a package deal. It is a huge thing to ask of one person but the thought of them being separated is more than I can bear. There’s no doubt they are extremely well-trained, and “[a]t home they are perfect roommates[,] they sleep on my bed or one of theirs if they want. So it’s a lot.”
The best for her dogs
Kathleen is trying to do what is best for her beloved dogs, as she is at the mercy of cancer. Kathleen has shared videos and photos of her posse on her Facebook wall, showing that they are always playing and running to their hearts’ content.
“I survived the horrendous chemotherapy side effects and [i]t’s been a great summer in my garden with my Aussie posse,” she posted on her GoFundMe page. “I’m determined to be here next summer because I’m not ready to give up yet.”
Please reach out to Kathleen on her Facebook page if you can offer her dogs a loving home.