The title line says it all: after nine weeks of chemotherapy, Shadow, the Bennion Family Dog, is cancer-free. His veterinarian checked several lymph nodes around his body today and found no sign of abnormalities. My parents’ big gamble worked, and, needless to say, we’re all breathing much easier tonight.

Moving forward, he will continue to receive chemo for several more weeks, just to be sure, but the vet assured my mom and dad that he’s responded as well as any dog she’s ever seen, and he’s got several more years ahead of him. He passed through the whole ordeal with very few problems, aside from picking up a few pounds as a result of the prednisone that was used to shrink his swollen glands. (I suspect the vast amounts of ice cream my folks have been feeding him lately might’ve had something to do with it, too. Time for this border collie to go on a diet!)

My parents have been surprised and very, very humbled by the support they’ve received from their friends (and even a few people who aren’t so friendly) in the local antique-car scene, and I myself would like to say thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a comment here on Simple Tricks or to e-mail me personally. Yes, Shadow is only a dog, but in our family, dogs are people, too, and your compassion has meant a great deal to me.

The pulp-fictional Shadow knew what evil lurks in the hearts of men; the Bennions know what good lies there as well…