Austin-Boston walk to raise research funds for canine cancer

Jordan Wentz
Luke Robinson is walking from Austin, Texas, to Boston with his two dogs to raise money for canine cancer research.

"Big Dog" Luke Robinson, and his "boys," two canines that answer to calls of Hudson and Murphy, put one paw in front of another earlier this month to begin a 1,957 mile walk to raise money for canine cancer research.

The Austin, Texas-to-Boston trek honors Robinson's dog, a Great Pyreness named Malcolm, that died of osteosacrcoma after two years of cancer treatment that included a leg amputation and chemotherapy, Robinson wrote on his website.

With Hudson and Murphy, also Pyrenees, in tow, Robinson hopes to reach Boston in December, said Robinson's friend Mark Vogel, who works with the Northeast Pyrenees rescue. He left Austin March 16.

"He really is a pretty dynamic but down-to-earth kind of person," said Vogel. "He's a good person to bring people together because he's honest and he means it."

Vogel said volunteers have come together for Robinson's walk. People have offered their homes for Robinson and the dogs to stay in or their backyards for them to pitch their tent, he said.

When reached earlier this week, Robinson was traveling in an area of Texas with bad cellphone reception and could not be interviewed.

The trio's schedule is tentative because Robinson wants to avoid interstates, state highways and long-spanning bridges when possible, according to his website.

When the walk started, the plan was to move up to 10 miles a day, but weather conditions affect the amount of ground that Robinson, Hudson and Murphy actually can cover, Vogel said.

In addition to raising canine cancer awareness, Vogel said they hope to raise money for cancer research through corporate sponsorships and individual donations.

Vogel said that little research has been done in treating dog cancer. "It's very crude," he said.

Vogel said Robinson chose the Animal Cancer Foundation as the sole beneficiary of any money the walk raises because he wanted collaborative -- human and animal -- research to be done by a group that would unite people with a common goal.

ACF founder and President Gerald Post said it is one of the "few" foundations funding comparative oncology research, which studies cancers occurring similarly in animals and humans, he said.

"If we can figure out how to treat cancer in dogs and cats better, then we can better treat cancer in people," he said.

Human and animal cancer is molecularly similar, but testing cancer prevention and treatment on animals is easier because they have a shorter lifespan and the effects appear sooner, he said.

"This is a win-win-win situation," said Post. "If it works in dogs and cats, then it's good for the pet, it's good for the pet owner and it's good for people in general."