Cera Reusser

Cera is founder of Chase Away K9 Cancer, an NCCF donor advised fund. Cera lost her heart dog, Chase, in 2006 and has been fighting cancer in dogs ever since. She just brought home a puppy girl she named S.C.O.R.E whose name stands for all the dogs she has loved in her life, Smokey, Chase, Olie, Rikki and Elsie May.

Cera is always happy to share how to look for early signs of K9 cancer by doing a nose to tail exam on a monthly basis and she really loves to listen to any and all stories about the wonderful dogs people have shared their lives with. 🐾❤️🐾. Be Your Dog’s Hero, Chase Away K9 Cancer

Kyle Stevenson, DVM

Dr. Kyle found us in 2015 when she was going on the cancer journey with her buddy, Potter. The loss of her soul dog inspired her to do something about cancer in dogs, she started Paws4Potter in upstate New York. She continues to raise more and more awareness each year.

“If just one person learns about early cancer detection in pets and shares that information with just two other people, and they continue that trend, can you imagine just how many people will be empowered with knowledge that may someday save their pets’ lives?” – Dr. Kyle Stevenson

Kelly Fails

Kelly joined the foundation in 2013 just a few days after losing her first dog, Cloe, to cancer. Cloe, a Great Dane, developed a form of Nasal Cancer that spread quickly.  After Cloe, came the loss of Layla. Layla developed a very fast and aggressive form of Osteosarcoma that overtook her shoulder and spread quickly.  She brings with her years of experience with dogs, horses and other animals along with a love for the arts.  She is a Graphic Designer & Pencil/Charcoal Artist with college degrees in Advertising/Graphic Design & Business Administration.  Kelly & her mom are active in AKC dog shows with their Great Danes & Beagles in Texas and surrounding states.

She fights for Cloe, Layla and all dogs who have been lost or are fighting canine cancer in hopes that one day, there will be a CURE.

“I can’t wait to see what everyone comes up with for this fun contest.  Creativity comes in all forms and from all ages.” – Kelly

Sara Nice

Sara Nice is a member of the Board of Directors and one of the founders of the National Canine Cancer Foundation. Her qualifications include graduating with a BS degree in Radio/TV/Film from Texas Christian University. She spent her early career in talk radio as the Director of Operations. Following her radio career she found dog showing and enjoyed that as a hobby, but worked as a dog photographer for a few years while still consulting on radio projects. This is why she fights for a cure, in her words:

We lost four dogs in four years to cancer. Now we have lost a total of six dogs to cancer, one brain tumor, one sarcoma, and four to Hemangiosarcoma. We know HSA to be the meanest of the cancers as it takes them from us so quickly. Each of our stories is equally as heart wrenching though. Gary told of my heart dog Duncan and my first Golden Ashby, let me tell the story of Armani, who ended up with two cancers. We took Armani in from one of our friends and mentors who died of cancer. One day we noticed his mouth was bloody and we found he had oral melanoma, which had a good treatment option. We were winning the battle and on the morning we were going for the last radiation treatment we couldn’t get Armani to come out of his crate. When we finally were able to get him out and to the vet, they found that he had Heart Hemangiosarcoma also. They kept him and tried draining the fluid off his heart to see if we would be able to treat that as well, but it came back too quickly and we had to say goodbye to him. After we lost Armani, we lost Riggs to a sarcoma and Emma to Hemangiosarcoma. Too many dogs lost and only one of the seven has made it to age 10. I continue to fight so that we can experience the love of our sweet dogs for so many more years.

Gary Nice

Gary Nice has an extensive entrepreneurial business background. He started in television and radio production, producing commercials, corporate videos and then moving into talk radio. During his years in talk radio he owned multiple companies with programming provided for thousands of radio stations and the companies revenue reached over 10 million. He has spent a lot of time consulting and advising young entrepreneurs on ways to grow their business. Here is why he fights for a cure in his words:

It was on January 14th, 2006 that I lost my beautiful Bailey, a loving Golden Retriever. It was three days after Bailey’s 8th birthday. I had to put Bailey to sleep because of an advanced case of cancer that caused him to go from a strong, active loving dog to a dog who looked at me with such eyes that said, please help me it is my time. I did not know there was anything wrong with him. He didn’t act any different until one day, his cornea was red and we found out he was hemorrhaging in his eye because his blood pressure was 238. A dog with a blood pressure of 200 is hemorrhaging. He could not see out of that eye and on days when the hemorrhaging was bad, he was completely blind in both eyes.

After several weeks of tests and medicine, an X-ray of Bailey lungs showed the cancer had metastasized. His X-Ray looked like a snowstorm. If I only had known of this earlier we may have been able to do something. So for the next month or so, we gave him as much love as possible and practically anything else he wanted. It was a time of spoiling him, loving him and crying, lots of crying. Anyone who knows me was aware of how special Bailey was to me. He was my heart dog. We did so much together and he gave everything he could to loving me and being my friend. I am still hurting from his loss. I don’t know if I will ever forget that moment when we put him to sleep, and I was holding onto him at the Vet’s, loving him, kissing him and telling him I am so sorry and then I felt him go limp in my arms.

When I found out that Bailey had cancer, I was devastated. I began trying to find somewhere or somehow to save him, even though they said it was at a very advanced stage and there was no hope. He was only 8 years old; he had so much of his life ahead. In that research, I found out how much work needed to be done to fight cancer in dogs and how many dogs were dying every day, many prematurely, of cancer. It was at this point that I swore to myself that I would dedicate the rest of my life, and resources, to finding a cure to these cancers that are killing our dogs. It was that year that I founded the National Canine Cancer Foundation with my wife and two other friends.

Since then we have lost five more of our Goldens. Our sweet Ashby who I swear was more human than dog. You could just seem him thinking. He was only 9 years old. And our sweet, gentle Duncan who had the greatest face. When he looked at you, it always made you smile. We found out after he was gone how much of our lives and our other dogs lives were managed by him. He was our clock always telling us at 8am and 5 pm that it was time to eat. He was only 6 years old. We miss them all so much.

This is for you Bailey, Ashby, Duncan, Casey, Emma, Wrigley, and Armani. Six dogs lost to Cancer in six years. Click here for Bailey’s Story.