Bentley’s Last Hike

This is my ‘Lil’ Bear’, Bentley. Also, Bentley Bear. Age 2. Bentley was diagnosed with lymphoma leukemia 3 weeks shy of his second birthday. This news was devastating and shocking. Leading up to his diagnosis, Bentley was having loose stools for many weeks. At first I thought it was all the treats from training at agility. He was on probiotics and single ingredient treats and nothing was helping. I took him on a hike and he could barely make it 1/4 of a mile without panting and needing to rest. He was so tired. I also realized he looked a little skinny and decided to take him back to the vet. They discovered he lost 4lbs in two weeks, and his lymph nodes were all swollen. A fine needle aspiration confirmed lymphoma and I brought him to an oncologist to see exactly what he was up against. Another specialty test discovered it was a rare form of lymphoma leukemia and he was already stage 5. He was given 3-4 months to live with chemotherapy and that is what we did. He was such a champ and had no side effects from chemo (except in the beginning, but it was mostly from the steroids). He continued to gain strength and muscle and was acting like himself again! I had so much hope that he would beat the odds. We made a point to make as many memories as possible in the time we had together. This photo was taken by me at his favorite hiking spot near our home in Arizona. It’s the White Tanks Conservatory. He loved it here! I knew in my heart this would be our last hike at this location. He was getting tired and slowing down. Chemo was no longer working for him. Yet he was still smiling, and that makes this one of my most favorite images of him. A true cancer warrior to the end. Bentley passed 10 days later on January 23, 2024. I miss him dearly. He touched the lives of everyone who crossed his path and his pawprints will forever be etched in my heart.