Angel Fund Helps Rescue A Giving Golden Retriever

By Jim Bell

Thirteen years ago, a young man gave a Golden Retriever puppy to his uncle, who was ill with a heart condition.

“My nephew Danny . . . thought this dog would be the best thing for my husband,” recalled Nellie Reyes of Ranch Cucamonga.  “It was true.  Comet was heaven sent. He was a miracle dog. He helped my husband so much. When he got angina attacks, Comet would bark and look for me. And he would run to him and he would point with his nose toward his heart for me to give him his medication.”

Her husband died seven years ago.  “When he died, Comet went into a depression.  I’ve never seen a dog like this before. He didn’t want to eat or anything. He was mourning a lot.”

Today, Mrs. Reyes lives with her daughter, Lucy, her son, Larry, and a grandson Robert. “He [Comet] follows my daughter around. He thinks she’s his mama.”

But at 13 Comet has had his own physical problems. When he was 10 years old, Mrs. Reyes noticed a growth on one of his hind legs. She took him to a veterinarian who told her that the growth should be removed and that it might be cancerous.

But with income only from a Social Security pension and government payments because her husband was a disabled veteran, she could not afford the fee. Desperate to help Comet, she consulted other veterinarians and several foundations, hoping that she might find someone who could help.  “They all said it’s going to take quite a bit of money [about $1,800] and, ‘No, we can’t help.’ I just said there has to be somebody out there. So one day I looked in the Yellow Pages and I called Western University [College of Veterinary Medicine] in Pomona and they gave me a phone number in San Diego. And I called them and they gave me a phone number for the Angel Fund. Meanwhile, the tumor was getting bigger and bigger.”

Nearly a year had gone by since Mrs. Reyes first was told that Comet needed surgery.  At Angel Fund, “they were very nice. They were so wonderful.  And they said you have to find out which veterinarian will take this because we would pay so much and the veterinarian would pay the other half. . . . And they sent me a sheet that told me which hospitals would be in this program.”

She chose Pomona Valley Veterinary Hospital.  “And the first time I took Comet there, they said, ‘Oh, yes, we can help.’” Dr. Tahir Khan performed the surgery. “He is exceptional. He is so great,” Mrs. Reyes said. Angel Fund and the hospital each contributed $500 to help pay her bill.

After the surgery, Mrs. Reyes learned that the growth was cancerous.  Today, Comet has arthritis in his rear legs and needs help getting up. He can no longer go for walks. “But he’s still going strong.  He is still eating well and is very alert when he goes outside.”

Mrs. Reyes knows that Comet is not likely to live much longer.  But she and her family are grateful for the additional time they will have with him.

“If it hadn’t been for the Angel Fund, I don’t know where I would have been. If it wasn’t for them, my dog wouldn’t be here with me,” she said.