05/03/2026
Let's give a round of APAWS to Stella, our 2026 Canine Hero!
Stella and her family are unable to attend the event tomorrow due to travel, but we wanted to share her story because it is one of amazing resiliency. Please take a moment to read her story (told by her dad, Nate) and send some love their way!
Hi, I’m Nate, my wife is Paige, and we have two boys, Owen (5) and James (3). Stella has been part of our family through it all.
Stella came into our lives as a rescue from Alabama when she was just 6 to 8 months old. We met her in Florida, brought her home, and she’s been our first baby ever since. She’s been with us through many of our milestones in our lives. Our marriage, the birth of both of our boys, moves from Florida to Minnesota to Wisconsin, and all the life in between.
She’s the kind of dog everyone hopes for. Gentle, incredibly sweet, full of personality, and our best friend. She loves people, other pets, and of course squirrels. With her sharp ears and great nose, she’s happiest exploring the dog park, tracking down deer and squirrels on our walks in the local parks, and the occasional pup cone ice cream treat.
She’s 11 now, turning 12 this year, and has been an incredibly healthy dog. Outside of this, we never would have known anything was wrong.
In March 2025 she went in for a routine dental cleaning, and they found a small mass in the back of her mouth. It was sent to the team at the University of Wisconsin for testing. On March 27th, we got the call that it came back as oral melanoma.
From there, everything moved fast. The options were surgery to remove the tumor, radiation, a trial that included the chance of a placebo, or chemo. We were told that without treatment we may only have 6 to 8 weeks. UW recommended surgery as the best course of action to give her the best shot at removing the cancer and maintaining a high quality of life. We fully trusted their guidance.
The surgery required removing her eye due to the location of the tumor and the bone beneath it. It was one of the hardest decisions we’ve ever made, but Stella bounced back quickly and is still very much herself.
Last fall after a routine CT scan, two small spots were found on her lungs and one lymph node was slightly elevated in size. The UW team recommended moving forward with gilvetmab, so we committed to 10 doses every 3 weeks and made the trip down regularly for treatment and scans.
Last week, we finished our tenth and final dose of Gilvetmab and had a ct scan to check on her overall health. She passed with flying colors, with her mouth, lymph nodes, and lungs are all holding steady, and the spots that were found in her lungs have been marked as resolved.
The team at the University of Wisconsin, especially Dr. Claire Quinn and Dr. Tsung-Han Tu, have been incredible to work with throughout this entire process.
One of the biggest gifts through all of this has been the extra time our boys have had with her. More memories, more walks, more moments together that we don’t take for granted.
What this experience has shown us is how strong and resilient dogs truly are, and how important early detection, access to great care, and modern science can be.
More than anything, it’s reminded us to focus on what matters. Time, quality of life, and the everyday moments we get with them.
Stella is still here, still exploring, still getting lots of family cuddles, and we’re incredibly grateful for every day we get with her.
