It was the morning of Aug. 3 when students from the SHS marching band spotted a helpless dog roaming around the auditorium. According to members of the band, Ian Julian and Sarah Rusaw, the dog was a bit nervous at first, but then she let them pet her and was very sweet and friendly.

“There were a hundred or something kids with big shining instruments coming at her. But she was so sweet,” Rusaw said.

The dog followed them to the football field and then she ran to the parking lot where our school administration noticed her.

They called media clerk Taylor Peters knowing that she would have dog treats in her car. When she came down, she saw a limping dog whose eye was swollen and red. At first, Peters thought the dog was hit by a car, but a veterinarian said her injury seemed more like she was hit with a bat. The veterinarian said the dog was about 4 years old and has some husky-like characteristics. They looked for a microchip, which would’ve had the owner’s number, contacted shelters and posted pictures of the dog on lost and found pages, but no one answered.

“It seemed like she didn’t belong to anyone,” Peters said. “And I felt like she needed a name, so I called her Luna.”

Peters even bought Luna her own collar, own leash and own bowl saying that she wanted Luna to have something that is her own.

“Everyone knows that my heart is way bigger than it needs to be when it comes to animals,” Peters said.    

Peters and Reedy, her fiancé, brought Luna to their home, even though they already have two dogs. One of their dogs is aggressive, so they had to separate the dogs in order to have a quiet night. They found out that Luna is house-trained as she can sit, lay down, roll over, spin and she is potty-trained.

“She is a perfect dog. I am amazed at the compassion and love that the dog has.” Peters said. “Anything could have happened to her. And then she comes to our home and absolutely loves us. That is amazing.”

However, Luna couldn’t have stayed with Peters and Reedy because of their other dog. So she has been staying with her foster family (Reedy’s sister and her boyfriend).

According to Peters, Luna was doing good. She was happy, but her eye was becoming more swollen every day and she was becoming blind. She took medicine to relieve the pain and had to wear a collar to prevent her from rubbing the eye.

Eventually, eye removal surgery was scheduled for Sept. 5.

Having these medical issues brought huge expenses, so Peters started a fundraiser for Luna and many people helped. Even SHS students helped by selling and buying coffee in the school’s IMC for one dollar with the proceeds going to Luna’s surgery fundraiser.

“It’s amazing what (a) community of dog lovers has done to this dog,” Peters said.

On Sept. 5, things changed. Luna had her eye removed. Peters said that even though Luna looks tougher, she is definitely happier. One of Peters’ friends joked that Luna now looks like a kid that will beat you up and steal your lunch money.

Unfortunately, the vets found out that Luna has blood cell cancer. She had a tumor on her eye causing her to be blind on right eye. They sent the tumor for tests to find how aggressive the cancer is and they will release her live expectancy soon.

“It was a rough day,” Peters said. “When the doctor said cancer I kind of shut down and took a moment to process. But right now, our goal is to make sure that she is as healthy as she can be, that she is comfortable and happy. ”

There’s an opportunity of dog’s radiation. But when dogs go through radiation, they get sick. Peters thinks that for them not to feel well for the rest of their lives, it is unfair. In addition, all the expenses connected with medical treatment are huge. One radiation session costs 5000 dollars. Not mentioning all the medical bills. Luckily, people have been very generous and helpful..  

“It’s not just me,” Peters said. “It’s all of these people coming together knowing she deserves a better life. And that’s absolutely amazing about it. Even the person who donated five dollars, that person helped to save her – giving her a little bit extra time in life.“