My first company had just fallen apart. I had put everything into it, and I came out the other side alone in Midland with few friends left.
Some veteran friends of mine said a dog had helped get them back on their feet, so I went looking. I found an ad for German Shepherd puppies, $350, at a trailer house in West Odessa. The whole litter was in a big jacuzzi tub. Every one of them was adorable, but one was trying to climb up the wall of the tub to get to me.
That was Shelby. She came home at six weeks old, smaller than my cat. She grew to about 100 pounds and stayed that way most of her life.
Shelby and Nugget, her first week home.
Everywhere together
For almost ten years, we went everywhere. Cloudcroft. The beach in South Texas. The first Starship launch. I started working from home just to spend more time with her.
Ears up, paws crossed.Window down, ears up.
Fetch
Fetch was big with Shelby. Tennis balls, orange Chuckit balls, in the pool, at the park, on her bed.
When she first started playing fetch.Running back with the ball, summer 2025.
She sang
“If you play the piano in our house Shelby will sing for you.”
The family I have now
She was at my wedding in a harness and a collar of roses, and she was there for my kids. She was with me from the hardest year of my life to the family I have now.
Our wedding day.
The last day
We were playing fetch in absolute bliss just a few days before. Then she didn't feel good, and we went to the vet. Less than 48 hours later, she was gone.
We got to have photos made and spend some time together first. I cooked her salmon and steak until she passed.
Her last day. Shelby is lying in front.
I have never felt so much pain in my life.
What took her
Hemangiosarcoma is a cancer of the lining of the blood vessels. In Shelby it started in her spleen and spread to her liver.
It is one of the most common cancers in German Shepherds, Golden Retrievers, and Labs. It usually grows with no signs at all until a tumor bleeds, and there is still no simple, widely available test that catches it early.
Signs to watch for
Weakness that comes and goes
Pale gums
A swollen belly
Not wanting to eat
Fast or labored breathing
Sudden collapse
Pale gums, collapse, or trouble breathing can mean internal bleeding. Go to an emergency vet right away, even if your dog seems to bounce back.
If your dog is one of the high-risk breeds, ask your vet what to watch for as they get older.
The research that could change this
Through its Hemangiosarcoma Initiative, Morris Animal Foundation has funded 12 studies so far. Two are working toward simple early tests: a blood test at Purdue and a urine test at Virginia Tech. A test like that could give dogs like Shelby more time.
Gifts go to Morris Animal Foundation, a nonprofit that has funded science for animal health since 1948. If you can't give, sharing her story means just as much.
