CHICAGO — Sarah Lauch doesn't know what the first five years of dog Roosevelt's life were like, but she knows the last six months will be good ones.
Roosevelt — also known as Roo — was rescued from Chicago Animal Care and Control in April and diagnosed with terminal bone cancer in May.
Lauch, an executive producer at Comcast SportsNet, received a call that day from her friend Kelly Michael, who took Roo in as a foster dog.
"We knew something was wrong, but we didn’t know what. She called to tell me that he had six months," Lauch said, choking up.
The two decided, "We’re gonna make it the best six months of his life."
Roo got his own bucket list and hashtag, #LiveLikeRoo, to inspire other dog owners to take their pups on adventures.
His caretakers were inspired by Poh, a 16-year-old dog with a 35-city bucket list whose story went viral recently.
Roo, who the two rescue dog advocates believe to be a mix of a pitbull and Shar Pei, has already visited Tastee Freeze for his favorite snack, ice cream, and hiked in Starved Rock State Park (pictured at right). He indulges in meat occasionally, even though Michael doesn't eat it herself.
Roo was found at Animal Care and Control by friends Sarah Lauch and Kelly Michael. [Courtesy Sarah Lauch]
Though ill, Roo is energetic, Lauch said.
"We walked probably three miles at Starved Rock," she said. "He led the way. He was always wanting to go ahead of the pack. ... You wouldn't know he was sick."
Lauch, a Norwood Park resident, and Michael, who lives in suburban Palatine, also plan to have Roo meet a friend of theirs who has battled cancer, and take him to Superdawg, the Indiana Dunes and Michigan.
The hashtag #LiveLikeRoo inspires other dog owners to take their dogs on adventures. Roo went to Starved Rock State Park with foster moms Kelly Michael (l.) and Sarah Lauch. [Josh Feeney Photography]
They've received offers for visits to places all over the country as Roo's story has spread, Lauch said, and are planning a meet-and-greet Aug. 16 due to an outpouring of interest.
"We just want people to know Roo and know his story," Lauch said.
Other dog owners have told Michael and Lauch they are inspired to take their own dogs on adventures, and to appreciate each day as if it could be the last, Lauch said.
But others wonder how Lauch and Michael could accept and face the inevitable.
Roo enjoys a creamsicle at Starved Rock State Park. [Josh Feeney Photography]
"Everybody's like, 'You must be depressed all the time,'" Lauch said. "But he doesn't know, and dogs can read how you are feeling."
The two friends know there's no official countdown — no one knows how long Roo has — so they have to take each day as it comes.
"He doesn’t know he’s going to die," Lauch said. "So we just go with it and give him whatever he wants. It's going to be tough at the end, but for now, we try not to think about it."
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