9NEWS 'Dog About Town' to Lead Morris Animal Foundation's K9 Cancer Walk in Estes Park, Colo., Aug. 21, 2010

DENVER, June 24 /PRNewswire/ --

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News Facts

• K9, Colorado News Leader 9NEWS "Dog About Town," will lead the second annual Morris Animal Foundation K9 Cancer Walk in Estes Park, Colo. on August 21, 2010. Joining K9 at the start line will be Patty Henderson and Peggy Mitchell, members of the Estes Park K9 Cancer Walk Volunteer Committee.
• Canine cancer is the number one killer of dogs over the age of two: 50% of dogs will battle cancer during their lifetime. One in four will die.
• More than 1 million dogs live in Colorado. Current statistics mean 500,000 Colorado dogs will battle cancer and 250,000 — about twice the human population of Fort Collins — will die from the disease.
• Morris Animal Foundation K9 Cancer Walks are fundraisers for the Foundation's Canine Cancer Campaign, a global effort to treat, cure and, ultimately, prevent canine cancer.
• Public support is needed to stop canine cancer. Anyone, anywhere can participate. Register to walk in person or virtually at www.K9CancerWalk.org.
• 100% of K9 Cancer Walk proceeds will go the Canine Cancer Campaign.
• Canine cancer research may help humans with cancer as well. Morris Animal Foundation endorses several projects underway to study voluntarily donated saliva, blood and tumor samples from privately owned dogs and, hopefully, translate acquired knowledge to therapeutics useful to both veterinarians and humans.
• Estes Park Walk Details: 8 am – registration/check-in; 9 am – walk begins; 11 am – speakers' presentations. Early registration: $30/adults; $15/children ages 10-17; children under 10/free. Early application closes Aug. 17.

Quotes

Attribute to Wayne A. Jensen, DVM, Morris Animal Foundation Chief Scientific Officer

• As you might imagine, bringing an end to canine cancer is one of our top priorities. Our goal is to identify the genetic, environmental, and nutritional risk factors that predispose certain dogs to cancer.
• The first canine cancer clinical trial is in its second phase, and a promising new drug to treat osteosarcoma (bone cancer) is on the horizon.
• Canine cancer treatment, prevention and cures won't happen overnight, but with public support they just may happen in your and my dogs' lifetimes.

Attribute to Patty Henderson, Estes Park K9 Cancer Walk Committee Chairperson

• The Estes Park K9 Cancer Walk started because I wanted to honor the memory of my friend's dog, Emily, who passed away from canine Hemangiosarcoma.
• Last year, during the first walk, we thought it would just be her and I walking around the lake with a picture of Emily. It turns out we had over 275 participants and over 200 virtual walkers....It was beyond our expectations. We raised almost $20,000 for canine cancer research.

Interviews/additional quotes available upon request.

Morris Animal Foundation Web sites: www.K9CancerWalk.org  www.CureCanineCancer.org  www.MorrisAnimalFoundation.org

Morris on Facebook: http://tinyurl.com/26vdur7

Video: http://tinyurl.com/32kk7fh    http://tinyurl.com/2b4krvl

Photos: Available Upon Request: [email protected]

Links That Matter: www.csuanimalcancercenter.org/   http://news.msu.edu/story/8008/

http://www.morrisanimalfoundation.org/about-maf/press-room/

SOURCE Morris Animal Foundation