Baunji's Story

The Dog. The Friend. The Journey.

Baunji truly is a Special dog and will always be the love of my life. Dec of  2014 I remember seeing a picture pop up of this dark brindle pit mix who looked absolutely striking and built like a tank but was set very soon to be euthanized at an animal shelter in Brooklyn, NY. I remember following the thread on social media and thinking how is this dog set to be put down. Through calling the shelter and missing return calls he was one of 6 to be put down that afternoon. I wasn’t able to speak to someone at the shelter and that evening all 6 were off the list which meant Baunji was gone and I was heartbroken.

Well, that next morning (Saturday) I was informed that Baunji was overlooked! Maybe, just maybe, because I called and emailed the shelter many times, the Lord saved Baunji. I was to run in a 5K in town but all I wanted was to get to Baunji. So, I left the race, went home to shower and off to Brooklyn I went. When I got into the shelter my eyes filled with tears because I knew Baunji was meant to be with our Family. And he fit right in with my other 2 dogs Baxter and Bailey.

July 2016-The Day my life and course I was traveling would be forever changed

Who knew Baunji would be the Greatest Blessing to come into my life. Something the B’s would always do is some day getaway trip, usually hiking or something. Well, Baunji had jumped a 6 foot wall and being 100lbs, that was impressive but a few days later I had caught him limping and made an appointment for him but my vet put him on anti-inflammatory and pain meds and said that he would be fine. And he seemed ok but in my heart something wasn’t right, so I took him for X-rays and my greatest fear came true: Billy, Baunji has cancer.

I was devastated and cried so hard but I knew God was up to something and as the Vet spoke, I heard death and euthanasia. But I knew God had something greater in store for Baunji’s journey.

We confirmed, yes, cancer. Osteosarcoma Bone Cancer (OSA). A friend mentioned changing his diet to get him off dry kibble and onto a raw diet. I searched the net, asked questions, and all I knew was I was going to fight with all I had for Baunji because he was special and I wasn’t going to fail him. Baunji went through amputation surgery and within 3 days. After amputation, he went up 2 flights of stairs, his courage and determination were contagious.

As Baunji went through treatments at U-Penn vet hospital and I was in the library researching when I came across The Keto Pet Sanctuary and they were doing amazing work in dogs with cancer. And so I honed in on that diet for Baunji and his quality of life and ability to bounce back was directly connected to his nutritional intake. Baunji went on to become a therapy dog on 3 legs and everyone adored him! His day to day activities improved and he was back to running and exploring with his brothers.

The team at U-Penn Vet Hospital were amazed at how quickly he bounced back. Jumped a 5.5 foot wall on 3 legs, after his 3 chemo injection we ran the stairs together where Rocky was filmed in Philadelphia. Baunji gave me the courage to keep fighting. Pet parents were asking me “what are you doing with Baunji we heard he’s doing amazing”. I shared about this Ketogenic Diet for dogs, raw and high fat foods. And Baunji lived every second to the fullest.

He was given roughly 4 months to live and Baunji made it 1 year and 9 months from original diagnosis. We stopped cancer from going going the normal route, the reason I made that decision was because a small tumor on his spine caused almost complete loss of his back legs. Actually, July 20 2016 till Nov 9th 2017 Baunji was heaven bound. The Day Baunji went heaven bound, God couldn’t have given me the best leaving this earth, Baunji didn’t say it was time to go, he said “Dad I trust you”.

We sat under tree in the Florida sun as I thanked Baunji for being an amazing dog and thanked him for fighting so hard and still had so much love to give. I carried Baunji back into the Hospital where he ate his last meal. He was surrounded by an amazing medical team lead by Dr. Nations down in Winter Haven, Florida, and Baunji kissed my face till he drifted to heaven.

I’ve learned just enough to realize in my life time I’ll see a cure to conquer this disease once and for all . That’s my mission and now we help parents around the world with his amazing story and Our Journey. Baunji’s Journey brought and continues to bring so much Hope to many pet parents facing difficult decisions. In Baunji’s Journey, HOPE KNOWS NO LIMITS.