By Dr. Daniel Eubanks
This past week Lambertville said goodbye to one of its true heroes.
”Sarge,” a black Labrador Retriever owned by Spring and Pat Pittore, passed away.
I have written several articles about this particular dog and if you are a loyal reader of my column (and my ego wants me to believe you are) then you’ve heard his history before. But at this time of his death I think it appropriate to review his story.
I first met Sarge for a routine check-up in my office in 2000 when he was 2 years of age. He was somewhat unique in my practice as he was not only a pet, but a service dog as well. He was a highly trained, certified search and rescue dog in the Palisades S & R of New Jersey. These dogs are called into service by various governmental and community agencies to search for human survivors at crisis events or missing persons for whatever reason.
Sarge and the Pittores literally camped out in temporary shelters at ground zero after Sept. 11, 2001. He was called into action at the Tropicana Casino parking garage collapse in 2003. He served at many other less historic events, each time sniffing-out human beings, dead or alive.
His own personal life was not uneventful either. When he was 8 years old, he left home on sabbatical, as male dogs are occasionally wont to do. He was missing for six days until Pat finally found him badly injured in a deep ditch near the Lambertville reservoir.
He was brought to my office for treatment. I’ve never seen anything like it before or since. It was as if his entire rear half had been lowered down into a large Cuisinart. There were literally hundreds of puncture and laceration wounds, all confined to his hind half. I was told that this pattern of injuries was most compatible with attack by a pack of coyotes. That evening his story was on FOX and ABC news.
After three days of hospitalization and multiple surgeries he was sent home to recover. He left the office with several latex drainage tubes exiting all around his posterior with his tail wagging in between tubes.
Pat said that as soon as he arrived home he lost a big meal and picked up his Frisbee to play!
In February 2009, Sarge was presented with a suspicious skin growth on his leg. The tumor was surgically removed and found to be malignant. The cancer type was called mast cell.
He received conservative follow-up chemotherapy. This treatment in no way slowed him down nor made him sick. Four months later, however, the tumor had recurred. It also was excised and confirmed to be mast cell. Two months later, the cancer returned in a different location.
After excision of this mass he was referred to an oncology specialist. Electing to pursue more aggressive chemotherapy, the Pittores embarked on a very expensive, exhaustive 15-month program to keep his cancer in remission.
I had numerous discussions with Pat during his treatment course and was informed that all the while Sarge was happy, enjoying life and never missed a meal. In fact, he was still in service during the initial phase of the treatment.
Recently, however, in spite of Sarge’s incredible resolve, it started to get the best of him. The Pittores were well aware that the time had come and Sarge was peacefully and painlessly euthanized.
His quality time had been extended well over a year due to the Pittores’ diligence and compassion and modern veterinary medicine.
I will never forget Sarge. He was an inspiration to all of us — never complained, never felt sorry for himself and always eager to work or play.
Sarge was more than a great pet — he was a service dog and a true hero.
