Cocoa (a/k/a Sister) is a 10-year-old Aussie Cattle Dog/Aussie Shephard Mix in Norway, ME, who needs $962 for Oncept Oral Melanoma Vaccine.

My 2 children and I picked Sis at a shelter when she was 4 months old. From that first moment, I became her person. She was stuck to me like glue. She is fond of all of us though and we all love her very much. The boys thought that she looked like hot cocoa so that became her name. She shares a home with 2 rescue cats, one of which really wants to snuggle with her, but she is not interested!

Sis is a family member. Not much happens without her! She loves her daily walks and rides. She loves her doggy friends and their people. She has been such a comfort to us and we have been to her. She has a very special bond with my younger son who is on the spectrum. We became even closer to her when I had to stay home to care for my older son's and my health.

Sis has this funny smile when she is happy or excited! Usually it is one fang she shows on one side, but when she is REALLY happy (like when she sees her dog friends) she will show both! She likes to hang out in my closet with the door open. She gets these sudden bursts of excitement and runs like the wind. He vet often says she cannot believe she is 10!

We had a tumor removed from her mouth that came back as oral malignant melanoma. It was caught when it was small and x rays and exams show no sign of metastasis as well as normal labs. She has Stage 1 OMM and she is a candidate for the Oncept melanoma vaccine which could extend her disease free life by 2-3 years!

When we adopted Sis, I wasn't able to plan for needing to stop my career due to my Lupus diagnosis and juggling 7 specialists and crushing fatigue. To not have to worry so much about our girl would ease a lot for us. She is very spry and deserves the best care. Longer life!!