Canine Acute Leukemia Warriors

“Rigby” Miller

Rigby, a charismatic and larger-than-life Weimaraner, was introduced to Lisa and Jerry Miller by a coworker in June of 2012.  Even at just 8 weeks old, Rigby had a huge personality, and he immediately stole his parents’ hearts.  He got along fabulously with the two other dogs in the Miller household and immediately settled into life with them.

Over the years, Rigby earned several nicknames, most notably “Little Baby” and “Puffy Toes.”  Unlike most Weimaraners, Rigby had a full tail, and his tail earned its own nickname, “The Antenna.”  He absolutely loved going for walks, hikes, and car rides with his family and snacking on Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets. 

Despite being the youngest of the family’s three dogs, Rigby typically led the pack and instigated a lot of play time with them.  He loved playing outside in his little swimming pool and being the center of attention (but only on his terms).  A paparazzi’s dream dog, Rigby loved being photographed and videotaped.  A photograph that his family took of him sniffing a flower even went viral on social media for quite some time and can be viewed on Rigby’s YouTube site.

Rigby spent a lot of his time cuddling with Lisa and was very in-tune with his family’s emotions.  He knew exactly when they needed cuddles and kisses and was quick to offer both to them.

In August of 2016, the Millers noticed that Rigby was not acting himself.  He wasn’t cuddling up with them on the couch like he normally did, and his belly seemed a bit bloated to them.  They immediately took him to their veterinarian to have him evaluated.  Unfortunately, their worst fear was discovered. Rigby had cancer.  He was diagnosed with stage 5 lymphoma.

Lisa and Jerry elected to pursue chemotherapy for Rigby, and they spent 3 months travelling back and forth (202 miles round-trip) to their veterinary oncologist for his treatments.  Rigby never backed down from a challenge, and the Millers weren’t going to, either.  They all dressed up in superhero costumes – Rigby included – for these appointments, and by November of 2016, Rigby was officially in remission!

Unfortunately, by mid-December of that same year, Rigby began feeling ill again, and additional testing by his veterinary team revealed that his stage 5 lymphoma had progressed into acute leukemia, an even more devastating diagnosis.  They switched to a different chemotherapy protocol – something that the cancer cells had not been exposed to before – but it didn’t work nearly as well as the previous protocol had.

His Rhodesian Ridgeback brother, Rhori, donated blood in early January so that Rigby could have a much-needed blood transfusion.  However, even this precious act wasn’t able to make Rigby feel much better.

Not once during any of his cancer treatments did Rigby ever fuss or complain.  He was a fighter and a warrior and continued to shower his family with love every single day.  Unfortunately, the Millers had to say goodbye to their youngest dog on January 19, 2017, just 5 short months after his original cancer diagnosis.  They loved their “Puffy Toes” so very much and considered each and every day with him a blessing.  They considered every day with Rigby “as special as chasing butterflies.”