Bend dog without nose gets a new mission in life

It’s been quite the journey for therapy dog Shane and his owner, Jack Barron, who live in Bend.

Shane’s been a therapy dog at various hospitals around the county since he was 13 months old. He’s now 9.

Then came the news that Shane would have to be spending some time in a hospital for a different reason.

About three months ago, Shane was diagnosed with cancer in of all places, his nose.

“I was going to go to wherever I had to go, to get him better and get him treated,” Barron said Wednesday. “It didn’t matter where it was.”

And that led Barron and Shane down a road to recovery.

After finding a veterinarian in Fort Collins at Colorado State University, Shane lost part of his nose to cancer but survived — and now, he has a new purpose.

“My goal is to get Shane up on the floors and working with people that are facing disfigurement surgeries,” Barron said. “And I know that if we can find the right people that he’ll make the right connection, and he’ll show them the light. Maybe not the whole burst of light, but a little bit that there is a little bit of light at the end of the tunnel that he’s done it, and maybe you can do it.”

Barron said he hopes others will be able to feel the same impact he’s felt from Shane.

“But this dog made me stronger, and I owe him a lot,” Barron said, patting his snoozing pooch.

Now Shane’s on the path to recovery for himself, and hopefully for those he comes in contact with as well.

In the meantime, while he recovers, he can sit on his front lawn in his favorite spot and watch the world go by, until he’s ready to once again give back to the community.