SurfI’ll never know for sure what Surf was suffering from when she died in 2005, but all of her symptoms were characteristic of a fungal disease called Blastomycosis.

There was so little information available for me to know if I should treat, how I should treat, and if there was any chance for Surf. Unfortunately by the time Blastomycosis was mentioned, her central nervous systems was affected and it was just too late to reverse the damage.

I started a website – http://Blastomycosis.ca – after she died.

Sometimes that is how I cope with things. I write, I share, and I make websites.

I just thought the world needed a place where people and dogs who were suffering from Blastomycosis would network and share their treatment experiences.

Recently, I added a sub-forum to the website. A lady who had lost her dog said she wanted a place to grieve. So I made a sub-forum where people could share their losses from Blastomycosis, a separate place from the board where the others were actively treating their illness, or their sick dogs.

This week I found out that 3 people who lost their dogs to Blastomycosis, who were previously strangers, have each adopted an Australian Shephard puppy from the same litter. Here are the words of one of them:

“We all lost our dogs within 6 weeks of each other and all found new pups – yes littermates, brothers and sisters, and got them within 6 weeks of each other.

And it wasn’t planned….it just happened that way. Bonded by grief and support, and now bonded by our new pups – who are all part of the same family.”

I’m so happy for them.