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In order to know how the history of The Bobbie Project came to be we need to go back and talk about who “Bobbie” was. Bobbie was a bloodhound that worked for The Worcester County Sheriff’s Department, but in November of 1999 she was diagnosed with Lymphoma (cancer). At the time “Bobbie” was one of their best dogs on the department so it was decided to go ahead and pursue chemotherapy at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine. “Bobbie” did very well with her chemotherapy treatments and like people she did have her ups and down’s, but continued to work through it all.
“Bobbie” became an inspiration to all that knew her and a favorite in the Oncology department. The very last time she was treated we received a call stating that “Bobbie” was needed to help find an elderly gentleman with Alzheimer’s disease who had wandered off. Three days after that successful track she was hospitalized with congestive heart failure and pancreatitis, two very complicated conditions. Her heart couldn’t tolerate high volumes of fluids yet she couldn’t eat so she needed to be on IV fluids. After another two days it was decided that “Bobbie” had endured enough.
Shortly thereafter, we spoke with “Bobbie’s” handler Shawn Conley and learned that a policy had been adopted stating that the department would not spend anymore money on the bloodhounds if they needed a medical procedure. Believing that to be an intolerable situation The Bobbie Project was formed in August 2002 vowing that it was going to help local K-9 units in Massachusetts. It is our sincerest hope that every K-9 unit in Massachusetts will have the health care that is needed to keep them healthy and in top working condition.
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