At first glance, Milton is just like any other Labrador Retriever: energetic, ball and water obsessed, and loves taking walks with his pet parents.

However, Milton has overcome a tremendous amount of physical obstacles to achieve his normal life, stemming from years of neglect that left him with significant ear and skin infections, as well as emotional issues.

He’s also a cancer survivor and a living embodiment of how a cancer diagnosis does not necessarily define a pet. Milton’s owner, Jennifer Allis, best describes it by saying, “He doesn’t know he’s not whole. And he’s never looked back” after losing his left front leg due to an advanced squamous cell carcinoma.

Jennifer and her husband adopted Milton in August 2019, not long after saying goodbye to Rusty, their 14-year-old Lab. “I wasn’t sure we were ready to adopt, but then saw a picture of Milton and it was decided,” she said.

Jennifer and Milton participated in the Nationwide® Pet Cancer Awareness Walk in late 2020 to benefit Animal Cancer Foundation, logging an average of two walks each day, a quarter mile each time. Wooftrax named the duo one of five $500 FidoCure shelter rescue award winners at the conclusion of the event, which was directed to Heart of Texas Lab Rescue that found Milton and nursed him back to health.

Today, Jennifer describes him as a “funny, goofy Labrador with a big personality. Not having a leg doesn’t seem to affect him. He loves going on walks, chasing balls – and then destroying them, paddle boarding, and being first mate on our boat.”

Read ACF’s tips for handling your pet’s cancer diagnosis and other resources: https://acfoundation.org/resources-for-pets-with-cancer/