A Washington woman who is battling terminal cancer has found a new home for her three Australian shepherds after her search went viral on social media.
When the time comes, her "Aussie Posse" will live with fellow island resident Danielle Cochran and her husband. The couple have two dogs of their own and are dog rescue advocates. Zuidema announced the good news on her Facebook page and Cochran confirmed the arrangement on her Facebook page.
Kathleen Zuidema said she was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in September 2014.
It metastasized to her liver and brain and doctors gave her a year to live with treatment.
Although she has lived well past that time frame, she said she has one new tumor and one that is still growing.
Because of the state of her health, Zuidema took to Facebook to announce she was looking for a new home for her three dogs, 11-year-old Autumn Moon, 4-and-half-year-old Moka Luka and 4-year-old Finnegan.
Zuidema said the trio must stay together.
According to The Journal of the San Juan Islands, it is her dying wish.
"As a lot of you know I have been fighting cancer for about a year and a half and things are now progressing to the point where I need to secure a home for the posse," Zuidema wrote March 5. "They are a package deal. It is a huge thing to ask of one person but the thought of them being separated is more than l can bear. They have always been together. "
Zuidema put the request out on Facebook to see what happened.
"They are wonderful to be with the love they give and joy that they bring me every day has been unbelievable. "
Her post was shared over 30,000 times.
Zuidema set up a GoFundMe page in September to help with her cancer treatment costs that has raised over $15,000, exceeding its $5,000 goal.
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