Local Tattoo Shop Raises Funds for Canine Cancer Research in Memory of Beloved Pet

We got Wendy back in 2017. She is just this tiny little Newfoundland, little brown bear. We called her our fluffy alligator. And she was great. In February, we found out that she had something going on with kind of a front ankle, paw. At the time we got it diagnosed and we thought it was arthritis and then this mass just grew on her leg. Dublin Community Animal Hospital referred us to Dr. Tuohy and her research and that's how we found Dr. Tuohy’s team. Osteosarcoma is the primary bone cancer in dogs. It's a very painful cancer because it's in the bone and it is also very aggressive. It wants to spread to other organs, especially the lungs. One of the problems with osteosarcoma is that it's very resistant to immunotherapies which is a really big part of cancer treatment nowadays. With the study that we're doing, we are using histotripsy in order to not only treat the tumor or the cancer in the bone but also the exciting potential for histotripsy is its ability to activate the immune system. The data that we learned from Wendy was very very helpful in advancing our work for developing histotripsy for osteosarcoma. The event ran Monday through Saturday for tattoos and Wednesday through Saturday for piercings. The lobby was full. The lobby was full pretty much from open to close. A lot of people who came out for this one really did acknowledge the fact that this was specifically to donate to the Virginia Tech Animal Hospital and the teaching center there, which was really cool because it showed the community interest and awareness. The fundraiser at Black Diamond, that was just truly incredible. The entire team. We are just so moved and touched by that tremendous show of commitment to the research and to Wendy's memory. One thing that really stuck with us is that at the end of the study, we felt like she did have an impact and we felt like she was able to contribute to research that might help others in the future. And even though she still passed away, we still consider her story a success story. We got to keep her alive and enjoying herself, going to the beach, playing with the other dogs for probably 8 months, which she wouldn't have had if it weren't for Dr. Tuohy and the research team.

impact 2:59 Local Tattoo Shop Raises Funds for Canine Cancer Research in Memory of Beloved Pet

By:

Madison Brown

17 Jul 2026 153

Jennifer and Cord Sherman knew something was wrong with their spunky Newfoundland, Wendy, when she started to slow down. When a mass appeared on her front left leg, their primary veterinarian referred them to the Animal Cancer Care and Research Center's Dr. Joanne Tuohy, clinical professor of surgical oncology. Dr. Tuohy and her research team are currently researching the affects of the groundbreaking cancer treatment histotripsy on canine patients with osteosarcoma, a cancer affecting the bone. Though Wendy enrolled in the study to receive treatment for her osteosarcoma, she sadly passed away a few months after entering the study. The Shermans were inspired by the love and care Wendy received from the Tuohy research team and decided to hold a fundraiser at their tattoo shop, Black Diamond Tattoo Studios in Radford, Virginia. The fundraiser lasted about a week and raised $6,413 in funds for Dr. Tuohy's histotripsy research.