In the first of our winter fireside chat’s Hilary Nickerson will tell her amazing story with Boogie, a very special Boykin Spaniel.

Age 63, Hilary was diagnosed with stage 5 cancer. She had surgery two weeks after the diagnosis, followed by 6 months of chemotherapy. During the chemotherapy treatment, Hilary took her spaniel, Buddha, to the vet for his 10-year checkup and geriatric blood work. Long story short, Buddha was riddled with cancer, although there were no outward signs. Six weeks later, Buddha had to be put to sleep.

While recovering from chemo herself, Hilary purchased a new puppy – a Boykin Spaniel, she named Boogie. When he was about 9 months old, Hilary was visiting her sister, whilst she was having her two Labrador Retrievers tested for Search and Rescue aptitude. Hilary asked if she could test Boogie and he excelled. The trainer said I should follow up with a SAR team in Georgia and she sent me the name and contact information for Alpha Team K9 Search and Rescue. That is the beginning of the story, “Boogie on Down the Road”.