Lorettasa国际传媒檚 tail didnsa国际传媒檛 stop wagging from the time she walked into Trinity Lutheran School in Edwardsville until the time she left two hours later.

And why not? Children, teachers and other staff treated the yellow Labrador retriever like a movie star, despite her carved-out abdomen and oddly-shaved coat. They petted her, kissed her, hugged her, scratched her ears, fed her treats, read her stories and drew her pictures.

sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 cute,sa国际传媒� said first-grader Lauren Hamlin Chulka, 6, of Livingston. sa国际传媒淪he loves kids, and she likes cheeseburgers.sa国际传媒�

Lorettasa国际传媒檚 visit filled the school with excitement and prompted a lot of laughter on Monday, but students also learned a hard truth: The dog had been abandoned in late November by a neglectful owner who allowed a mass in her abdomen to grow to the size of a melon.

sa国际传媒淪he has cancer,sa国际传媒� Lauren said. sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 not going to live much longer.sa国际传媒�

A veterinarian removed the mass last month, increasing Lorettasa国际传媒檚 mobility and making her more comfortable, but the cancer already had metastasized to her lungs. Shesa国际传媒檚 been given weeks to live.

The dogsa国际传媒檚 trip to Trinity was part of a sa国际传媒渂ucket listsa国际传媒� being carried out by her Edwardsville foster family and other Madison County animal lovers. Theysa国际传媒檙e trying to fill her last days on earth with fun, love, comfort and happiness.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 just about giving her quality of life and then some,sa国际传媒� said Patty Barney, 52, Lorettasa国际传媒檚 foster mother and board president at Partners 4 Pets, a rescue organization with an animal shelter in Troy. sa国际传媒淲e want her to know that people care about her.sa国际传媒�

In December, children showed up at the Barney home to sing Christmas carols to Loretta. Then the dog travelled to Chicago for a family holiday celebration, complete with her own stocking and gifts.

Several people have sent toys and treats to the house. Others have picked up Loretta and taken her to Anniesa国际传媒檚 Frozen Custard and Schwarz Street Dog Park. Four Muddy Paws gave her a free doggy spa.

sa国际传媒淪he was a lawyer for a day,sa国际传媒� Barney said, noting that Edwardsville attorney Barbara Joiner has been heavily involved in the bucket-list effort.

Loretta also attended a birthday party and visited senior citizens at a memory-care centre. She appeared on TV as part of a KSDK news story and recently filmed a Partners for Pets promotional video.

All of her adventures have been documented on the organizationsa国际传媒檚 Facebook page and at #lovingloretta on Instagram, resulting in $2,500 in donations for her medical care, more than three times the $700 in bills so far. Any money left over is earmarked to help other sick and injured rescues.

One social-media follower is Megan Langendorf, Laurensa国际传媒檚 first-grade teacher, who invited Barney to bring the dog to Trinity.

sa国际传媒淚 thought we could show Loretta a little love, too,sa国际传媒� she said.

Langendorf also noted that sa国际传媒渞esponsibilitysa国际传媒� is the first-graderssa国际传媒� word of the month, so theysa国际传媒檝e been learning about being responsible, and that includes pet care.

After leaving Langendorfsa国际传媒檚 classroom, the celebrity dog strolled Trinitysa国际传媒檚 halls and hobnobbed with other students, racking up dozens more hugs and kisses.

Lorettasa国际传媒檚 public story goes back to Nov. 27, when she was tied up and left outside Clinton County Animal Control in Carlyle in the middle of the night.

sa国际传媒淪he was really skinny, and she had a really large mass on her abdomen,sa国际传媒� said veterinarian David Hall, who examined her at Horseshoe Lake Animal Hospital in Collinsville. sa国际传媒淎ctually, it was probably a mammary mass. She also tested positive for heartworms.sa国际传媒�

A chest scan revealed a significant number of pulmonary nodules, leading Hall to believe the dog had terminal cancer. He estimated she had eight weeks to live. Veterinarian Lindsey Gammon later removed the mass.

Partners for Pets Director Nev Fisher named the dog after country singer Loretta Lynn since both came from rural areas.

Itsa国际传媒檚 believed that the canine Loretta is a full-blooded Lab, about 6 years old, and that she has spent most of her life outside in a pen. Shesa国际传媒檚 good-natured, despite her illness and abandonment.

sa国际传媒淪hesa国际传媒檚 had a lot of puppies,sa国际传媒� Barney said. sa国际传媒淲hoever had her made a lot of money off her. Shesa国际传媒檚 been bred and bred and bred.sa国际传媒�

Barney agreed to foster the dog with help from her husband, Kirk, an airline pilot, and two sons, Will, a student at Metro-East Lutheran High School, and Lee, who attends Southern Illinois University Carbondale. They also have three long-haired dachshunds, two cats and a foster cat with three kittens.

Loretta recently developed a cough, which could be a sign of her deteriorating respiratory health, according to Hall. Itsa国际传媒檚 expected that the dog eventually will have to be euthanized.

But Hall has been impressed by the efforts of Partners for Pets and others in the community to make Lorettasa国际传媒檚 last days as happy and comfortable as possible.

sa国际传媒淭his dog didnsa国际传媒檛 have a great life before this,sa国际传媒� he said. sa国际传媒淏ut now shesa国际传媒檚 being treated like a queen.sa国际传媒�

Source: Belleville News Democrat

Teri Maddox, The Associated Press

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