Woman Opens Home, and Heart, to Dog with Cancer

Erica Kutzing of Port Jefferson said it was love at first sight: As soon as she saw an Instagram photo of Lucia, a 12-year-old pit bull who had been diagnosed with cancer, she wanted to adopt her.

Lucia had been surrendered on June 28 to a shelter in New York City known for being a kill shelter, and was only given two days to find a new family before she was to be euthanized. Working together with animal rescue specialists, Kutzing – who has been a volunteer at Save-a-Pet Animal Rescue and Adoption Center in Port Jefferson Station for 14 years – was able to adopt Lucia and brought her home on July 2.

"I saw [Lucia's] face and there was an instant connection," she said. "I could just see her personality through her eyes in the picture."

She even started a Facebook fan page for Lucia: "Luscious Lucia on Long Island," which had more than 2,800 fans as of Monday evening. The response has been overwhelming, Kutzing said.

Lucia, who has cancerous tumors in her chest and in her face, has a special diet that avoids wheat products. She is under the care of a holistic veterinarian, who prescribed a treatment plan that, if it works, could shrink her tumors and give her as much as a few months to another year to live.

While Lucia was "sick and shaking" for a few days after leaving the shelter, Kutzing said the pup has become "such a different dog."

"I'm seeing her playfulness come out," she said. "She's acting like a puppy. She has a new lease on life."