When it comes to animal advocates, Emma was as passionate as they come! In lieu of the gifts she was offered during her battle with cancer, she wanted only one thing: to help as many dogs as she could.
In early 2019, Emma was diagnosed with a DIPG Brain Tumor which affected her brain stem. After a 10 month long battle with this aggressive illness, she passed away in the arms of her mom and dad.
Within days of her diagnosis in January, family and friends began to send her photos and letters from their pups in an effort to lift her spirits. They then asked their friends to do the same, and with the power of social media, Emma was soon receiving thousands of photos and letters from dogs and their families.
Emma’s love for dogs went viral, and before she knew it, people around the world wanted to come together for Emma!
The first big movement for Emma came from the police officers in her hometown. As previously covered in an earlier article, Police officers arranged for K9 officers in the surrounding cities to line the streets of Emma’s neighborhood and give her a special canine parade.
“She had just a huge smile, it was just important for me to see this girl smile and brighten up her day when I know she is fighting so hard.”- Canine handler Shawn Fritsch
In the following months she had multiple visits from K9 officers, continued to receive photos and supportive letters, inspired donations to animal shelters in her honor, and even got to be a guest veterinarian at a local animal clinic for a day.
Though Emma was receiving all the doggy love she could ever dream of, she had a vision of finding a way to help dogs all over the world. With the endless love and support from her family and friends, they worked together to create the Emma Loves Dogs Foundation.
The Emma Loves Dogs Foundation’s mission is to provide financial assistance to organizations that share Emma’s passion for helping animals, such as police K9 units, non-kill animal shelters, and more. Because of Emma, so many organizations will receive the funding they need to continue to save the dogs that Emma loved so much.
In the days leading up to Emma’s passing, comments from all over the world were flooding into her Facebook page. Her page was filled with photos of dogs sending their love, encouraging words from other families, and the clear evidence of just how much she impacted the animal loving community.
“We remind Emma how much she is loved all the time. Reading your comments, from all over the world, to her while we lay in bed bring us all comfort.” – Emma’s mom
Emma’s vision has created something beautiful, and there is no doubt that her legacy will continue to inspire others to help the dogs who need it most. The world was lucky to have a little girl like Emma.
We are sending all of our love to Emma’s family during this heartbreaking time.
If you would like to contribute to the efforts of the Emma Loves Dog’s Foundation, you can donate here.
Image Source: TeamEmma/Facebook
Toledo, United States.
