At age 13, after smaller health problems plagued this sweet boy and clean bloodwork results proving he was healthy enough for surgery, Taku had a mast cell tumor on his hip removed in early May of this year. In July, an ultrasound came back clean but a small lymph node was noticed on the same leg his tumor was on. Two weeks later we celebrated his birthday with a trip to the Oregon Coast. One week later, his cancer came back with vengeance and his doctor confirmed the news we didn’t want to hear. We spent the last week of his life doing all his favorites; a swim at the river, truck rides, the local brewery, etc. He passed away peacefully at home surrounded by his humans and his son Betton, two weeks after his 14th birthday in early August of 2024.