Hoquiam raising money to help beloved police dog fight cancer
HOQUIAM, Wash. -- Enno, Hoquiam's police dog, is fighting cancer but there is a chance he can be saved.
For seven years, Sargent Jeff Salstrom has had a faithful partner in the back seat of his patrol car.
"It had been my dream since I was 10 or 11 years old to have a police dog," Salstrom said. "I love dogs."
But Enno has a life-threatening cancerous tumor growing behind his left eye.
"It was devastating news to hear he had a tumor," Salstrom said.
Hoquiam's only four-legged officer is now blind in that eye, and his jaw is too sore to clamp down hard on a criminals arm.
Radiation treatments have reduced the tumor and the painful bulging of his eye, but it's costly.
Hoquiam has set aside $3,000 a year for Enno, but his medical bills for the radiation is $5,000.
The department has used fundraisers and gone to Facebook asking for donations.
"He's worked hard for the citizens and he does it for my praise and a treat here and there," Salstrom said.
Enno has been involved in 57 arrests and found hundreds of pounds of drugs. But there is hope.
If he completes his radiation treatment, a Seattle bio-tech company will fly Salstrom and Enno to San Diego and pay for an experimental treatment that's has showed good results. But they haven't tried it on a tumor like Enno's.
It's a chance Salstrom and Hoquiam is willing to take in the hopes that Enno can return to duty in the back of Salstrom's patrol car.
"We are working to preserve his life," Salstrom said. "But if he can come back and work for a little while that would be great -- I would love it."
If you want to help Enno, you can donate through our Problem Solvers page
For seven years, Sargent Jeff Salstrom has had a faithful partner in the back seat of his patrol car.
"It had been my dream since I was 10 or 11 years old to have a police dog," Salstrom said. "I love dogs."
But Enno has a life-threatening cancerous tumor growing behind his left eye.
"It was devastating news to hear he had a tumor," Salstrom said.
Hoquiam's only four-legged officer is now blind in that eye, and his jaw is too sore to clamp down hard on a criminals arm.
Radiation treatments have reduced the tumor and the painful bulging of his eye, but it's costly.
Hoquiam has set aside $3,000 a year for Enno, but his medical bills for the radiation is $5,000.
The department has used fundraisers and gone to Facebook asking for donations.
"He's worked hard for the citizens and he does it for my praise and a treat here and there," Salstrom said.
Enno has been involved in 57 arrests and found hundreds of pounds of drugs. But there is hope.
If he completes his radiation treatment, a Seattle bio-tech company will fly Salstrom and Enno to San Diego and pay for an experimental treatment that's has showed good results. But they haven't tried it on a tumor like Enno's.
It's a chance Salstrom and Hoquiam is willing to take in the hopes that Enno can return to duty in the back of Salstrom's patrol car.
"We are working to preserve his life," Salstrom said. "But if he can come back and work for a little while that would be great -- I would love it."
If you want to help Enno, you can donate through our Problem Solvers page
On behalf of the Hoquiam Police Department, I would like to thank KOMO and your viewers for the generous donation toward Enno's care. Although the city has stood behind our four-legged partner and intended to cover the medical treatments to be best of our ability, I must admit these donations are very appreciated as our budget enters the final weeks of the year.Â
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Enno is a great dog; it is amazing to see him respond to the treatment and feel better. He will likely never return to duty, but it is our hope we can honor his service by making his retirement comfortable. Your Problem Solvers donation of over $4000 will certainly help.Â
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We also hope to continue the canine program initiated by the synergy of Enno and Sgt. Salstrom. Although we have not even started to think about a new dog, it is nice to know we do not have to worry about Enno's care. Between this donation and the Timberland Bank account started by a local Hoquiam citizen for Enno, I think he is going to be taken care of for some time. Hoquiam prides itself on being "The Friendlist City", but we have to pass on that dedication to KOMO and your viewers.
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Sincerely,
JEFF MYERS, Chief of Police
City of Hoquiam
Well stated Chief Myers. Â
There is a local fundraiser in Aberdeen tomorrow for Enno also. This is great he got to be featured on KOMO 4 people helpers. We are praying he recovers and enjoys more time on the force and in our community.
There is nothing I wouldn't do for our beloved 3 lb chihuahua - we got him as a gift for my daughter when my daughter was in and out of hospitals as a young kid. He now is almost 12 and has heart disease and his teeth are in poor shape and can't operate on them because his heart is too weak.....he has always been a family member, he has his own personality like a person and is smarter than all get out - I believe all animals, if you get to know them are just like you and me with our silly quirks and personalities ---- GET WELL ENNO ----- God Bless Enno!!!!
@alildifferent I just read this article and was reading some of the comments. How is your pup? I just lost my dog Max to kidney disease on Tuesday. Ive known he had it since December, and knew what to watch for so I would know when the time comes. Flew my ex g/f out from california Monday night since she had taken care of him for a year and was close to him; we ended up putting him down on Tuesday. That was the hardest thing I have ever done and I wouldnt wish it on my worst enemy. Ive never felt that way for anyone else, not even my grandparents who passed away. For a guy that never cries, that is what I did until I went to bed Tuesday night.
"It was devastating news to hear he had a tumor,"
No argument there.
I've had that news far too many times with just the last two companions I've lost...
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Best wishes for a full recovery, Enno...
God bless Enno <3
We chose radiation treatment for our beloved cat Bal and it gave him the gift of 6 more years for $3K, Was it worth it? You bet ! I'd do it again in a heart beat. Miss you Mr B. Love, J&J
 @joefuss that was 6 years of joy you had in return for fighting for his life. $3000 was a small price to pay for what he gave you before and after the treatment. Animals have only one fault really. They don't live long enough. For anyone who says our beloved four legged critters don't go to heaven, you are sadly mistaken. They'll be there long before us humans.
Just donated to you Enno,God bless you!!
If the cancer can be stopped it is still  doubtful that the dog will ever return to service.  Seven years of service is at the high end already. He can look forward to retirement after he heals.
 @memory9 even if he is forced to retire and the city get a new pooch, he still deserves our help so he can have a wonderful life, how ever long that may be.
https://www.wepay.com/donations/enno_2
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There is the donation page so everyone else can send in their donations.... processing fee is $1.28 so do say you'll pay it every penny is needed to help this animal.
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Thank you everyone!
Not to sound insensitive, but I always get irritated by charities to help animals. There's nothing wrong with it if all the people on earth were fine, but they're not. People should take precedence over animals, have some solidarity with your species. It reminds me of Hurricaine Katrina when there were charity groups rescuing animals with boats while leaving people to die on their rooftops. People first. Besides, cancer in animals recurs very frequently, my guess is this dog will probably be facing cancer again in another couple years. I love dogs, but people first.Â
 @NorthwestEconomist "Enno has been involved in 57 arrests and found hundreds of pounds of drugs." I'd say Enno put people first many times, maybe just once we can put him first.
@NorthwestEconomist-there are many people whose lives have been improved by owning a dog. Some would even say dogs prolong lives.  Dogs don't expect anything in return for their love-they give it unconditionally. We, as humans, could learn a thing or two from dogs. A life is a life, whether it has four legs or two.Â
 @winbridge40 A life is a life eh? Do you say that while eating your hamburger or hotdog? How about while having salmon on your bagel?
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People come first.Â
 @NorthwestEconomist  @OrcasThunder  @winbridge40Â
You're a sad, very narrow minded individual. Sadly, I know there are others out there with that same mindset. Fortunately, there are many people that believe animals have purpose and meaning, and these same people can support/donate to animal causes *AND* support human causes. It's not one or the other for us, however *I* tend to lean towards the non-judgemental creatures.
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"Compassion is a gift born into us all. It is a source of inspiration and strength. Left untended, compassion withers, either ridiculed as weakness or smothered by apathy. We learn to express our compassion through connections with other living creatures. Compassion grows in the heart of the giver just as it graces the recipient. Scotlund Haisley, Founder and President Animal Rescue Corps"
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 @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 Wow! Talk about cherry picking!
I do hope you don't look at economics that way...
You are saying that if they picked up ONE person with their dog that they were leaving someone to die in some other location? How, exactly, would they justify leaving the animals in the first pass, get all the people - and THEN go back and get all the animals? Not only would that be an insane way to look at it, it simply does not make sense. It's like saying that a fireman should make the person in the burning house drop the puppy, promising to come back after the person is safe and rescue the puppy...It won't happen like that, and it would just double the risk to the fireman.
 @OrcasThunder  @winbridge40 No it's simple, just find proof of people rescuing animals and then search to see if a single person died without being rescued and you have your proof.Â
 @OrcasThunder  @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 Nice to see you're cherrypicking things. Why don't you look at total human population on earth? I also noticed you glossed over skin cancer.
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No one is saying lung cancer isn't bad, but you were wrong, by the way. it's # 3:Â http://www.knowcancer.com/blog/top-10-most-common-types-of-cancer/
 @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 You'll need to provide some links - I Googled "rescuing animals in Katrina while leaving people" and found not one that met that criteria.
I DID find a number of cases where people refused to be rescued without their pets...
 @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 The point is, we all have the right to choose which we contribute to, and no need to be criticized for which we give priorities to - and there is no reason not to choose both.
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"You must be in la-la land to think that even a plurality of known human cancer is related to cigarettes"
Lung cancer is 2nd only to skin cancer in the US, Most skin cancers are curable, only 16% of lung cancers are. Lung cancer accounts for 28% of all US cancer deaths, And cigarette smoking is the most important risk factor for lung cancer.
http://www.sheknows.com/sheknows-cares/articles/823419/10-most-common-cancers-in-the-us
Anyone who still denies that smoking is a huge factor in lung cancer is either blind to reality or ignorant to the point of being delusional. And highly likely to be addicted to smoking to the point that they delude themselves about their addiction.
 @NorthwestEconomist why such anger? You can't save everyone. Charity begins at home. What happened with Hurricane Katrina happened, nobody can change that. All we can do at this point is learn from it and move on. We can take those lessons and apply them to future things. Angry and bitter over what one can't change won't solve this dogs problem. This dog is fighting for his life. If you can't donate money to help him that what you can do is share his story with others so he and other dogs like him can be saved.
 @OrcasThunder  @winbridge40 Just go to youtube and type in hurricane katrina animal rescue and you will see videos of orgs saving animals while leaving people to die.Â
 @OrcasThunder  @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 You want to go into "heartless" eh? I can easily post 100 charities that feed starving HUMAN CHILDREN in Africa that need money more than this dog. The case can easily be made that the US culture is one of unbridled decadence where our pets get treated better than most living people on this planet (China, India, Russia, Africa, etc.)
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As for cancer in humans, we as people have very little control over our exposure to most carcinogens. You must be in la-la land to think that even a plurality of known human cancer is related to cigarettes or some other luxury item user.Â
 @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 "Mindless huh?"
No, mindless AND insensitive..."huh?" isn't a factor.
And, having lost 5 close family members to cancer - and saved one - I have no willingness to allow you to dictate how I should respond to cancer in my loved ones...2 legs or 4. Keep in mind that many human cancers are caused by our own actions - such as smoking - that we can control. Cancer in animals is not due to any choice on their part - although I suspect that OUR choices may be at the root of many of THEIR cancers.
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In regards to your comment on saving animals but not people, I have never seen any evidence of that - in the contrary, many human survivors were forced to abandon their pets because the rescue orgs did not want to bother with dealing with animals in their shelters.
 @OrcasThunder  @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 Mindless huh? Remind me to donate to some goldfish that gets a disease if a loved one of yours ever gets cancer and needs donations.Â
 @NorthwestEconomist  @winbridge40 What happened to your opening statement: "Not to sound insensitive"....? T
hat's ALL that you have managed to post, mindless insensitive comments.
 @winbridge40 I can think of many charities where this money would be better spent-- on saving humans. But hey, it's a free country, people can spend their money how they want, I just think it's hypocritical for humans to raise money to cure animals when many people die of cancer because they can't afford the treatment.Â
@NorthwestEconomist-I never said one animal was better than the other. We're not talking about animals vs. humans. The article isn't about a man choosing to give his dog radiation treatment over his wife or child. We're talking about one person's choice to invest time and money into an animal that has not only been a companion but a civil servant. Does that mean his dog is "better" (as you put it) than someone else's?  No, it simply shows that Salstrom loves Enno and there's nothing wrong with that.Â
 @winbridge40 Why not send this dog to an area where they are part of the food chain? How would you feel about that? I never understood how some people could rationalize why one animal was "better" than others.Â
@NorthwestEconomist-I do, because there are these things called the cycle of life and the food chain, so I have a healthy respect for all animals and their place in the world.  Try again.Â
 @NorthwestEconomist I've cried more tears over a dog than many a human. Why? Because the creatures never judge, never question, never ask for anything but love, don't know hate and only know joy and compassion. That's why they are worth saving and fighting for. I can be gone 30 seconds to my mail box and back or 3 hours and my two dogs greet me with so much joy, love and kisses because I did nothing more than return to them safe and sound. My human kids and my spouse? Barely a "hi hon" and a "whatever mom"
 @BlueJedi  @NorthwestEconomist "Because the creatures never judge, never question, never ask for anything but love, don't know hate and only know joy and compassion."
Very well stated, thank you BlueJedi...
 @BlueJedi  @NorthwestEconomist Never saw that one...sounds like a hoot!
And is really is that simple. They trust us, they love us, they do not judge us. Our only responsibility is to live up to their standards, to be the human they know we can be.
 @OrcasThunder  @NorthwestEconomist I love this ad the ASPCA did a few years back to encourage people to adopt an animal. It was an ad with this medium size black dog with white and brown patches. It showed this man, whom we are given the impression is a drag queen by trade get dressed and ready for a performance. Dog follows him around, he talks to her. It's obvious man and beast are close. As he walks out the door in the fading evening light, he tells the dog "Be back from work in a few hours." Dog whimpers, thumps her tail and begins vigil by front door. Man comes home, tired, cranky and worn out from work.   Dog is super duper excited master came back, the joy was infectious and man is happy to be greeted with such love. Then it went to a black screen that said: Society judges itself enough. Patches won't.  Please consider animal adoption.
 @BlueJedi  @NorthwestEconomist BlueJedi, I agree 100% with you.  EXACTLY,,,, animals are better than people, :)
I just donated for this handsome boy's recovery and will be posting this story to my Facebook.
My Schnauzer is going through cancer treatment right now . His quality of life is amazing and the squirrels dont stand a chance. As long as his quality of life is good we will continue. I hope and and send a prayer that Enno has the same success. Hoquim and Aberdeen Pd have helped me in the past and Enno is the best .
I hope they can save this very handsome dog. Seriously anyone suggesting to put him down surely never experienced what I had to go through about a year ago when my beloved dog died of complications of her ailment. I couldn't stop crying for a week and even now the void she left in my life is still painful
@Larry*X*K I feel your pain, Larry. I still tear up missing my dog, & he had to be put to sleep because of cancer nearly 10 years ago. Our pets just don't live long enough, do they?
 @katiemcc Me as well...it's been a bit over a month and the empty place in the heart is still full of tears.
And her 2 year old brother still looks for her - and has adopted her rug with her scent...
kelliellid you need to read the rules for posting. Your rants are unwelcomed. KOMO did a factual story to help generate donations for Enno by including a "Problem Solvers" link to donate. At the end of your verbal vomit you have the nerve to "wish him well"?  You obviously do not understand a K9 & handlers bond.  If you want to debate, I'm sure there is a site for that.  Please keep your comments off of here.  Read the rules, if you can.
 @Cindy Wetzel Easy there Flipper. Maybe kelliellid has lost a pet to cancer and seen it first hand? In a lot of cases, it IS better to put the animal down, and when it comes to cancer, from what I've seen in my own family......expanding that to humans wouldn't be a bad idea either. P.S......she was within her rights to post, and violated no rules. Grow up and take the Emo cr@p elsewhere.
 @Wolfen  @Cindy Wetzel  @p No rants here, just voicing my first hand opinion. I chose to euthanize my Boston terrier a few years back when it was found he had a tumor in his abdomen. The side effects of cancer treatments the vet explained to me were absolutely horrifying- not to mention I see it everyday in humans at my job (I work in oncology). Its been a few years and I still miss my pooch everyday. Its sad this poor pup was dealt this card. I would never wish it on anyone or anything.
Sergeant Salstrom is not going to allow his partner to be in pain, kelliellid. If you understood the relationship between a working dog and his/her human, you would know that.
Do whats humane and euthanize the poor animal before he suffers any longer. It is cruel to put an animal through such treatments in hopes to prolong his life. People are just being selfish. Poor pup. I wish him the best.
@kelliellid I can assure you he is not suffering. He is happy and loving life as usual. Always got to be somebody that is negative.
 @vettech  @kelliellid Have either of your ever asked a human what the symptoms of radiation treatments feel like? I encourage you to do so and then re-evaluate whether or not the dog is suffering.
 @kelliellid  @vettech "Have either of your ever asked a human what the symptoms of radiation treatments feel like?"
That depends on the individual, and the treatment itself. When my wife had the radiation & chemo she had none of the severe side effects that her sister had suffered through just 5 years earlier. Yes, she was tired, and not up to a lot of activity due to the painkillers, but not from the treatments.
I've had to euthanize 2 dogs in the past 3 years because of their cancers - but not until they told me that they couldn't take it any longer. Animals are remarkable in their ability to deal with - and hide - the pain, and the pain killers can help them get past it. Just days before Skye, the last one, lost her battle she was playing with Cullen, was running around the yard and acting like the typical 12 year old with arthritis...and I would not have taken those past few days away from her because I thought it was "best for her". Her heart and spirit kept her going for as long as she was able, and I did not feel it was my right to choose differently.
That last night the pain did get to be too much, and I was able to lessen it with higher dosage of the pain meds...She slept until it was time to go to the vet, and laid her head in my lap when she got the shot. The timing was in her best interests, not mine.
 @kelliellid  @Jennifer O  @vettech but we are also human. When we look at the eyes of a loved one, furry four legs or two legs, we are heartbroken. We ask ourselves "did I do enough? Did I fight hard enough? did he suffer too long? Did we even try? humans and animals deserve to have some one come up to bat. From watching this video, Enno has a lot of life and fight in his should Even if this treatment in CA doesn't work and he still crosses the rainbow bridge, he will still have taught them something. Be it what they didn't know before or something totally different. But the bravery in face of his illness, even if he is a four legged furry officer, will be something this police department will never forget.
 @BlueJedi  @Jennifer O  @kelliellid  @vettech Actually, I own two dogs, a cat, and a horse. They are amazing creatures and I love them with all of my heart! I like animals a lot more than I like people actually... Anyways,
I work in oncology and everyday I see what people go through while getting cancer treatments. The radiation this sweet dog is getting may prolong his life, but at what cost? He is seven years old, which is getting up there for a large breed dog. This may prolong his life for another year or two until the cancer comes back (which often times it does). And then what? Put him through more torture of chemo or radiation simply because his master is not ready to say good bye? I dread the day I may be faced with the same situation. Its not a easy decision to make by any means. I just wish sometimes people would think with their head and not their heart.
 @Jennifer O  @kelliellid  @vettech sounds like somebody has never owned a dog. Until you do you'll never realize the love and joy they bring to your life and will never understand why a dog's life is worth fighting for. I sent in $10 and hope this wonderful creature pulls through, if not I know he'll be welcomed in Heaven.
 @kelliellid  @vettech And how many people go through radiation everyday to prolong their lives. why should it be any different for an animal. The only difference is that this dog can't say save my life.