When Erin Abay first brought home her Shih Tzu puppy, Ducky, he was a little ball of silky dark fur with bright eyes and a big personality.
Over time, his coat softened into a light gray-beige — a unique shade Abay affectionately called “greige.” She nicknamed him “Ducky with the Good Hair.”
Now 13 years old, Ducky has been Abay’s loyal shadow through every chapter of life — but in recent years, their journey has taken some unexpected turns.
Last summer, after Ducky developed a cough that wouldn’t go away, Abay took him to the vet. The X-rays brought devastating news: stage 1 lung cancer.
“I was terrified,” Abay told The Dodo. “He’s been my baby since he was eight weeks old.”
A month later, surgeons removed a golf ball-sized tumor from Ducky’s lung. Against the odds, he bounced back quickly. “He came home and healed up perfectly,” Abay said. “He acted like a puppy again.”
Ducky returned to his favorite routines — snuggling with his cat siblings, devouring pup cups, and posing for his annual 13 Days of Halloween photo series. Over the years, he’s worn more than 40 costumes, raising funds for local shelters along the way.
But five months after surgery, Abay noticed a small lump on his leg while petting him. Her heart sank.
Tests confirmed her worst fear: large cell lymphoma.
“I was crushed,” she said.
Still, there was hope. The cancer hadn’t spread, and chemotherapy could save him again. So every three weeks, Abay and Ducky woke up before dawn for the two-hour drive to his oncologist. Even though he was scared, Ducky faced each treatment bravely.
As his chemo progressed, his coat began to thin — not uncommon for Shih Tzus, whose hair is more like human hair than fur. “He looked rough at times,” Abay admitted. “But I knew it was helping him heal.”
And then something magical happened.
New tufts of fur started to grow — only this time, they weren’t gray. They were deep, rich brown. “He went from greige to hot chocolate,” Abay said with a smile.
When his treatment ended, Ducky’s transformation was complete: his once-silky coat was now curly, coarse, and entirely brunette. “He’s like a little human,” Abay laughed. “If he gets wet or it’s humid, he curls.”
After six months of chemo, the vet declared Ducky cancer-free. Each night, Abay spoils him with a “very thin steak” to help him regain weight. “He’ll cry if I take too long to make it,” she said. “He’s a force of nature.”
Their bond runs deeper than ever. Abay, who has cystic fibrosis, knows all too well what it means to live with health battles. “Ducky has been with me through every clinical trial, every hospital visit,” she said. “He’s my little rock.”
Nearly a year after Ducky’s surgery, Abay recreated an old photo of the two of them — taken 11 years apart. In both, Ducky rests in her arms, but now his fur is darker, curlier, and his eyes somehow brighter.
“I don’t take a single second with him for granted,” Abay said. “After almost losing him to cancer — twice — every day feels like a gift.”
You can follow Ducky’s adventures, costumes, and ongoing recovery on Instagram — because this resilient little dog isn’t just surviving. He’s glowing.
If you want to keep up with Ducky, you can follow him on Instagram.
