Wendy, darling

Oct 21, 2025

Wendy was an anxious, 12-year-old pup without a home. Sarah Unterman was a mother who had been diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. Read about how they saved each other.

Wendy was adopted from PAWS as a puppy in 2012, but she sadly returned to us in 2024 when her owner could no longer care for her.  Wendy returned with several health issues, including a heart murmur, osteoarthritis and skin masses on her hip. 

Once back at PAWS, our medical team put Wendy on a new diet to support her heart, pain meds to help with her arthritis and surgery to remove the uncomfortable masses. At the same time, our behavior team assessed Wendy’s emotional needs – she needed a patient and quiet foster home. 

Wendy spent more than 200 days in foster care decompressing until one day when Sarah Unterman spotted Wendy on the PAWS Chicago website.  

“Wendy looked like she needed love and peace and quiet. And we could provide that,” said Sarah. Sarah couldn’t have known yet that Wendy wasn’t just finding a home—she was completing one. 

In Sarah’s own words, here’s how Wendy changed her family forever:  

In December 2024, I was diagnosed with metastatic colon cancer. The survival statistics are good for the first 2 years but then fall off over the next 3 years. My kids are 16 and 13, and I spent a lot of time thinking about what I want to do with the possibly limited time left. I decided that I wanted to focus on creating joyful memories with them. They have wanted a dog for a long time, so I finally decided to get us a dog. 

We started fostering Wendy—because we had never had a dog before and needed to see how it went—the week after my big cancer surgery. She immediately clued into the times I didn’t feel well and would check on me, get people to come to me when she was worried—usually it was just I was taking a longer shower, but doing just fine—and chasing people away from me when I didn’t feel well. She became so protective of me.  

She also helped me heal faster, because walking and getting up is crucial after surgery but no fun! So, walking her was part of what helped me heal up faster. The day before I went back to work—after 12 cycles of chemo and 3 procedures—is the day we officially adopted her.    

Wendy has literally helped save my life. And in the meantime, she has brought immeasurable joy to me and my kids during an otherwise very difficult period. 

Wendy's welcome home story has been deeply impactful to us all at PAWS, and we wish her and her family a lifetime of love and happiness together.