PAWSitively “Collaring” Cancer in Pets to Find a Cure

You never forget the loss of a pet. For the Benbasat brothers, the death of their dog inspired them to try to find a cure for cancer in pets and the formation of their own non-profit, PAWSitively Curing Cancer, Inc.

The Benbasat boys have made a stand against the disease that brought suffering to the two-legged and four-legged members of their family. Brothers Josh and Bryce, now 15 and 12, decided that they’d had enough after the dreaded disease claimed the life of their dog, Sashi, five years ago. Having a grandmother who is a breast and lung cancer survivor made the brothers aware of the disease’s power to cause pain within a family. So the boys decided that it was time to think pink for pets.

The brothers did their research and what they learned about the prevalence of cancer among pets was an eye-opener: 50% of pets over the age of ten develop cancer. “Cancer is the number one disease-related killer of dogs and cats,” notes Josh Benbasat. With the memory of Sashi in mind, the brothers knew that other pet owners would want to do whatever they could to protect the pets they love. But they couldn’t find any organization whose mission focused on pets and cancer. That’s when they formed PAWSitively Curing Cancer, Inc., a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to raising funds for pet cancer research.

 “The goal of PAWSitively Curing Cancer is to raise funds from caring businesses and families to find a cure for this deadly disease affecting the dogs and cats who add so much joy to our lives.”

But the boys recognized that finding a cure needs more than money. It needs partners. They first reached out to the president of Trimline Manufacturing. The company president—also known as Dad—Steve Benbasat became the founding corporate sponsor for PAWSitively Curing Cancer. Seeing how committed they were to this goal, he decided to teach his boys how to start a business. “Everything from filing the paperwork to dealing with the application to the IRS.”

The Benbasats picked the right mentor, from both a business and a veterinary perspective. The Trimline soft collar is designed with compassion in mind, effectively replacing annoying hard plastic collars so that pets recovering from surgery can recuperate in complete comfort.   The soft collars are machine washable, durable, water repellant, and affordable.  Made in the United States, the collars are available in six sizes to accommodate all dogs and cats. The newly designed collars are trimmed in pink to raise cancer awareness and include a special label encouraging donations to PAWSitively Curing Cancer. A portion of the profits from the sale of every collar is donated to benefit pet cancer research.

Once they had their dad on board, the search for partners continued. They enlisted the University Of Florida College Of Veterinary Medicine and pledged that every dollar donated goes directly to the College of Veterinary Medicine. Dean James W. Lloyd endorsed his school’s connection to PAWSitively Curing Cancer. “We are proud to partner with PAWSitively Curing Cancer as the recipient of this vital funding. It will be a valued asset to continuing our cancer research program.”