Theo the 10-year-old pit bull was diagnosed with cancer. Now he has a bucket list

Theodore spent much of his time as a puppy chained up on the property of a notorious dog fighter, his owner said.

But even though his life began in misery, his owner, Trish McMillan, an animal behaviorist who lives near Asheville, North Carolina, is making sure his final days are happy ones.

Theodore, who McMillan calls “Theo,” is 10 years old and was diagnosed with cancer last year, McMillan told McClatchy News.

Because he was diagnosed with subcutaneous hemangiosarcoma, an aggressive blood vessel cancer that often recurs, even after treatment, McMillan said she’s not sure how much longer he has left.

So, just in case, she made him a “bucket list.”

The 10-point list includes items such as “ride in a motorcycle sidecar,” “have a hamburger cooked on the grill that I don’t have to share” and “eat a steak.”

Other must-do entries on the list include:

• Have a salmon sushi roll made just for me.

• Ride in a boat on a nice day (no swimming!)

• Sniff all the smells in a soap shop

• Change someone’s mind about dogs from fighting cases

• Make friends with Kindi Cat

• Ride in a convertible on a nice day

• Eat a whole slice of pizza, not just the “bones”

McMillan said Theo has earned his special treatment.

McMillan met the persevering pooch in 2013 after he was seized as part of the second-largest dog fighting raid in U.S. history. The raid was the culmination of a three-year investigation across three states involving the FBI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Auburn Police Department in Alabama, according to the ASPCA.

A total of 367 dogs were seized, and 10 people were indicted on felony dog-fighting charges, according to the agency.

Theo was placed with some of the other dogs in a temporary shelter, and McMillan was called to help train them.

She immediately knew there was something special about Theo.

“This little guy’s kind of magic,” she recalled thinking at the time. “He just didn’t get the genetics for dog fighting, and he just wants to play with everybody.”

She eventually adopted the sweet pit bull with a friendly demeanor and started to use him to help train her clients’ dogs.

Over the past nine years, he has helped countless other dogs with their fear and trust issues by teaching them how to play, showing them they can trust people and helping them get over leash anxiety.

“That kind of dog is worth his weight in gold to a dog trainer,” she said.

In one instance, he taught another dog how to play after it came from a fighting background and had never been allowed to socialize with other animals, she said.

“It was pretty magic watching him because he’d just never been around other dogs and Theo just showed him the ropes,” she said.

He also helped change many people’s perceptions about pit bulls, which are often thought of to be aggressive and dangerous.

“He’s just in general a great ambassador for pit bulls,” she said. “He has changed a lot of minds over the years.”

In fact, one of the items on his “bucket list” involves meeting a person whose mind he’s helped change.

“We would love to meet somebody who has never met a pit bull or who’s worried about pit bulls and give them a hug,” she said.

Many people who have read about Theo’s story have already called to offer to help him fulfill the bucket list, she said. One person with a Harley Davidson motorcycle offered to come by and take Theo for a ride in his side car.

The only item McMillan said she’s not sure Theo will be able to complete is “Make friends with Kindi Cat” - one of McMillan’s cats, who doesn’t seem to want to warm up to Theo, no matter how hard he tries.

Theo doesn’t have to help too much with training anymore, McMillan said, as he mostly just spends his time relaxing and enjoying life. But, she said the difference he’s made in the lives of countless other dogs is impossible to measure.

“He’s going to leave some really big paw prints to fill when he goes,” she said, “because none of my other dogs can do what he can do.”

This story was originally published April 11, 2023 at 7:51 AM with the headline "Theo the 10-year-old pit bull was diagnosed with cancer. Now he has a bucket list."