MPC Donder's Battle With Cancer
DONATE NOW TO HELP DOGS LIKE MPC DONDER
On August 18th, MPC Donder underwent surgery to remove a mass on her lung lobe. At first, it appeared the mass was isolated, but the lab results confirmed it was metastatic—meaning the cancer has already spread.
Donder has been given only 4–5 months to live, but she isn’t giving up.
She has started oral chemotherapy, and we remain committed to helping her fight for every day she has left.
In just the past month, Project K-9 Hero has spent $9,160.91 on Donder’s medical care (invoice pictured below for just the surgical costs alone). Covering these life-saving treatments is only possible because of generous supporters like you.
Please consider donating to our Emergency Medical Fund so that we can continue to provide Donder and dogs like her with the best possible care and comfort during this battle.
Every dollar makes a difference in honoring the service of this incredible Hero.
On August 18th, MPC Donder underwent surgery to remove a mass on her lung lobe. At first, it appeared the mass was isolated, but the lab results confirmed it was metastatic—meaning the cancer has already spread.
Donder has been given only 4–5 months to live, but she isn’t giving up.
She has started oral chemotherapy, and we remain committed to helping her fight for every day she has left.
In just the past month, Project K-9 Hero has spent $9,160.91 on Donder’s medical care (invoice pictured below for just the surgical costs alone). Covering these life-saving treatments is only possible because of generous supporters like you.
Please consider donating to our Emergency Medical Fund so that we can continue to provide Donder and dogs like her with the best possible care and comfort during this battle.
Every dollar makes a difference in honoring the service of this incredible Hero.
MPC Donder's Bio
MPC Donder (Y401) is Project K-9 Hero Program Member #193. She proudly served with the U.S. Army’s 3rd Special Forces Group, deploying to the Middle East in support of Special Operations Command. Donder led Green Berets on dozens of missions, putting herself in harm’s way to save American lives. In 2016, MPC Donder suffered a fall out of a two story window and suffered a severe break in her right leg. Even after that devastating leg injury and multiple orthopedic surgeries, she returned to duty and continued to serve until her body could no longer handle it, and she retired in 2019. She was adopted by an Army Veterinarian who has given her a loving home. Donder joined our program in 2022 and we helped pay for necessary medical care for her injured leg.
Now, three years later and with cancer threatening her life, we are honored to stand by her side, just as she once stood by ours.
By contributing to our Medical Fund, you help ensure MPC Donder and others get the life-saving treatment they need.
Thank you for helping us give Donder the happy retirement she deserves!
K-9 Benefits for All Program Members
All Medical Costs & Prescription Food Covered
Every K-9 Hero in our program has their medical, prescription food, and end-of-duty services costs covered by us for the rest of their lives. This amounts to an average of $4,000 per year per member, but that's just an average. Many of our dogs have special medical needs brought on by the rigors of their training and service to our country, so their medical costs are far more each month. And we often cover $10,000 medical bills for emergencies like the story you read about above.
Rehabilitation & Rehoming Facility
In addition to the hundreds of dogs in our program who still live with their families and handlers, we also house several Heroes at our Whitwell, TN Rehab and Rehoming Facility. Some of them are there temporarily, some of them will remain with us for life. All of them require the same costly medical care  that our regular Program Members need, but also require specialized staff and trainers to meet the very special needs each one of them has due to their service.
End-of-Duty Services
With great sadness, we realize that every Hero's watch will come to an end. We make sure that each dog in our program has those costs covered, as well, so that their families can focus on themselves and their grief rather than the costs that come with euthanasia and burial services. Although a K-9 Hero's passing is never easy, we do what we can to bring comfort to our Heroes and their families when the time comes.
WE CANNOT DO THIS WITHOUT YOU
Your support is the only way that we can continue our work. You are the reason these K-9 Heroes can retire in comfort, with dignity and medical coverage.
Will you help?
MWD RRoddie Needed Monthly Medical Care
During Rroddie’s eight-year career, he was attached to multiple U.S. Army Special Forces Teams (ODA) while in Afghanistan. Rroddie also served with the Special OperationsTask Force 1 in Iraq. He completed over two dozen USSS (Secret Service) missions, both internationally and domestically, and was responsible for protecting the President of the United States
in Montenegro, Chile, Columbia, the Philippines, Korea, and in countless cities across the USA!
In retirement, MWD Rroddie was diagnosed with Vestibular Syndrome (seizures), and underwent a Splenectomy due to a large mass found on his spleen. The expensive veterinary visits and prescription medications will not be covered by the Government or the U.S. Military. The cost for Rroddie's surgeries and care was thousands of dollars and continued to grow each month. This was an extreme expense that we at PK9H feel shouldn’t have been left solely on his Handler, who was trying to transition from his military career to his new civilian job. Our nonprofit organization provided for this K-9 Hero at 100% for the remainder of his life. RRoddie reached his End of Watch November 18th, 2024.
K-9 Mattis Needed $8,000 of Emergency Care
K-9 Mattis was well known across Tik Tok and Instagram for his antics with his handler Mark. His friendly nature made him a wonderful ambassador to the public, and Mark often took Mattis out to meet adults and children to talk about how Project K-9 Hero has helped them have more years together. Â
In 2022, Mattis suddenly fell ill. Mark was told he had bloat and that he may not survive the night. Our founder called the veterinarians and told them to do whatever they had to to save Mattis. All the medical burden was removed from Mark's shoulders, and he was able to focus on his best friend. Mattis survived and continued to do his important outreach in the communities, talking about how necessary Police K-9s are in keeping our citizens safe.
K-9 Mattis had several more years with his family and reached his End of Watch on August 9, 2025.
MWD Rroddie Needs Monthly Medical Care
During Rroddie’s eight-year career, he was attached to multiple U.S. Army Special Forces Teams (ODA) while in Afghanistan. Rroddie also served with the Special OperationsTask Force 1 in Iraq. He completed over two dozen USSS (Secret Service) missions, both internationally and domestically, and was responsible for protecting the President of the United States
in Montenegro, Chile, Columbia, the Philippines, Korea, and in countless cities across the USA!
In retirement, MWD Rroddie has been diagnosed with Vestibular Syndrome (seizures), and underwent a Splenectomy due to a large mass found on his spleen. The expensive veterinary visits and prescription medications will not be covered by the Government or the U.S. Military. So far, the cost for Rroddie's surgeries and care has been thousands of dollars and continues to grow each month. This is an extreme expense that we at PK9H feel shouldn’t be left solely on his handler, who is currently trying to transition from his military career to his new civilian job. Our nonprofit organization has been and will continue to provide for this K-9 Hero at 100% for the remainder of his life.
K-9 Mattis Needed $8,000 of Emergency Care
K-9 Mattis is well known across Tik Tok and Instagram for his antics with his handler Mark. His friendly nature makes him a wonderful ambassador to the public, and Mark often takes Mattis out to meet adults and children to talk about how Project K-9 Hero has helped them have more years together. Â
In 2022, Mattis suddenly fell ill. Mark was told he had bloat and that he may not survive the night. Our founder called the veterinarians and told them to do whatever they had to to save Mattis. All the medical burden was removed from Mark's shoulders, and he was able to focus on his best friend. Mattis survived and continues to do his important outreach in the communities talking about how necessary Police K-9s are in keeping our citizens safe.