Tucker Budzyn’s paws felt ice-cold that September morning. Only weeks after the golden retriever had appeared close to full lymphoma remission, Courtney Budzyn found him lethargic and breathing shallowly a sudden reversal that would end at an emergency clinic later that day.
Never in a million years did I imagine that Wednesday would be the last day of his life, Courtney said. She had expected Tucker to return home after receiving antibiotics. Instead, his condition deteriorated as he experienced septic shock.
The decline followed a brief, encouraging response to cancer treatment. Courtney had been in bed with Tucker in August 2026 when she discovered a large mass near his right shoulder, in the area of a lymph node. He was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma, and treatment began immediately.
By the first week, Tucker was in partial remission. By the third, he appeared close to full remission, according to Courtney. His days still held familiar motion: time in the forest, swimming and runs beside Courtney as she traveled on rollerblades. He also spent time outdoors with Todd, his son and Courtney’s second golden retriever.
That apparent return to routine made the final morning especially abrupt. Courtney brought Tucker to emergency care after noticing the lethargy, cold paws and shallow breathing. Antibiotics could not stop his decline, and he died in September 2026.
Courtney said the precise reason he developed septic shock will never be known. One possibility presented to her was that the lymphoma had progressed farther than initially understood, potentially leading to an intestinal tear and sudden infection, but that explanation remained uncertain.
The rapid turn does not mean Tucker’s early treatment response was imaginary. In canine lymphoma, remission and cure are not interchangeable. North Carolina State University’s veterinary oncology team explains that many dogs receiving a common chemotherapy protocol achieve remission, but its duration varies and relapse is frequent. Its oncology guidance also notes that chemotherapy can temporarily reduce white blood cell counts, increasing susceptibility to infection. Those general risks do not establish what happened in Tucker’s individual case.
From an eight-year bond to a lasting commitment
Courtney adopted Tucker in 2018 and created an account for him that same day. Over the next eight years, he amassed 25 million followers. Yet his private importance to her ran alongside that public reach: Tucker supported Courtney through seven years of chronic illness.
Their relationship inspired the picture book Of All the Sniffs I Love the Most, scheduled for release in November 2026. After Tucker’s death, the project became more than a record of their life together. Courtney’s publishing team committed to donating 500 copies to children with cancer.
Courtney is also donating $2,000 to Blood Cancer United’s Dare to Dream Project and $8,000 to the Morris Animal Foundation’s Golden Retriever Lifetime Study. Dare to Dream supports pediatric blood-cancer research, clinical research innovation, advocacy and free education and assistance for children and their families.
The Golden Retriever Lifetime Study carries a different part of Tucker’s legacy. Launched in 2012, the long-running project enrolled 3,044 golden retrievers and follows their health across their lives. The Morris Animal Foundation says the resulting data and biological samples help researchers study cancer, aging, genetics, environment and other questions about canine health.
“If his book can bring a smile to a child fighting cancer, help a family going through an unimaginable hardship or contribute to research that could save other dogs’ lives, then we are continuing the very thing that made Tucker so special,” Courtney said.
She hopes Tucker will be remembered as the “world’s therapy dog” not as a formally trained working dog, but as the companion she believed could make people feel less alone through a screen. Now the book, donated copies and research gifts give that comforting role somewhere quiet to continue.
Have you ever adopted a dog with a story like this? Share it in the comments.
By Jake Patterson — Freelance feature writer and former animal-shelter volunteer focused on rescue, adoption, and second-chance dog stories.
