Australia’s biggest dog BARON, a much-loved local, has been diagnosed with a very aggressive form of cancer.
The early detection has provided his family, Mark and Dorothy York, the opportunity to get treatment for the six-year-old Olde English mastiff.
Baron has become a legend of television and magazines following four plus years working as a therapy dog, visiting the elderly at SummitCare in Baulkham Hills and students at Pennant Hills High as well as Guildford and Lalor Park Public Schools.
Mr York said Baron has helped people with companionship and grief counselling as well as scores of children with their reading and confidence.
He told the Hills to Hawkesbury Community News that Baron’s shock diagnosis earlier this month brought the family’s world crashing down.
“Baron was hobbling on his front left leg and we took him for an X-Ray on July 2 to the Animal Referral Hospital where we found out that he had osteosarcoma,” he said. “This is a common cancer in dogs and one of the most aggressive cancers a dog can get. We were told he may have just a few weeks to live … I have cried for weeks. It was particularly hard on my wife Dorothy because she had cancer herself and knows what it means.” 
Mr York has always kept English bull mastiffs, with Baron the most popular. He weighed in at 120kg much like a Test or first class rugby prop forward. In horse terms, he is around 9.5 hands tall and when he stands on his back legs, Baron is an imposing 201cm tall. In his early years Baron won the best junior dog award at the Royal Melbourne and first place at the Sydney Royal Easter Show.
The gentle Baron has now lost a bit of weight due to the radiation but if all goes well with the chemotherapy, his family reckons he should be able to regain his conditioning.
“I then started the GoFundMe page to help pay for his therapy,” said Mr York. “Because of his huge size, the costs of medicine and treatment are scaled up. Without treatment, his life expectancy will be a few weeks. With new palliative radiotherapy and chemo, we might be able to get him back to school for a term in a pain free way and with a quality of life we would want ourselves.”
With over 2500 followers on his Facebook site, Baron has a legion of fans. Mr York said that without public help the family wouldn’t have been able to afford the treatment so far which has included three rounds of radiation treatment and infusions to strengthen his bones.
“We initially need over $25,000 and whatever people can contribute will help pay for his treatments,” said Mr York. 
“We have been blessed with the massive response to the appeal because just 30 seconds after I posted the GoFund Me page on FB, someone, whom I don’t even know, put in $50,” he said.
“I think 90 per cent of the people who have contributed don’t know us but may have met Baron at some time or heard about it. It’s amazing how people have responded and we are so grateful.”
One supporter has donated $5000. “We have committed that if there are funds that are not used for Baron’s welfare, they will be given to the Story Dog project www.storydogs.org.au that he has been working on,” said Mr York.
To contribute visit gofundme.com and search for Baron the Mastiff Palliative care. www.storydogs.org.au
