Live Like Roo Foundation: Expanding Grief Support for Pet Parents 🧡
How one rescued dog's story inspired a foundation, a partnership, and a new opportunity to support families facing pet cancer and loss.
Sometimes, the love we share with one animal grows into something bigger than we ever imagined.
For the Live Like Roo Foundation, that love began with a rescue dog named Roosevelt, affectionately known as Roo.
Today, his legacy continues to touch the lives of thousands of pets and the people who love them. And thanks to an extraordinary gift from Tito's Handmade Vodka, that legacy is helping even more families access compassionate grief support.
In this article:
The Dog Who Started It All
In April 2015, Sarah Lauch rescued Roosevelt from Chicago Animal Care and Control. While other dogs barked and competed for attention, Roo quietly rested in his kennel.
What began as a rescue became a remarkable story of love, compassion, and making the most of the time we have together.
Roo's life inspired a simple but powerful philosophy: Live Like Roo.
It's a reminder to embrace the moments we have with our pets, celebrate the joy they bring into our lives, and make room for love even when the future feels uncertain.
After Roo's death, Sarah carried his legacy forward by founding the Live Like Roo Foundation, helping other families facing the challenges of a pet's cancer diagnosis.
Meet Roo and discover the story behind his legacy:
Turning Love Into Action
Since 2016, the Live Like Roo Foundation has helped families navigate the financial and emotional challenges of pet cancer.
Through financial grants, cancer care packages, and compassionate resources, the foundation helps families focus on what matters most: caring for their pets and making meaningful memories together.
Their signature care packages even include some of Roo's favorite things, like blankets, tennis balls, toys, and treats.
But the foundation also recognizes something that can easily be overlooked when a beloved pet becomes seriously ill.
The people caring for these animals need support, too.
A cancer diagnosis can bring overwhelming uncertainty, fear, difficult decisions, and anticipatory grief. Families may find themselves grieving changes in their pet's health and daily life long before a loss occurs.
And when a beloved pet dies, that grief doesn't simply disappear because others may not understand its depth.
That's where our partnership comes in.
A Partnership Built on Compassion
Pet Loss Community is honored to partner with the Live Like Roo Foundation to provide compassionate grief support to pet parents navigating cancer diagnoses and loss.
Through group support and individual sessions facilitated by licensed social workers, pet parents have a place to talk openly about their experiences, connect with others who understand, and receive support without judgment.
Whether someone is facing an uncertain prognosis, struggling with difficult decisions, or learning to live without a beloved companion, they deserve to feel heard and supported.
And we believe financial circumstances shouldn't prevent someone from accessing that support.
A $50,000 Gift That Will Help More Families
We're thrilled to share that Tito's Handmade Vodka, the Vodka for Dog People, has awarded the Live Like Roo Foundation a generous $50,000 gift to expand access to grief support services.
Previously, sponsored support was available to a limited number of pet parents selected through an application process.
Thanks to this gift, pet parents whose pets are facing cancer or who have recently lost a pet to cancer can now access sponsored grief support without having to apply for financial assistance.
This expansion means more families can find connection, understanding, and compassion during an incredibly difficult time.
It's a powerful example of what happens when organizations come together around a shared commitment to helping people and the animals they love.
How to Access Sponsored Grief Support
If your pet has been diagnosed with cancer or you've recently experienced a cancer-related loss, sponsored grief support is available through Pet Loss Community.
You can explore our group support options, including anticipatory grief and pet loss groups, or schedule individual support sessions.
To get started:
Visit Pet Loss Community's Live Like Roo page to sign up.
Explore the available group and individual support options.
Book the session that's best for you.
You don't have to wait until you're overwhelmed to reach out. And you don't have to navigate this experience alone.
Help Us Carry Roo's Legacy Forward
One of the most meaningful things about Roo's story is how one dog's life continues to make a difference for so many others.
You can be part of that legacy, too.
If you're a veterinarian, consider sharing this resource with clients facing a cancer diagnosis or loss.
If you're an employer, share it with your team. Pet grief doesn't disappear when someone walks into work.
And if you're a friend, family member, or fellow pet lover, consider passing this information along. Someone you know may need support but have no idea it's available.
We're deeply grateful to Sarah and the entire Live Like Roo team for their continued
partnership, and to Tito's Handmade Vodka for helping make this expansion possible.
Roo's story reminds us that love doesn't end when a life does. Sometimes, it becomes the very thing that helps someone else through their hardest days.
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We are incredibly grateful to Live Like Roo and Tito's Handmade Vodka for recognizing just how important this support is.
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If you know someone whose pet has cancer or who has recently lost a pet to cancer, please share this opportunity with them. You never know who might be struggling quietly and need to hear that support is available.
Because no one should have to navigate the hardest parts of loving a pet alone. 🧡
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