03-08-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
A beloved Bay Area therapy dog comforted people for years. Now he also needs help
A GoFundMe page has raised nearly $8,000 for a famous Bay Area therapy dog diagnosed with cancer.
The owner of Brixton, an 11-year-old golden retriever that frequents Bay Area hospitals, schools, airports and events, is raising money to help pay for the dog's treatment.
Brixton's cancer diagnosis was announced on his Instagram account, @brixtonatlarge, on July 25. The post stated that Brixton has irritable bowel disease but was 'misdiagnosed years ago,' and 'after being untreated for so long,' it developed into early stage lymphoma. The cancer was caught early, the post continued, but Brixton's owner, Linda Gordon of Oakland, needs help paying for the 'enormous mountain of medical bills that grow insurmountable every single day.'
As of Sunday afternoon, Brixton's GoFundMe had received more than 150 donations and was roughly $1,000 shy of the $9,000 goal.
Gordon also requested housing leads on Instagram, as Brixton needs to be carried up stairs and they live in a second-story dwelling with no elevator. She also 'can not afford to stay' due to the cost of his treatment, the post continued.
Brixton, who often dons colorful, themed costumes and sunglasses, has been a therapy dog since he was 8 months old. He's made appearances alongside Bay Area celebrities including San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie and Francisco Giants mascot Lou Seal.
Brixton is a regular at San Francisco private school Sacred Heart Cathedral Preparatory, one of three dogs visiting a couple times a month as part of the San Francisco SPCA's animal therapy program. The dogs bring 'joy and relaxation,' Sacred Heart health educator Julia Rinaldi told the Chronicle earlier this year. 'It's just a pause in their day.'
On Saturday, Brixton's Instagram account revealed that he walked the runway in an Old Navy Fashion Show put on by Family House San Francisco, which provides support to families of children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.
Brixton has a knack for sensing when someone needs him, Gordon told the Chronicle in January, and will divert walks to locate them. 'It's like a GPS, like a heat-seeking missile,' Gordon said. 'He just knows that person needs him.'
She's also hopeful that Brixton will continue to help people for years to come. On the GoFundMe page, Gordon assured donors that Brixton will fight 'to bring even more smiles to all the people that need it most.'
