Is it a zebra? Is it a dog? Meet LaSalle Ont.’s newest star, raising awareness one stripe at a time

Molly the 'zebra dog' is raising awareness about neuroendocrine tumours in LaSalle, Ont., with her owner, Lynn Chalut. (Robert Lothian/CTV News Windsor)

Double takes, laughs, and picture taking.

All of those are reactions residents in LaSalle, Ont., have had to a dog galloping around town striped like a zebra.

From the mane to her short coat, to her stripes, Molly is a soon-to-be five-year-old sheepadoodle.

Her owner, Lynn Chalut, has been working on the look for months with regular clippings to keep Molly’s fur short.

Then, finally, with a paintbrush, some dog-friendly dye, and a very friendly Molly, she created the stripes.

“However, if you put (a zebra) picture next to Molly, it doesn’t jive. I ended up doing my own thing anyway,” Chalut said with a laugh.

Currently in training to walk the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon this fall, Chalut has been preparing with Molly at her side.

“I get a lot of funny looks. I get a lot of looks that are like, ‘What is that?’”

What are NETs?

More than simply a style choice, Molly’s new ‘do is to raise awareness for a cause near and dear to her family’s heart.

In October, Chalut said, they lost her son-in-law, Russell, at the age of 40 to neuroendocrine tumours (NETs).

“Well, the zebra is a symbol for neuroendocrine tumour or NETs. It’s a very rare type of cancer,” Chalut said.

“So, it doesn’t come up very often, but the zebra, because of its rarity, was chosen as a symbol for NETs.”

A former nurse, Chalut said she had never heard of NETs before Russell’s diagnosis.

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, NETs are slow growing and can remain in place without showing noticeable symptoms for long periods of time.

This can allow the cancer to progress to a late stage, where treatment options become more limited.

“In Russell’s case, he had symptoms of GERD [Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease], and thought maybe he had an ulcer,” Chalut explained.

“Then they found the Nets by accident.”

Chalut wants to use their family’s story to raise awareness about rare cancers like NETs and empower others to be their own advocates when facing health challenges.

“Everybody is different, but if you are having symptoms of some kind of illness and you’re not showing a positive test result, push to be examined for something that is rare,” she said.

Resident support

Originally, Chalut planned to dye Molly for the half-marathon and bring her in the race.

But after learning dogs weren’t allowed, she figured the advocacy could start early.

“So, unfortunately, she won’t be joining me, but I thought, well, I bought the dye, and it’s a good way to bring awareness to NETs,” she said.

In the weeks since, their walks have caught the attention of many in LaSalle.

After recently seeing questions about a dog dyed like a zebra in a local Facebook group, Chalut shared their story.

“I’m shocked, like people have been saying, ‘I saw her, she made my day,’ ‘Oh my gosh, it put such a big smile on my face,” she recalled.

During their training, Chalut and Molly are often too focused to stop and share their messaging.

She’s encouraging residents to take pictures of them and share it to social media to continue spreading awareness around NETs.

“It’s healing for me, actually. It’s been very helpful in my grieving process,” she said.

During the half-marathon, Chalut is hopeful to have Molly on the sidelines to cheer her on. As for the zebra look, she’s planning a race outfit of her own to continue with the theme.