Fur The Brand

Local Nonprofit Helps to Battle Canine Cancer 

Writer / Megan Arszman
Photographer / Amy Payne

If there’s a furry animal somewhere nearby, you can almost guarantee that Samantha McAfee will find it and either try to feed it or give it some love. There’s a reason why she grew up with the name Snow White, and it’s because of her deeply ingrained love for all animals – wild and domesticated. It’s because of that love that she started her foundation to help dog owners battle canine cancer just over a year ago. 

Fur The Brand is a nonprofit foundation run by McAfee and her two best friends, Noelle Norwood and Mystica O’Connor, out of Hamilton County. The national foundation is dedicated to assisting with treatments related to canine cancer. It all started because of McAfee’s beloved pup Valerie, and her battle with cancer. 

“Her first round of surgeries, I was a mess,” McAfee says. “I was emotionally drained. I just kept thinking about growing up, knowing my parents wouldn’t be able to pay the extra bills, there would be no way I could afford to pay for any of the treatments she needed.”

To McAfee and her husband, former Indianapolis Colts punter and multimedia mogul Pat McAfee, their seven animals are their children, and Valerie is a lot like her firstborn. The couple spent their honeymoon trying to think of what they could do to help other dogs battling cancer like Valerie. 

“Being an animal lover, I was first thinking of how I could help the animals, but then I got to thinking – why can’t I help the person too?” McAfee says. “I needed to be able to do both.”

That’s how Fur The Brand was born. The company name is inspired by For The Brand, a slogan Pat incorporates into his marketing and products. Fur The Brand helps to pay for cancer treatments.

“This helps the dog fight the cancer while relieving the financial burden on the owners, so they can just be there for the dog,” McAfee says. 

At the height of the COVID pandemic in 2020, McAfee went to work learning all about running a foundation and how to start fundraising. While the National Canine Cancer Foundation exists for research and medication development, McAfee has not been able to find another foundation like her own. In just over a year, Fur The Brand has helped 14 dogs from Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Pennsylvania and Texas. Each cancer treatment might cost an owner $5,000 to 10,000.

“We’ve heard a lot of stories from owners saying they had to pick up second jobs or work overtime to be able to afford treatment for their dogs, so to know that we’re able to help them be home more with their dog to enable the healing process is huge for me,” McAfee says. 

If an owner is looking for assistance from Fur The Brand, they start with an application process available on the official website. Applicants must fill out the form and a veterinarian authorization form that allows the foundation team to speak with all treating veterinarians to discuss the dog’s illness. Photos of the dog and a treatment estimation are also requested for the next step. After discussing the dog’s health and the honest chances of the dog pulling through, Fur The Brand’s team, which consists of Bridget Davis, Brandy Allen-Harveth and Rachel Hickey, then reviews the month’s budget and decides how to best spend that money. 

“We haven’t really turned anyone away yet, except for those that don’t fill out the entire application process,” McAfee says. “I feel like the bigger we get, the more we’ll have to tighten the rules as to whom will get the funding.”

Funding for the foundation comes mostly from donations accepted via the website’s PayPal link. Fur The Brand was able to host one formal fundraiser early in its inception called “Dinner for the Dogs,” which was a four-course meal with cocktail pairings. McAfee is planning on two big fundraisers in 2022, including a festival in June and a gala in November, which happens to be National Pet Cancer Awareness Month. 

Currently, Fur The Brand merchandise is available on the official website, with proceeds going towards the foundation. McAfee is working on a sponsorship program in hopes that local and even national groups will work with the foundation to help more dogs nationwide. 

“We hit the ground running last year, and it’s just been really cool to be able to help dogs and their owners,” McAfee says. “There are hard days. There are multiple times that we’ll get stories and we just sob. At first I wanted to spend all of our money helping everybody I could, but my friends have been able to wrangle me in and help me work on a budget. I still have some learning to do, but this has been very fulfilling.”

To learn more about Fur The Brand and how you can help, visit furthebrand.com.