Motion Raceworks’ Doug Cook Fight to Find a Cure for Degenerative Myelopathy for Dogs, and How You Can Help With #BurnoutsForBubba
It’s been said dogs are man’s best friend, and in the case of Motion Raceworks founder Doug Cook and his dog Bubba, it was a textbook definition.
“He was my best bud and co-pilot for the last ten years,” said Doug. “When I found out he was sick, I couldn’t just not do anything. We needed to make a difference.”
In late 2020, just before Bubba’s tenth birthday, he was diagnosed with Degenerative Myelopathy. “We had never of it, nor heard of anyone’s else dog having it,” said Doug. “It’s basically ALS / Lou Gehrig’s Disease for dogs, and it affects a lot of different breeds.”
The disease attacks and kills the nerves of dogs, and from the onset of symptoms, most dogs have 6-9 months before they lose the function of their rear legs completely, as well as the start of shutting down a dog’s organs and other day-to-day functions.
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As Doug looked into things more, he decided something needed to be done, and Bubba’s Buddies was created just a few months after Bubba’s diagnosis to spearhead an effort to find a cure. “It started out hearing that it only affected Boxers, German Shepards and Corgis,” said Doug. “But recently, we’ve been made aware of Labradors, Golden Retrievers, Pitbulls and many more. It’s a genetics thing, so it’s not going away unless we find a cure.”
The car and racing community came together to help fund the efforts, and a few months after Bubba passed on November 2nd, 2022, research and trials got underway. “They thought we weren’t serious about it, but thanks to generous donations, we were able to secure the funding to get the trials started,” said Doug, and the safety trial was started in March 2023.
“A university can provide the trial, but we needed the testing, and when they realized we had the horsepower to make the study and testing happen, they got it rolling.” A safety trial was conducted over a six-month period, and now the next stage of moving into the full trial is set.
This brings us to the latest step in the fight to find a cure for Degenerative Myelopathy: #BurnoutsforBubba. “Since it’s literally the same disease as ALS, we thought of the ice bucket challenge in the past,” said Doug. “Of course, the car community took it to the next level, because cars and dogs go together like peanut butter and jelly.”
All it took was one burnout, one mention of #BurnoutsforBubba and the interest has grown. “I think lots of people are waiting to get nominated, but even if you’re not nominated, it’s easy to get involved,” Doug admitted.
So, what can you do to make a difference? It’s simple! Make a short video with you pledging to donate $20 to Bubba’s Buddies, mention the #BurnoutsforBubba hashtag in the video and when you post it on your social media platform of choice, nominate two people to challenge, and do an epic burnout!
One of the first to do a burnout was Tom Bailey with his 2021 Hellcat Durango. “Tom has been involved with Bubba’s Buddies since the beginning,” said Doug. “He’s donated tens of thousands, raised by Sick Week promotions, and donated his own money as well. We wouldn’t be where we are without Tom’s generosity.”
For more information, as well as how to donate to help Bubba’s Buddies, visit www.bubbasbuddies.org. “We’re waiting on official release of the safety trial now, and we’re trying to get as much information on the website as we can to help people be informed. We knew it was too late for Bubba, but we can help so many other dogs in the future.”
Written by Derek Putnam. Photos courtesy of Doug Cook.
If you have thoughts / feedback / ideas, please e-mail us at derek@sickthemagazine.com