DENVER -- Some dogs are helping their owners and many other people in the battle against cancer.

Kenzi, a spunky golden retriever, is battling cancer. Kenzi's owners found a lump last August.

"Then I felt a little bit more and it didn't feel right. I go, 'Uh oh,'" said Norm Lende.

Veterinarians diagnosed the dog with lymphoma.

"I think I cried for two or three days after the diagnosis came," said Kenzi's other owner, Shar Henry.

Kenzi's owners knew immediately they'd get treatment for her. But the chemotherapy is doing much more than helping their prize pet live longer.

"Doctors say what they're learning from Kenzi's case might help them better treat people who are fighting cancer," Henry said.

"We're not giving dogs cancer. Dogs get cancer at about the same frequency people do," said Dr. Jaime Modiano, with the University of Colorado Health Science Center.

Modiano heads the team at the CU Health Science Center studying dogs with cancer. Even though dogs and humans are very different, they live in the same environment and researchers have found that genetically, the way cancer behaves in both species in very similar.

"When we look at how the chromosomes are rearranged in a specific type of cancer in humans and the same corresponding cancer of dogs -- it's identical. The same genes have the same types of abnormalities in cancers," said Modiano.

If doctors can understand which genes go bad, they can focus on why that happens and how to prevent cancer in the first place. They can also determine what treatments work best for people by what works for dogs like Kenzi.

"I'm constantly amazed at how well she's done," said Henry. "She eats just like everybody else. She plays just like everybody else. She competes just like everyone else."

Kenzi recently competed at the American Kennel Club Nationals in Florida.

There is no cure for dogs with lymphoma but Kenzi's in remission. Her owners feel good knowing they'll have more time with Kenzi while helping others at the same time.

"If they can help find a way to stop these horrible diseases from taking lives early, then it's worth it," Henry said.

Even though Kenzi didn't place at the Nationals in Florida, her owners say getting there is winning enough.

More Information:

To learn more about the lab that specializes in learning about cancer in dogs, go to ModianoLab.org