CHAMPAIGN – When the pain and stress of breast cancer used to get Donetta Logan down, she could always count on her loyal dog, Rainbow, to stick right by her side.

"She was like Velcro dog," says Logan, 62, of Urbana.

Today, Logan and Rainbow plan to be at Champaign's Centennial Park to take part in Bark for Life, an American Cancer Society fund-raiser that also honors the emotional support dogs so often provide cancer patients and their families.

Bark for Life registration will start at 9 a.m., and the one-mile relay will begin at 10 a.m.

Logan, who had cancer in 2008, is currently cancer-free, though she still has pain from the radiation she underwent and continues to take a follow-up chemotherapy medication, she said.

A former nurse practitioner who is currently disabled, Logan says Rainbow – her energetic, affectionate 9-year-old Jack Russell Terrier – always seemed to know when she needed comfort and support.

"When I was down, which I was quite a bit, she lay right beside me just like she is right now," Logan said.

And you want to know how smart this dog is?

"She is a very intelligent dog," Logan says. "She'd probably get her own food if I put it down where she could get it."

Today marks the second annual Bark for Life event, which is operated much like the cancer society's annual Relay for Life – but with dogs sharing the walking path.

In addition to the walk, there will be canine contests and other activities for dogs, and a variety of vendors.

The cost to register is $35, and participants who raise at least $100 will get a bandana and commemorative T-shirt. Those who raise at least $500 will get a bandana, T-shirt and Bark for Life leash.

The money raised will support the cancer society's support services for patients and their families in the area, along with cancer research, community education and advocacy initiatives, according to the American Cancer Society.