For the last decade, Odessa has guided Santa Fe musician Bonnie Hearne around obstacles, down stairs and up streets. She's given Hearne, who has been blind since age 10, a measure of freedom and been her loyal companion.

Now Hearne and her husband, fellow visually impaired musician Bill Hearne, are taking care of Odessa.

The friendly golden retriever, a trained guide dog, greeted visitors recently at the Hearnes' north-side apartment wearing a purple cast on her right front leg.

Odessa was diagnosed earlier this month with bone cancer.

Veterinary surgeon Peter Schwarz removed the tumor-afflicted ulna in Odessa's leg two weeks ago. But then Odessa broke the remaining leg bone as she rushed to jump into a car the day after surgery.

"We couldn't stop her in time," Bonnie Hearne said.

Odessa now must recover from the broken leg while undergoing chemotherapy treatments for the cancer. Chemotherapy won't cure her, just buy her more time, the Hearnes said.

"We love her," Bonnie Hearne said. "We want her to live as long as she can. But we know the bone cancer is incurable. We know it will come back."

"Bone cancer is highly metastatic, and it can spread to her lungs," said Jeannette M. Kelly, owner of Veterinary Cancer Care.

Kelly, a veterinary medical oncologist, treats dogs, cats and even the occasional hedgehog suffering from cancer. Odessa started chemotherapy Thursday at the clinic. Once every three weeks over the next 18 weeks, she'll receive a five-minute intravenous drip treatment.

Unlike humans, fewer than 1 percent of canines get sick from chemo treatments, Kelly said. Odessa will go back to the clinic each week for a blood test.

Bonnie Hearne has had Odessa since the dog was 20 months old. She is Bonnie's third service dog.

"She's been the best," Bill Hearne said, patting a grinning Odessa.

She's gray around the muzzle, but Odessa thumps around the apartment cheerfully on her cast.

Odessa is immeasurably helpful to Bonnie Hearne when Bill or another helper isn't around. "She gives me a sense of security and a real sense of freedom," Bonnie Hearne said, as Odessa licked her hands.

The couple, married for 41 years, have played music and performed together all over Northern New Mexico. Bonnie semi-retired a few years ago after an illness. Odessa keeps her company while Bill performs at places such as La Fonda and the Cowgirl BBQ in Santa Fe.

Odessa's surgeries, chemotherapy treatments and the special diet she'll be on during treatment are all expensive. The veterinarians have discounted their fees, and the couple have received some help with expenses from the Oscar Fund and the Cat and Dog Cancer Fund. "They've been very good to us," Bonnie Hearne said. "There's been a lot of people who helped."

Still, ongoing treatments, medications and food could run a couple of thousand dollars. The Hearnes think all the effort is worth it, as long as Odessa's quality of life is good.

"We're not going to keep her around just to say she's here," Bill Hearne said. "If she's suffering, we'll have her put down. Animals and people don't deserve to suffer."

While Odessa is on the mend, Bonnie Hearne will rely more on her cane and on friends to get around. "I'm not a great cane traveler," she said with a smile, relaxing in her apartment in a purple workout suit, a shade that matched Odessa's cast.

If you would like to donate to the Odessa cancer fund call the Veterinary Cancer Care of Santa Fe at 982-4492.

Contact Staci Matlock at 986-3055 or smatlock@sfnewmexican.com.

HEARNE CELEBRATES 20TH YEAR AT LA FONDA

On Wednesday, Bill Hearne will celebrate his 20th anniversary playing two-steppin' country music at La Fiesta Lounge at La Fonda from 7:30 to 11 p.m.

With any luck, he'll be joined by his wife and music partner, Bonnie Hearne, for a few of the numbers. Together, the couple have made a name for themselves all over Northern New Mexico with their brand of Americana country folk sound.

The couple, both visually impaired, started playing together in 1968 in Texas. They influenced music greats Nanci Griffith and Lyle Lovett, who once opened a show for the Hearnes.

The Hearnes recorded Diamonds in the Rough in Austin and Nashville in 1997 with guests including Griffith, Lovett and Tish Hinojosa. The CD made it to No. 5 on The Gavin Report's Americana chart.

The couple recorded Watching Life Through A Windshield four years later.

Bill and Bonnie played together for 30 years until she "semi-retired" in 1998 due to illness. She continues to sing with a women's group at nursing homes and with hospice. She joins in to sing and play piano with Bill when she can.

Bill once told a reporter that if he could play 365 days a year, he would. Recently, he said, "If I couldn't play golf and play my guitar, I wouldn't want to go on living."

The Bill Hearne Trio plays every Wednesday and Thursday at La Fiesta Lounge, 100 E. San Francisco St. There is no cover charge, but tips are always welcome.