RaeLynn Reveals Dog, Jazz, Has Cancer

RaeLynn is asking for prayers for her beloved dog, Jazz, who was recently diagnosed with cancer.

“Asking all of you to pray for my Jazz,” RaeLynn writes on Instagram, along with a photo of the pup. “He got diagnosed with cancer 2 weeks ago. We removed it but it’s growing pretty fast. I’m praying for a complete healing in his body. He brings so much joy to me and Josh’s life. I am beyond sad but I truly believe in miracles.”

Jazz is much more than a pet to RaeLynn. The dog, a German Shepherd, is also her service dog, accompanying RaeLynn, a Type 1 diabetic, to notify her hwen her blood sugar is too high or low.

“Jazz is my therapy dog, and for years he has been by my side and traveling all over the country,” the singer tells Taste of Country. “In terms of my diabetes, he is there to detect when my sugar levels aren’t right. He goes everywhere with me.”

Jazz might go almost everywhere with RaeLynn, but his presence isn’t always welcome. Earlier this year, the 24-year-old was treated unkindly by a flight attendant on American Airlines, while RaeLynn was en route to speak at a conference about her diabetes.

“I’ve never had a minute of trouble. Jazz is trained to know how to lay under the seat of an airplane,” RaeLynn recalls. “But this airplane was a small regional plane, and before we even took off, the attendant came up to me and told me that I needed to get the dog completely under the seat for take off. Jazz immediately started crying as I tried to fit him completely under the seat. I mean, if there had been turbulence, he would have been hurt.”

“I did my best to keep (Jazz) there but the flight attendant continued to come to me telling me that I wasn’t being compliant,” she continues. “I probably heard that word five-thousand times. She then accused Jazz of not being trained and not being a service dog, which obviously is not true. The flight attendant was being extremely disrespectful. She talked extremely loud and it was such a small plane.”

Aside from RaeLynn’s ailing pet, things are going well for her. The alum of The Voice just released “Tailgate,” written by RaeLynn, along with Florida Georgia Line’s Tyler Hubbard, Canaan Smith and Corey Crowder.

“Lately when it comes to songwriting, I’ve made it a point to just have fun and create music that feels good,” RaeLynn says. “The day we wrote ‘Tailgate,’ I told Canaan, Corey and Tyler that if the song doesn’t make me want to dance then I don’t want to cut it. Without fail, ‘Tailgate’ makes me want to dance on stage every single time I perform it and when you hear it you can’t help but sing along.”

Download “Tailgate” on iTunes.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Suzi Pratt