It’s a sad fact that dogs don’t live as long as humans, but we can do our best to make their lives as enjoyable as possible and to make them feel loved till the end.
No dog should die alone, and it’s critical that they feel at ease and secure in their last moments.
In a touching and heartwarming story, a woman went out of her way to make sure a dying dog at a shelter had a friend in his last hours.
Watson, a dog, came to Speranza Animal Rescue in 2018 after a college student discovered him alone in a park.
The dog was taken in by the shelter, but it was evident he didn’t have long to live. The stray was malnourished and covered in wounds, with a malignant growth on his hind limb. He was brought to the emergency room, where he was given IV antibiotics and tested.
But shelter founder Janine Guido knew the dog didn’t have long to live, and the only thing she could do was make him feel at ease. “I had a feeling things weren’t going to turn out well the following day,” she told The Dodo.
Janine placed blankets and dog beds on the floor to provide Watson with a comfortable spot to snuggle up and sleep — but then she did something incredible.
She chose to spend the night with the dog since she sensed he was nearing the end of his life and could use some companionship. On Facebook, she said that she “could not bring herself to leave lovely Watson.”
Janine and Watson snuggled as they fell asleep, and Janine talked to him. Watson’s background is unknown, but based on his state, he seems to have endured a life of neglect and loneliness. Janine gave him the affection he had been missing for so long.
“I didn’t want to abandon him.” “Not when he most needed me,” she said to The Dodo. “He slept like a rock all night, so close to me.” “I wept myself to sleep and awoke in tears.”
Watson was in horrible condition when he awoke the following morning. On Facebook, the shelter said that he was “becoming cold, whirling in circles, and falling down,” and that he was “suffering.”
Janine stayed at Watson’s side till the end, and he died that morning. “I was holding you when you breathed your last breath. You left so quietly. “I understand it was your time,” Janine wrote.
“I sat with him till the very end.” Through my tears, I said. I informed him how much he was appreciated. ”
While she was devastated when the dog died, she knew that in their brief hours together, she had made him feel loved for the first and last time.
“I’m delighted I got to embrace you and hold you close last night.” “I wish you knew how much I loved you,” she wrote. “Despite the fact that I only knew you for a brief time.”
Janine told The Dodo, “I’m just grateful I was able to hug him close for his final night.” I was telling him how much he was loved and how much his life meant to me. ” My heart is hurting, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Thank you, Janine, for offering Watson the love he had been denied for so long, just when he needed it the most.
