A Florida family has given the perfect farewell to their dog who was left with a few days to live.
The family left no stone unturned to make every minute special for their German Pointer mix who had to be euthanized due to an incurable illness.
Wilson, the 14-year-old dog, was diagnosed with cancer in its final stage after his owners noticed that his urine had a strange color.
Wilson’s owner Stephen Rampersad, a firefighter and a part-time landscape maintenance director in Pensacola, Florida, was heartbroken after learning about his condition.
Speaking to the Pensacola News-Journal, Stephen said: “They said he was in a lot of pain, and he had these giant, cancerous growths in his bladder and stomach. They found them all over his inside.”
The family was told that the dog should be put to eternal sleep as he cannot endure more pain.
Stephen and his family were extremely distressed but instead of just stressing out, they decided to make Wilson’s last days as enjoyable for him as possible.
The family took Wilson to a boat launch at their local beach where he kept playing with water until he got tired. The bushy canine also visited his favorite park, and had a number of car rides during his last weekend.
Although the pooch had already rejoiced much, the time which made his final journey even more memorable was the morning of his last day.
Before his final visit to the vet where Wilson was going to be released from his suffering forever, his owner decided to take him to the beach one more time.
But before they could get to the beach, Stephen received a call from the manager at Shaggy’s Seafood restaurant to discuss some landscaping matters.
Stephen requested to bring his lovely dog with him and the manager agreed.
That day proved to be the best time of Wilson’s life as he was warmly welcomed by each and every person at Stephen’s workplace.
Knowing that the dog was going to be mercy-killed, the staff at the restaurant offered him fries, burgers, and ice-cream, besides showering him with a lot of love.
They hugged him, patted his head, and kept talking to him the entire time.
Stephen said: “Wilson was just over-the-top excited about it all. Every time food came up, his ears would perk up.”
He was happy that his dog received such a heartwarming farewell before meeting his end.
He photographed the beautiful moments and thanked all the employees for their kindness.
“There aren’t a lot of times in life when you can say, ‘Hey, somebody did something really great,’ or, ‘Hey, somebody really took the time to be kind and make something special,’ but this was one of those times,” Stephen said.