Prepare to cry: Here’s a dog’s beautiful bucket list adventure *sobs*
No, seriously. Get your tissues ready.
When travel writer Lauren Fern Watt learned that her 160-pound English Mastiff, Gizelle, had terminal bone cancer with only a few months to live, she decided to take Gizelle on the most beautiful adventure.
The pair had already been through so much life together — college, boyfriends, and embarking on a huge move from a small-town in Tennessee to the biggest town — New York City. It only made sense to Watt to continue exploring life’s joys with Gizelle until the very end.
In an essay for Yahoo Travel, Watt wrote about making a bucket list for Gizelle and how following through with it was therapeutic in helping her cope with losing her best friend. In addition to being cathartic, the pair had an incredible time.
We know how painful it is to lose an animal companion. Our hearts are breaking for Watt and her sweet Gizelle, as well as everyone else who is going through, or has gone through such a terrible animal best friend loss. But being able to say goodbye to Gizelle in such a wonderful way is a special experience that Watt will always have in her heart, and one that we are truly inspired by.
Here are some photos of their bittersweet bucket list adventure together, along with Watt’s own accounts (from Yahoo) of her last days with Gizelle:
Ride in a canoe:
See Times Square:
Cook lobster in Maine:
Eat ice cream on a dock:
Go on a road trip:
Cuddle as much as possible:
Find the best donut in the world:
Sit on the beach in the winter:
Thank you, Lauren and Gizelle for this beautiful story.
