Time to sob: A story about a dying woman and her dog
A touching story of life, death, love and animal best friendship was shared on Reddit by user Mellifluous_Username. A little over a year ago, the Reddit user’s wife was in the hospital after an invasive surgery that didn’t produce positive results. The prognosis wasn’t good — she wasn’t eating or drinking and was relying on IVs and pain medication to stay alive. Knowing she didn’t have much time left, she was able to convince her husband to sneak their dog into her private room so she could see her dog “one more time.”
Her husband knew he had to do it, but also knew it wouldn’t be easy, given that dogs who aren’t service animals or therapy dogs aren’t allowed in hospitals. But he had to figure something out, because seeing their dog again was his wife’s dying wish.
He wrote on Reddit, “Our dog, Bella, is about a 50 pound Australian Shepherd, and as it turns out, she fits nicely in a normal suitcase. I packed her in, with the lid unzipped, and placed her in the car until we arrived at the hospital. When we arrived, I ‘explained’ to her that I would open the zipper in a few minutes and that she could see her Mommy.”
Bella surprisingly didn’t make any noises while she was in the suitcase. As her dad walked past the nurse’s station, he told them he had a suitcase because he was bringing his wife some items to help make her more comfortable. They said “no problem.”
“When we entered the room, my wife was asleep,” he added. “I unzipped the suitcase, and Bella immediately jumped on the bed, and gingerly laid across her chest, somehow avoiding the wires and IV. She positioned herself to where she could look directly into my wife’s eyes, and laid completely still, until about twenty minutes later, when my wife woke up, and started moaning in pain.
Bella immediately started licking her, and quietly moaned, as if knowing that barking would definitely blow our cover. My wife hugged her for almost an hour, smiling the whole time. We were busted by one nurse who was so touched that she promised not to tell. When my wife finally went back to sleep, I loaded Bella back in the suitcase, and she somewhat sheepishly obliged.
My wife sadly passed a few days later, and now, whenever I grab the suitcase, (any suitcase) Bella thinks we are going to see her again.”
OK, we didn’t mean to make you cry in the middle of your Thursday, but come on. This touching, yet heart-wrenching story really proves that dogs are way more than just pets — they’re family members and best friends.
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[Image via Shutterstock]
