Dog News

Bucket List-Bound Dog Gets a Helicopter Ride

by Melanie

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When Coco the Rottweiler was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, her family knew they had precious little time left together.  So they created a 30-item bucket list, including a helicopter ride.  One week before she died, Coco completed the last item on her list.

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“I’m really glad she was able to complete the bucket list,” Symon Spencer said.  “She was an amazing dog and I stayed with her the whole time. I was the last thing she saw. The support from everyone has been amazing.”

 

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He and girlfriend Theresa Clancy were devastated at the thought of having to say goodbye to their eight-year-old before her time, so they decided to pack a lifetime of fun in just a couple of months.

 

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They thought about the things their dog might like to do most, and made sure that car rides, a day at the beach, and rides in police vehicles had to be on the list.   She met a dog celebrity, cast a paw print, “ordered” from a drive-thru, and tried sushi for the first time, which was the last item on the list.

 

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On May 5th, she was put to sleep at home.

“She was in agony and needed lots of painkillers to cope. When she was giving her last breath, I was kissing her lots and hugging her,” Symon explained.

 

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“I feel absolutely empty. I think, despite the diagnosis, I thought she was going to live forever.”

However, the couple has one small consolation:  they got a 3D scan of Coco before she died, and they will have a model made to help keep her memory alive.

 

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