I am aware that some people are not very supportive of these kinds of posts in this sub. But this is my way of paying tribute to my dog, and as such, I’d like it to be considered a celebration of the lives of our Goldens and the joy and happiness they bring to us. So please, do not see this as a reminder that your goldie is going to pass away at some point, because that’s not my intention at all. This is part of dog ownership. If you don’t want to read it, please just scroll on. Thank you

On Monday we had to say goodbye to my baby Luca, my childhood dog and the one that watched me grow up during these 12 and a half years.

Over a month ago, he stopped barking, and he started to snore when sleeping, which is something he had never done before. We noticed that he had some lumps in his throat. It didn’t look good. After taking him to the vet, our suspicions were confirmed: he was diagnosed with lymphoma (this breed is very prone to this cancer). I was utterly devastated because I knew the end was coming.

When the vet saw him, she was very blunt and honest with us: if we wanted to, we could put him through chemo, but that was just going to prolong his suffering, and he would’ve had a lot of side effects, mainly because of his age, and it wasn’t a guarantee that he would beat the disease. He also had arthritis and neurological disorders since 2022.

In the last few weeks, he took a turn for the worse. The lymphomas started to spread all over his body very quickly, and they grew larger and larger as the days went by. It was aggressive cancer. He slowed down a lot and stopped being himself. He couldn’t stand up on his back legs without being aided, he couldn’t sleep through the night, he stopped eating, his breathing worsened because of the tumours on his throat…. Watching him deteriorate was really heartbreaking. There was no point in suffering any longer. It was not worth it for anyone, neither for him nor for us.

Last week we set an appointment for Monday so we could have some days to say goodbye. In his last days, I stayed at home 24/7 just to be with him. I only left the house to take him out for his walks. We took lots of pics together although he hated it lol (the first two pics I attached were taken on Monday), we slept together, I did his paw print and a cast, and I kept some of his fur.

Putting him down was the hardest and most painful thing I’ve ever witnessed. I will never forget it. But my duty was to be by his side through thick and thin, and there was no way I would let my baby go without me being there.

Luca, thank you for all the wonderful years full of unconditional and boundless love and happiness that you gave us. The house feels so empty without you… I’ll miss your walks, seeing you go under the table waiting for food scraps to drop, when you followed me around the house, seeing you greet me at the door when I get home, your barks asking for food, seeing you on the balcony soaking up the sun… You were more than a pet and a companion to me, and I’m so so grateful to have had you by my side for so many years. You will be in my heart until the last days of my life. I will never forget you. We’ll meet again, I promise. I love you💛