25 Stories About People's Last Day With Their Pet That'll Make You Cry

    "He was tired and he knew."

    Becky Barnicoat
    by Becky Barnicoat

    BuzzFeed Staff

    We asked members of the BuzzFeed Community to tell us about their pet's last day. Here are some of their responses…

    1. "I sang to her from The Fox and the Hound."

    "My Pekingese, Roxie, was with me when I got married, got pregnant, had multiple miscarriages, had three beautiful kids, moved cross-country twice, and lost my 8-year-old niece suddenly. When I say 'with me,' I mean she rejoiced in the happy times, and rescued me from debilitating grief.

    "On her last day, she rode in my lap as I took her to the vet. I sang Mary Chapin Carpenter’s “10,000 miles” to her the whole way. She was deaf, but it calmed her. When she was going to sleep in my arms, I sang from The Fox and the Hound: 'Goodbye may seem forever, farewell is like the end, but in my heart's the memory, and there you’ll always be.' I miss her, but we will meet again."

    – tenfoldsnails

    2. "We put on videos of mice to distract him from the pain."

    "This is Thomas O’Malley, my beloved cat of 16 years. We put him down in July because he stopped eating and had stomach issues. The day we took him in, we put on videos of mice to distract him from the pain. It made him feel better for a short amount of time, and allowed us to enjoy our last few minutes with him."

    – alyssacastor07

    3. "I bought her french fries and a couple of hot dogs."

    "Lucy was the light of my life. I was lucky to know her from the time I adopted her at eight weeks to her final day in her 15th year. On our final car ride together, I bought her french fries and a couple of hot dogs. Then we drove up Coast Highway with her head out the window soaking up the sun and the smell of the sea, which would be her final resting place when I scattered her ashes. She taught me what unconditional love looks like. #IStillLoveLucy."

    – Becky Trac3y

    4. "It was the first time I'd seen a life end."

    "This is my cat Kichi. When she was about 7, a lump developed on one of her legs. The vet thinks it was aggressive bone cancer and by the time anyone realized, it was too late. She was so sick and anemic that she literally was gasping for air.

    "I stayed with her when it happened. She sat on my lap purring until the very end. I scratched her face and told her what a good kitty she was and how much I loved her, how she helped me cope with depression. It was the first time I’d seen a life end. I will never forget that feeling of helplessness and sorrow."

    – amyr40cfc3ea6

    5. "I knew it was the last time I would look into her beautiful brown eyes."

    "My beautiful cavalier girl died two weeks short of her 13th birthday. I remember it like yesterday. She had stopped eating the day before and I knew that something was wrong because she loved food. That morning I took her out to pee but her legs wouldn’t carry her. I picked her up and she put her little wet nose against my neck. I said I’m sorry and thank you.

    "I didn’t let go of her until we came to the vet, because I knew it was the last time I would look into her beautiful brown eyes or pet her long silky ears. I will always love you, Vivan La Salsa. Goodbye for now, my friend, until we meet again."

    – lakriitz

    6. "We watched movies, snuggled quietly, and just enjoyed our final hours together."

    "My George, the best friend I could ever ask for. For 12 years he traveled with me to college and across the country. November 2015 he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

    "Our last night together we watched movies, snuggled quietly, and just enjoyed our final hours together. On February 11, 2016, the vet came over to my apartment to help him pass peacefully at home. I played the California Outback album so he would fall asleep listening to the sounds of home. He looked up at me one last time, gave me one last head nudgie, and let me know it was going to be OK and we’d see each other again. He fell asleep in my arms as I told him I’ll never stop loving him."

    – rosiethervtr

    7. "I whispered what a good bird she was."

    "I got my budgie, Junior, when I was 6. Last May, I celebrated 14 years with her. I woke up early one morning and she looked worse than I’d ever seen her. I knew she was dying. I gave her her dose of pain meds, laid down, and set her on my chest. She tucked herself under my chin and I whispered what a good bird she was. She died within the hour."

    – starburned

    8. "He was tired and he knew."

    "My dog Dakota went into sudden renal failure last September. All he wanted was to rest his weary head in my lap and have me pet him. I laid on the kitchen floor with him, talking to him and telling him how much I loved him. He was tired, and he knew."

    – brittanyf4c1600928

    9. "She had lived a long and adventurous life."

    "Our dog Chloe was part of our family for longer than I can remember. I hugged her, kissed her, and my mom took this picture. She was 19, and had lived a long and adventurous life, filled with human and paw pals alike.

    I love her so much. I may run after other dogs, but there’s no pooch in this world that could ever replace her."

    – Valerie G. G.

    10. "I put her in bed, and covered her up."

    "My Maria was a 14-year-old chihuahua. She died last year. I could hear her whimpering at 4am, so I got up and loved on her for a while. I put her in her bed and covered her up. I left a note to my mom telling her Ria wasn’t feeling good. I woke up to a note saying Ria passed away. It broke my heart."

    – NinaVollmer

    11. "He was the good boy."

    "I finally revealed to him that HE was the good boy."

    – notadisneyprincess

    12. "I was completely distraught."

    "Alley came into my life around 1997. He had been abandoned and was living in the alley behind my apartment. He became my best companion. You can see how snuggly he was, so sweet.

    The picture of him wrapped in the blankets is our car ride to the vet. I held Alley while the vet put him down. And I kept holding him, even after he passed. I was completely distraught. Alley and I had been together for almost two decades. I miss him all the time."

    – avrinsupergirl

    13. "I felt horrible thinking maybe he knew it was happening."

    "We got my dog Ben all the way back when I was 4. When I was 18, my dad mentioned getting Ben put down because he was so old and sick. He'd been getting weaker for a while; we couldn't take him on walks anymore, and he would have accidents without any warning at all.

    "We got him a nice steak the day before we took him to the vets. When we were waiting in the vets, he had another accident and I felt horrible thinking maybe he knew it was happening. I stayed in the room and talked to him and petted him until he wasn't with us anymore.

    "I'll never forget him and to honour him, when we got another dog we got a yellow Labrador like him, and gave it a name beginning with B."

    – Jasmin Nahar

    14. "He ate a cheeseburger and fries."

    "Isaac went for a walk, played ball, went for a ride, and ate a cheeseburger and fries, with an ice cream cone to top it off. He rode to the vet between my husband and I in the same spot we had picked him up in nine years before."

    – jeannieschlickec

    15. "I started sleeping on the floor with him so he wouldn’t be lonely."

    "My Shender Bender (Shen) was 3 years old when he passed. He was so weak he couldn’t walk or move so I started sleeping on the floor with him so he wouldn’t be lonely.

    "One night he started gasping and I knew it was time. I called for my mom and held his head in my hand and he looked at me. Somehow, he launched himself up to lay his head on my shoulder. I cradled his head and held his paw while he breathed his last."

    – gracerashib

    16. "He greeted me every day and followed me around like a dog."

    "Gus was my best friend for six and a half years. This little fella greeted me every day and followed me around like a dog. He spent the last few months of his life hanging out with me, watching movies on the couch, and getting baths. I miss my buddy every day."

    – rmccollum1189

    17. "We made him delicious human food."

    "On the right is my beloved 18-year-old pug Milo. The day of his appointment the whole family gathered to spend the day with him. We watched movies together, cuddled him, talked to him, sat in the sun with him, took pictures, and of course made him delicious human food because if you’ve ever had a pug you know that human food is pretty much all they think about.

    "We took him to his appointment and held him in our arms as the vet put in an IV. We took our time and sang him his favorite songs. His tired pug body let out a deep sigh and his whole body relaxed. "

    – meghanjlee

    18. "He got his very own steak."

    "We planned Charlie's last day well in advance and I made a mold of his pawprint before he went. His last day was filled with love, lots of hugs, and his very own steak (his favorite table scrap treat). He even got the bone for being such a good boy. After he finished, I took this photo where I truly feel he was smiling. He was ready to get some rest."

    – stephanieb4fb09e075

    19. "He got his favourite smoothie."

    "On my rat Banjo’s last day, he got a special smoothie made with his favorite fruits (banana and apple, with a bit of Greek yogurt) and I carried him around all day in my hoodie pocket. He was 4 years old, and very sickly, so I knew it was almost time. I held him when he took his last breath, and we buried him in a flower bed."

    – sound2503

    20. "We took him on a car ride through all the parks in the city."

    "My shih tzu, Sam, was only 6 years old when he developed cancer. The night before his appointment we took him on a long car ride through all the parks in my city. We let him hang his head out the window, which we never let him very often. The look on his face was priceless: He looked so happy."

    – Alyssa V.

    21. "He knew I was upset and kept wagging his tail."

    "I lost my lovely 15-year-old pit bull, Caesar, last summer. He was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2014. I called and made the appointment, and then sat with him outside. He knew I was upset and kept wagging his tail, to cheer me up. Driving home from the vet, I thought about how, when our other dog died, Caesar had sat in the backyard and howled softly for weeks, grieving, and who was going to howl for him. I miss him so."

    – rachelsporyh

    22. "He spent most of his last day sleeping."

    "I had my Taco 14 years. This picture was taken after running and playing at the lake, and he was worn out. He spent most of his last day sleeping. I remember he stood up at the foot of my bed and I got excited because I thought just maybe he was going to make it a little longer, but his leg folded underneath him and he collapsed. I miss him every single day."

    – tacomoore44

    23. "I remember the feel of her ears, the texture of her fur."

    "The last time I saw Maizie, she pushed her nose under my hand to pet her. I gave her all the normal loving and left. I didn't know it was the end. Every so often I remember details of the last time I met her: the feel of her ears, the texture of her fur, the brush of her wagging tail."

    – dragonasam

    24. "You can't see me sobbing behind the camera."

    "This is my cat, who had liver failure and jaundice. What you can’t see is me sobbing behind the camera, holding my dying cat in my hands, apologizing over and over because I had tried so hard to keep him alive, but he was suffering."

    – funkyturtle

    25. "We ordered him pizza."

    Submissions have been edited for clarity and length.

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