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Cape Town - It's like 'The Bucket List' meets 'All Dogs go to Heaven'. Only this time, it's a real-life story with an equally bittersweet ending.
When Lauren Fern Watt, a travel writer and public relations professional in New York, first learnt that her heart's companion, Gizelle, would soon die due to terminal bone cancer, she created a bucket list with everything she knew her 73kg English Mastiff would want to do in life.
Watt, a 25-year-old New Yorker hailing from Brentwood, Tennessee, told People Magazine that she wanted to enjoy her last months with Gizelle and really cherish their life together, instead of focusing on being sad about the fact that she had cancer.
While the veterinarian wasn't expecting Gizelle to live past Christmas, the pair spent the dog's second to last day sitting by the ocean together in early January.
Watt, who will also go on to write a book about her adventures with Gizelle, said that that moment on the beach with Gizelle was a fitting end to their 8 years together.
Watt wrote on her blog about the end of their travels saying, "Even in the emptiness of that beach that day, I could see Gizelle running free long the shore, rolling in the sand, awkwardly spooked by approaching waves... I knew she would live on through my experiences, and that I gave her the best life I could.'
She posted on Instagram saying, "I lost my best friend yesterday. Gizelle was the most sensitive and loving creature I'd ever known and words can't explain how much I will miss her. We had many adventures together and I'll carry her with me on more. Heaven has gained a beautiful doggy angel. Rest in peace, Gizelle."
The bucket Watt created for Gizelle list was filled with activities fit for a canine: road trips, swimming in the ocean, eating ice-cream and having unlimited cuddle sessions.
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