A family whose dog is living on borrowed time due to a rare disease has shared the heartbreaking decision to start a bucket list of adventures before saying goodbye.
When Holly Mitchell and Dylan Bradley noticed their loveable pup’s tongue turning blue and him becoming breathless during their usual walks, they feared his life was on the line.
While they claim their vet didn’t seem overly concerned, the couple, aged 21 and 22, continued to monitor Ted’s condition, before taking him to see a specialist.
Soon, after lots of blood tests, an endoscopy and an invasive operation to take fluid samples, he was diagnosed with a lung infection – which turned out to be pulmonary fibrosis, scarring of lung tissue, where he was given 18 months to live.
Now, he’s defied all odds after outliving his life expectancy and although he’s on borrowed time, the pup is making the most of his final days through living out his bucket list wishes.
“I was, and still am, heartbroken that I’m not going to have all the time I imagined with him,” Holly, a student dentist from Glasgow, told NeedToKnow.co.uk.
“You just assume that there’ll be a guaranteed 10 or so years with a dog, so to have that cut short, feels wrong and unfair.
“I wanted to make the most of whatever time he had left, so I came up with the idea of starting a bucket list for him.”
Holly and Dylan, who are childhood sweethearts, had longed for a golden retriever, as they seemed like the “happiest, most loving” breed.
At aged 18, while struggling with her mental health, they decided to bite the bullet and find the perfect pup who could get her out of bed everyday.
In March 2020, she visited a breeder who said they only had one left, who was the runt of the litter that “no one wanted” – and right there, she knew he was the one for them.
She said: “My heart was set on the poor mite and I couldn’t bear to think of him being left behind, unloved.
“Dylan and I had decided to call him Rory, but as we set our eyes on him, we went with the name Ted, since he looked like a little teddy bear.
“Instantly, I fell in love and while he was never a typical crazy, hyper puppy, he quickly became my fur baby.”
Holly describes him as an “old soul” who loves to be cuddled and often is found people watching or becoming friends with owners, rather than their dogs.
Over the years, he’s been showered with gifts on his birthdays and is treated daily with cuddles, kisses and lots of love.
However, since his aforementioned diagnosis earlier this year, his health is quickly declining and now, the pup is also suffering from loss of muscle tone and extremely dry skin.
Although he’s not as energetic as before, they’ve ticked off many items from Ted’s bucket list (see below for full list), including a visit to Edinburgh Castle, a private puppy brunch with puppacinos and two gifted photoshoots.
In a bid to share his final moments, Holly has taken to TikTok, where they now have 57,600 followers tuning into their adventures – with one racking up 894,000 views and 147,000 likes.
Users have flocked to the comments to share their sympathies after watching Ted’s journey.
Sue said: “He is so precious”.
One person wrote: “You are adorable Ted, and a good brother so sorry about your condition.” [sic]
Katie said: “Didn’t plan on crying today but here we are… sending you lots of love Ted!”
Gina said: “Keep the adventure going”.
Pat added: “Heartbreaking”.
Another person wrote: “Very sad but, he seems like a wonderful dog! enjoy every day you can”. [sic]
Before he bids farewell, Ted has also been able to meet his human sister, Lyla, aged 10 months, who is “obsessed” with the pooch.
Holly added: “I always knew he’d be an amazing big brother, as he’s so gentle and patient with children.
“It melts my heart seeing them together and she’s absolutely obsessed with him.
“I’ve been blown away by the love and support online, but I’d take that away in a heartbeat to make Ted better.
“I love that everyone gets to see how amazing he is though, and they clearly love him as much as I do.
“He has good and bad days, sometimes he can manage to walk half-a-mile and somedays, he’d rather chill at home, but we’re taking everything at his pace.
“But I’m devastated, as he doesn’t deserve this at all – he is the most loved and precious boy and I cried for hours when I found out his diagnosis.
“He got me through the hardest time in my life and I couldn’t comprehend that our time together will be cut short.
“If you’re not a dog person, you won’t understand, but he’s literally my baby and now having had an actual baby too, I can confirm the love is the same.
“We’ll cherish every day we have left with our special boy.”
BUCKET LIST:
DONE:
Go to the beach
Visit a castle
Go out for food
Get a puppuccino
Go for brunch
Make paw print jewellery
Get paw print taken
Go to the beach
Feature in a magazine
Family photo shoot
Go to our local shopping centre
Make some art
TO DO:
Stay overnight at a hotel
Get a cheese burger
Breakfast in bed
Have a picnic
Have a steak dinner
Go camping
Eat ice cream
Watch a sunset
Bake some treats
Feed the ducks
Meet farm animals
Name a star
Plant something
