A couple are ticking off a bucket list for their terminally ill puppy after she was tragically diagnosed with fatal kidney disease.
Golden retriever Willow is just six-months-old and has less than one year to live - but Mike Lauer, 30, and his girlfriend, Jessie, 29, are determined to make the most of the time they have.
Mike, from Philadelphia, US, told The Mirror : "There will be a day when we won’t have Willow, anymore. Until then, we’re going to treat each day with her like it’s our last."
The couple have made plans to take Willow to the beach, let her ride in the car with the windows down and go camping, hiking and boating.
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The pair picked their dream pet at the beginning of the year and welcomed home goldie Willow in January.
"We felt like we came into being puppy parents prepared - we'd read books, watched videos, talked with friends," Mike said.
But just two months later, Willow began showing signs that she wasn't feeling well - and nothing could prepare them for the news that was about to come.
Mike said: "We noticed that Willow had diarrhoea and was vomiting. We had given her new treats and she'd been playing outside and eating leaves and grass.
"We talked to our vet about it, and they said it was just a 'puppy stomach' and something that should resolve in a few days."
Mike switched Willow's diet to bland chicken and rice, but she didn't get any better.
After running numerous health tests, vets discovered Willow was having problems with her kidneys and there was a chance she could die.
"We thought we were saying goodbye to her," Mike said.
"Although she has recovered from her kidney infection, the damage done to the kidneys is such that she has been diagnosed with IRIS Stage III Chronic Kidney Disease."
Vets gave Willow less than one year to live, and faced with an inevitable goodbye, Mike began planning how to spend their last moments together.
Him and Jessie reached out to fellow dog lovers on Reddit asking for their ideas to create a bucket list.
Mike said: "We'd been told that she wouldn’t have a long life but getting a concrete amount of time put it in perspective for us."
The pair have since brainstormed a lot of ideas and made plans to take Willow to the beach for the first time, where she'll be able to run freely.
"She loves running up steps, so we're going to take her to the Philadelphia Art Museum and let her run up those steps like Rocky," Mike said.
"Many of the items on her list include outdoor activities like a trip to the beach, hiking, camping, boating, jumping in snow, diving in mud."
Mike wants to let Willow ride in the car with the windows down and let her sleep in their bed.
He added: "We can't imagine life without her now. She always makes our day better just by being her.
"Knowing that Willow has a shorter lifespan than expected makes me want to treat each day like it's the greatest day of all time.
"It can be difficult to do that because of simple daily routines and limitations on travel. But something I’ve been telling myself for a while is that it’s important to find beauty in the mundane.
"Even if it’s just walking her or letting her gnaw on my hand, each moment needs be treated like it’s special.
"There will be a day when we won’t have Willow, anymore. Until then, we’re going to treat each day with her like it’s our last."
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