There’s no denying that pet owners have a very special relationship with their beloved furbabies. Pet owners, well, at least the good ones, will do just about anything to make sure that their animals are happy and healthy at all times. Unfortunately, like humans, furbabies can get really sick. This pet owner received the worst news possible about the animal she loved most, but instead of crying until he passed, she decided to do something to make the rest of his life as beautiful as possible.She decided it was time to expand her family. She figured that the best way to do that was by bringing an adorable pup into the mix. His name was Finn. He was only a few weeks old, and Cynthia fell in love with him immediately.
They were the best of friends, and Finn became her rock when her father passed away due to cancer. Cynthia knew that she couldn’t have picked a better dog, and if he could talk, Finn would say the same thing about Cynthia.
It wasn’t long before Robert was a part of the family and Finn was leading the way on family adventures. But after a while, Robert and Cynthia realized that it was time for Finn to have a little brother or sister.
Finn and Yogi instantly became best friends. Everything was going perfect for the little family, but they would soon find out that heartbreak was around the corner.
Finn was only six years old, but he was diagnosed with lymph node cancer. Sadly, the cancer was terminal. Cynthia and Robert were crushed, but they knew that they had to make the rest of Finn’s life as beautiful as possible.
The Live Like Roo Foundation financially and emotionally helps families that have animals that have been diagnosed with cancer. They send care packages to sick pets that include items, such as tennis balls, handmade blankets, McDonald’s gift cards, and plush toys.
Putting their heads together, they came up with a bucket list for Finn. Finn was about to live out the rest of his life in the best way possible, and they were excited to make it happen.
Of course, some of his favorite things to do were on the list, like hiking in the woods or walking along the beach. But there were also things on the list that Finn had never done before.
His first stop would be on a tethered hot air balloon ride. After, he enjoyed a nice steak dinner with his family. And he was even patient enough to wait for his food while it was being prepared for him! What a good pup!
Since Cynthia and Robert knew that they loved each other and that they couldn’t get married without their Finn by their side, they made a decision. On August of 2018, they tied the knot.
Cynthia and Robert brought Finn to the fire station to check out the trucks and meet the firemen. He also got to take his very first ride in the front seat of a police car! Hopefully, they let him put on the sirens for a bit.
Sadly, the chemo wasn’t working and Finn was slipping away. “We [knew] he [was] dying, but we [tried] to make him happy,” explained Cynthia. So, it was time to throw Finn a party.
Things were beginning to look grim for Finn, so Cynthia and Robert knew they needed to start checking off more things on his bucket list.
He even ran in a 5k to burn off all of that weight from the extra treats he was getting! Finn also got to eat a lobster in Maine.
Sadly, on November 3, 2018, while his family was lying by his side, Finn peacefully slipped away from this world. As broken as their hearts were, Cynthia and Robert knew that Finn had lived a happy life filled with love and adventure.
After Finn was diagnosed, the couple began to write a book about Finn’s life of courage and adventure. They wanted to make sure that other families who were dealing with the loss of a pet, or had a pet who was diagnosed with cancer, had a resource to look to for help.
So the couple turned to GoFundMe to attempt to raise the funds to have the book published. As of December, they had managed to raise more than half of the money needed. They even promised to donate any extra money to the National Canine Cancer Foundation, the Live Like Roo Foundation, and Emma’s Foundation for Canine Cancer, which would help continue Finn’s list by helping other dog’s with cancer.
