Lauren Fern Watt and her 160-pound English Mastiff, Gizelle, were living a happy life together. But when Lauren got news that her pooch had terminal bone cancer and was living on borrowed time, she knew that their days sharing experiences were coming to an end.
So Lauren took it upon herself to make her beloved dog’s last few moments as unforgettable as possible.
Despite being devastated by the grave news, the 25-year-old knew she knew she had to do something special for Gizelle before her time ran out. So she came up with an idea: both of them would see as much of the world as possible by going on an adventure filled bucket list.
Since both of them were fans of the boat ride scene with Prince Eric and Ariel from The Little Mermaid, a canoe ride had to be first on the list.
Even with Gizelle’s initial fear of the ride, the two still got to enjoy it all the same. It was a great change of pace compared to their busy New York City life.
A visit to Times Square was next in line for the duo.
Standing at the Crossroads of the Worlds while watching smiling people pass by was nothing short of magical.
They also visited Well’s Beach in Maine where they enjoyed two delicious lobsters.
Gizelle cooked it to perfection, with the assistance of Lauren of course.
Wanting more of the peace that nature brings, the two spent a day by the docks watching the boats float by while eating ice cream.
They also went on a road trip through New England with Watt’s best friend, Rebecca.
The only problem they had was figuring out what Gizelle’s preferred music was for the long ride.
In Washington Square Park, they were serenaded by a man with an out-of-tune guitar.
They even talked to another who had a fish tattooed on his face, and helped a lady in a red kimono feed the pigeons.
They then went to a party where Gizelle met and flirted with a cute boy dog by the name of Auggie.
And when Gizelle’s appetite started getting problematic, they had the perfect treat together…
Who can refuse a delicious donut?
They even got to meet Santa.
Sure, they were three little dogs instead of a human Santa, but Gizelle preferred it better that way.
The day before she died, the two enjoyed the day sitting by the shore in Maine.
Watt said:
Part of me wondered if this was her plan all along, to take me on an adventure, knowing we’d end up on a deserted beach alone. The whole world felt lifeless, and it was hard to believe this beach was once filled with rainbow-colored umbrellas and cute boys lathered in SPF.
It was then I realized that I was okay with letting Gizelle go. Even in the emptiness of that beach that day, I could see Gizelle running free along 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. And that to me was infinitely healing.
She added that while losing Gizelle was harder than she could have ever expected, the bucket list helped her come to terms with it.
Her last day was so much harder than I ever could have expected, but I also had so much comfort knowing we had done so much in the past months and lived life so fully. I knew it was her time, and her bucket list really helped me navigate that.