A 15-year-old senior dog, Toby, desperately needed assistance when he first arrived at Newman Nation: Senior Pets United.
For most of his life, the world disregarded him, and it was very observable that his fur was extremely wrinkled.
The rescue immediately thought of Jennifer Burke because they knew he would need a particular family to foster him.
Burke and her family have previous experience with hospice animals and were desperate to take in Toby.
Burke told The Dodo, “When Toby first came into our family, he was terrified and timid and very sick.” “He was such a sad little mess that we immediately fell in love with him. We found out Toby was blind and deaf not long after we got him, which was quite a shock.”
They soon learned he had cancer, but the little dog recovered remarkably well after surgery, and the family decided he’d be living with them for the rest of their lives.
Toby was instantly captivated by every member of his new family, particularly Zoey.
Zoey was saved from a puppy factory, where she had been repeatedly raised. She was never correctly socially constructed to be shy around other dogs, but she and Toby get along.
The two dogs have been absolutely in love with each other for the past two and a half years and do it all together.
“Seeing two misfits work out friendship and finally fall in love was touching,” Burke said. “They’re made for each other.”
Now, Toby is 17 years old, and his family just found out that he has cancer once more and was given just a few months to live this time around.
His family knew this day would come, but they were still devastated — before they came up with the most brilliant solution.
“After I told my kids his diagnosis, my 8-year-old son, Dillon, said, ‘Well, I think Toby and Zoey should get married before Toby dies,'” Burke said.
“Our family decided right away. It was the ideal way to honor Toby and his significant role in our lives.”
Everyone in the family wanted to make Toby and Zoey’s wedding day perfect, so they started planning it together.
Burke said, “My daughter assisted in selecting Zoey’s wedding gown and wrote the dogs’ vows.” “My sons assisted in the preparing of the backyard for the ceremony.
“My husband proposed that we hold our wedding on our 12th anniversary, making the day even more remarkable.”
All was finally set. The family decorated the backyard and baked the cake, and the entire family dressed up to celebrate Toby and Zoey’s love.
The wedding went off without a hitch. Although Toby and Zoey weren’t big fans of getting dressed up and posing for photos, they enjoyed kissing each other, eating cake, and being together. That has always been their favorite practice.
Toby may not have much time left, but his family is eager to fill his time with as much love as possible. Toby has meant a lot to his family in recent years, mainly to Zoey, and they’re thankful they were able to spend the day celebrating him and his best friend.
“Toby has made such a positive difference in our family over the last 2.5 years, but we had no idea the effect he might have on Zoey,” Burke said.
“She is the one who has benefited the most from Toby’s presence in our lives. And I do not doubt that Toby’s durability is due to Zoey’s role in his life. Although Zoey will have a tough time adjusting to life without Toby, he has made her life much richer than we could have imagined.”
Source: Photo Credit via We Heart It
