My Roommates And I Adopted A Dog. We Found Out He Had Cancer A Week Later
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My Roommates And I Adopted A Dog. We Found Out He Had Cancer A Week Later

We're making the rest of Reggie's life the best of Reggie's life.

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My Roommates And I Adopted A Dog. We Found Out He Had Cancer A Week Later
Zoe Yergler

A few months before the 2017 school year began, one of my future roommates asked our other roommate and me if we would be okay with her bringing a dog to live with us for the school year. The dog's name was Reggie and he was the dog of a family my roommate worked for. Their family was growing and they knew they didn't have the time to give Reggie the amount of attention he wanted, so they offered him to my roommate, who'd always shower him with love and treats.

Being the open-hearted dog-loving college girls we were, of course, we said we didn't mind. When we finally got to school in August, Reggie was eager and excited to be in his new home with three young girls who were about to spoil him rotten. From the very beginning, you could just tell how grateful and excited he was to be receiving so much attention and care. All he wanted was a whole lot of love.

The first week Reggie was with us, he was simply overwhelmed with the amount of attention he was getting, and though he was happy, something seemed off. He was slow when walking up the stairs to our apartment and he got tired easily. After about a week of Reggie's sluggish and sickly behavior, my roommate took him to the vet to get things checked out.

Much to our dismay, the doctor diagnosed Reggie with prostate cancer and gave him about six to eight months to live. The initial news was devastating. There we were just trying to find a little canine companionship for the school year, and our chosen pup was slowly getting sicker as the days passed. After a lot of consideration, and some fundraising, it was decided that we would keep him with us and do whatever we could to make the rest of his life the best of his life.

Every day since Reggie's diagnosis, it's been nothing but easy-living for our special guy. He goes on three walks a day, gets plenty of treats, and endless amounts of love and praise. Every day he's told how handsome and loved he is, and he's enjoying every minute of it. Some of his favorite things are car rides, trips to Petsmart, salmon, chili, long walks, and time spent at home with the three girls who adore him the most. Sometimes we spoil him so much, he starts to push the limits and begs for food and walks. It's hard to say no to such a sweet boy whose days with us are fleeting.

Some people would have suggested that we should save ourselves the trouble, and put him down upon diagnosis. It was just so clear that Reggie had so much life left to live and happiness to spread, that his time on Earth wasn't quite yet over. Even though we're aware that the inevitable goodbye in the end is going to hurt beyond belief, we know the time spent together over the next couple of months will be the best and happiest of his life.

For the record, we did not save Reggie's life, he saved ours.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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