Finn the golden retriever was one well-loved pooch. According to the Daily Mail, the very good boy developed terminal cancer last May. When they learned of his condition, Finn's owners, Cynthia and Robert Peterson, created a bucket list to make the most of his final days.
Over the past few months, Finn has enjoyed a trip in a hot air balloon and gone apple picking. He went on a tour around the local fire station, ate steak, and even got to go on TV.
At the start of November, Finn died at home, surrounded by his beloved humans and his dog brother, Yogi. Amazingly, Cynthia and Robert successfully completed almost every one of the 50 items on Finn's bucket list before his death. But there's just one item left.
Now the Petersons hope to check off the 50th item on the list: writing a children's book about Finn's story to honor his legacy.
"I think that everyone can learn something from our experience," Cynthia wrote on the Dogist. "If not for the sheer concept of talking a little bit more about grief, loss, death, dying, and end-of-life decision making."
This is Finn. The golden retriever from Burlington, Vermont, was diagnosed with lymphoma last spring.
Unfortunately, Finn's condition was terminal. His owners, Cynthia and Robert, knew that he had only a limited amount of time left.
Finn had been in Cynthia's life since he was only weeks old in 2012.
Finn's family wanted to make sure his final days were really, really special.
So they created a bucket list with 50 items for Finn to complete before he died.
Over the months, Finn and his brother Yogi got to do all kinds of exciting activities from the bucket list.
"Working on Finn’s bucket list was a lot of fun and helped us to create so many memories together this summer and fall," Cynthia wrote on the Dogist.
"We knew that the end of Finn’s life should be just as amazing as the rest of his life."
Finn rode in a hot air balloon and ate a delicious steak dinner.
He got a Superman costume to wear to chemotherapy.
He also went on a tour around the local fire station.
And he rode in a police car!
With 49 out of 50 items crossed off his bucket list, Finn died at the beginning of November. He died at home, surrounded by his human family and his dog brother Yogi.
"We thought that [putting Finn to sleep] would be the most difficult decision that we would ever have to make, but it was not," Cynthia wrote. "We upheld Finn’s quality of life and preserved every ounce of his dignity until the very end."
Now the Petersons are hard at work crossing off the very last item on Finn's bucket list: writing a children's book about his story.
They began work on the book before Finn died, and they're determined to complete it now that he's gone.
The family is raising money toward the project on GoFundMe.
"With your support for this book project, Finn's bucket list adventures can live on for generations to come and can continue to inspire families everywhere," the fundraising page reads.
By turning Finn's story into a book aimed at younger audiences, the Petersons hope to not only commemorate his life but also teach kids about pet cancer, pet loss, and grief.
The project has raised over $5,000 so far, through donations to the book's GoFundMe page.
