When travel PR executive Lauren Fern Watt's English mastiff was diagnosed with terminal bone cancer, she was heartbroken. Gizelle, the massive 160-pound mastiff had been Lauren's best friend, roommate, and judging by her
Instagram account, her favourite photo accessory as well.
Her confidant of so many years - from Tennessee to busy New York - was about to leave her and Lauren knew she had to do something to make Gizelle's last few months special.
With that in mind, Lauren created a bucket-list - of places to see and things to do - and together the dog and her human disembarked on a journey that led them to the hills, to the beaches, and to 'Christmas pugs'.
Early in January, Gizelle succumbed to her illness, leaving behind some beautiful pictorial memories for not just Lauren but also for people across the world.
After
Lauren blogged about Gizelle's bucket-list adventure, her beautiful story was shared over and over, touching people's lives and hearts.
Condolences and best wishes have been pouring in specially on her Instagram account:
Touched by the response, Lauren thanked everyone through Twitter:
"Tweets can't explain how touched I am that our story has made it so far #India #Europe #Vietnam #Mexico #Australia #Gizellesbiggestadventure"
Here are some of the pictures detailing 'Gizelle's biggest adventure' and her adorable human.
1. Lauren and Gizelle happened to be lovers of "The Little Mermaid". In particular, the boat scene where Ariel, the mermaid, is rowed around by Prince Eric was Gizelle and Lauren's favourite. So obviously, Lauren had to take her mastiff out on her first boat ride, where she went along paw-tiously, suspicious of what she was getting into. But once the wind picked up, Lauren and Gizelle paddled along, happily soaking up the sun and the beautiful scenery around them.
2. Everybody loves Christmas, and Gizelle was no different but pot-bellied men with white beards spooked her according to Lauren so she found a canine alternative for her dog: 3 little pugs dressed in Santa finery. Check out Gizelle with her candy ears.
3. It is a truth universally known that ALL dogs love ice cream. They had vanilla ice cream while on a dock, and they both loved it.
4. This was taken on a chilly day on a beach in Maine. Writes Lauren, "It was then I realised that I was okay with letting Gizelle go... 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."