Tears as Owner Makes Memories With Her Dog After Pet's Fatal Diagnosis

A dog owner has left the internet in tears after sharing a collection of all the best memories she made with her late dog, a golden retriever called Riggins who crossed the rainbow bridge about three years ago after a terminal cancer diagnosis.

In the post shared on TikTok earlier in November, under the username Thedogwiththeangelkiss, the owner and her dog can be seen doing all his favorite things before his passing. A caption along with the post explains: "Things we did after getting the cancer diagnosis. Took Riggins to our favorite beach for a few days. Spent lots of time talking to each other. Lots of hugs.

"Photographed him as much as I could. Took him to see his best friend. Had a photoshoot of the two of us. Facetimed when I was away. Received lots of loving gifts. Celebrated lymphoma awareness holidays. Got to spend one last holiday together. He still joined me for morning coffee. And snuggles. He enjoyed his last holiday with all his family."

The poster, Kristina, told Newsweek that Riggins was her "soul dog" that she got when she was in her 20s and still single, and they did everything together.

She said: "We traveled around Oregon, went to golden retriever meet-ups and he helped get me through the heaviness of just losing my older brother and also managing my own chronic illness. He was a lifesaver.

"Unfortunately Riggins was diagnosed with an aggressive form of lymphoma when he was only 3.5 years old. We pursued treatment options, but Riggins stopped responding to it after 3 months. We were able to spend one last family holiday together with Riggins (it was actually Thanksgiving so the anniversary of his death is coming up). Then the next day, we said see you soon to one another."

According to VCA Animal Hospitals, lymphoma is a relatively common cancer, accounting for 15-20 percent of new cancer diagnoses in dogs, and is most common in middle-aged and older dogs. Moreover, they suggest there might be a genetic component to lymphoma because some breeds seem to be more affected than others, although this has not been confirmed.

"Some breeds predisposed to lymphoma include Chow Chow; Basset Hound; Scottish, Airedale, West Highland White, Yorkshire, and Bull Terriers; Golden Retriever; English Bulldog; German Shepherd; Beagle; Rottweiler; Saint Bernard; Poodle," it said.

The video quickly went viral on social media, getting viewers from across TikTok. It has so far received over 497,300 views and 39,300 likes on the platform.

One user, Abby Peeler775, commented: "We just lost out baby Blizzard at 6. got sick within 1 week, took him to the vet diagnosed w lymphoma, died same day. our heart is still broken." And Em said: "I'm literally BAWLING my eyes out I cannot imagine the pain of losing my golden."

Leonise Johnson wrote: "Oh this is my greatest fear. I don't think I can ever walk the road of saying goodbye to another dog again."

And Fe_ Amrhine added: "I just went through this with my sweet girl. Hardest goodbye I've ever had to experience. Their love is irreplaceable."

Do you have funny and adorable videos or pictures of your pet you want to share? Send them to life@newsweek.com with some details about your best friend and they could appear in our Pet of the Week lineup.