The fidelity of some animals knows no limits and this was demonstrated by a dog sick with terminal cancer that lasted long enough to see her owner again after a military deployment.
Eric Ralston serves in the United States Navy and was deployed in Guam (Micronesia) for eight months.
The name of this very loyal creature is Kermie. The 11-year-old Lab-Beagle-Chow Chow mix was taken to a dental clinic for a checkup and cleaning and was diagnosed with cancer.
Jennifer Ralston, wife of the marine, took the furry for a consultation a month after the man was deployed to a new mission.
Unfortunately, the reality was different, since Kermie was diagnosed with oral cancer or oral melanoma and the life expectancy was two to three months.
Unfortunate news for the whole family but especially for Eric, who thought he would never see his pet alive again.
The dog was for them that first approach to parenthood.
“We were devastated, to say the least. Kermie was our first child, and we didn’t think Eric would ever see her again,” said Ms Ralston.
After the diagnosis, Jennifer took personal care of the dog. The woman gave her her medicine and hand-fed her to make sure she ate enough, but there were weeks when she thought Kermie wouldn’t resist and would die without saying goodbye to her human.
Although she had several relapses, the hairy one far exceeded the time that she had been predicted to live.
In fact, there was an extension of the mission and the family thought that the man would not arrive on time, but the marine managed to hug his furry one the day he returned home to Northglenn, Colorado.
Through a video on social networks, the reunion of the father and the furry one was shared, and it went viral.
Kermie overcame the odds and held on until the arrival of her human. In fact, in the recording you can see an extremely happy and energetic dog.
The only explanation we have for the case is that the happiness that the canine felt at that moment was the best medicine to recharge her energies and her heart.
In the recording of a few seconds, the dog is seen running desperate to hug dad without stopping to move her tail, to the point of licking his face as well.
Her happiness is really contagious, not even the family could explain Kermie’s reaction:
“Her [Eric’s] return was kind of a magic pill for her. She started eating and drinking again, without a fight! Watching the homecoming video, you can’t even see the matches from the previous months,” wrote Jennifer Ralston.
Eric’s return was just before Christmas and those weeks after the dog showed great spirits, even managed to celebrate her twelfth birthday in January, but crossed the rainbow weeks later.
Kermie’s cancer had advanced a long way and in February all her pain returned, so the family listened to the vet’s recommendation and put her to sleep .
The hairy girl closed her eyes in the arms of the man she loved so much and to whom she remained loyal until the last moment.
From heaven this little girl teaches all human beings a great lesson and we are pleased to know that she managed to hug dad for the last time.
