A dog owner is helping his poorly pooch complete an epic bucket list before it dies – including riding in a police car, drinking beer and getting MARRIED.
Golden Retriever Molson, 12, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in March after vets discovered a tumour in its nose and given three months to live.
Owner Tim Griffin decided to create a list of fun things for them to do together in his pet’s dying days to create happy memories.
He brainstormed with his family and asked fellow dog lovers to make some suggestions – and ever since the devastating diagnosis, the duo have made the most of every day.
Divorcee Tim, 36, and his children Elliot, eight, and Chloe, ten, have done everything from going camping to eating breakfast in bed with Molson.
The family even gave the lucky pup a taste of beer, made homemade dog treats and helped him ‘get high’ – suspending him 15ft in the air.
But the highlight was when Molson donned a suit and married black Labrador Josie, 14, who donned a white wedding dress in a ceremony with 30 guests.
Tim, of Red Lion, Pennsylvania, USA, said: “The diagnosis was a shock at first. When you hear the ‘c’ word you think it is a death sentence.
“I have had Molson since 2005 and the children have had him all their lives. The bucket list helped us deal with it.
“He has good days or bad days, and the lump on his nose gives him pain, but we have been taking him out and doing things outdoors with him.
“He loves the water so we thought of different ways to get him into it, like taking him to a waterfall and a hot tub.
“He also enjoys simple things like riding in a car, so we have done that with him. He loved riding in the convertible, you could see his ears and lips flapping.”
Tim also gave Molson a bottle of beer – but not enough to get him drunk.
“He likes beer so on his birthday some years I give him a beer, and since his name is Molson [type of beer] we thought it was fitting.
“He has never had the, ‘Why did I do that,’ moment, but he did enjoy it.’
“Friends also suggested that we get high, so I said, ‘I can’t do that to him but I will put him up in a scissor lift 15ft in the air. He didn’t seem to hate it.”
And last month, Molson trotted down the aisle and tied the knot to his vet’s pooch, 14-year-old black Lab Josie.
He donned a suit and top hat while Josie dressed up in white frills in a ceremony conducted by an ordained minister at the local park.
More than 30 guests – and random dog walkers – attended, with the pups being treated to a triple-layer dog biscuit cake.
Tim said: “At first it was find him a girlfriend,” Griffin said. “Then it was, why not take it to the next level and have him get hitched?
“We are just trying to make sure every day counts.”
Molson first fell ill last November, when Tim noticed a lump on the pet’s nose and took him to see a vet.
At first, medics thought he was suffering from and infection and scans showed he had a foreign object in his nose.
When they operated they found a hard mass and tests showed it was a cancerous tumour.
One of the vets suggested that to soften the blow of the heartbreaking news to his kids, Tim could compile a bucket list of things to do with Molson before he dies.
The dad-of-two says having fun memories to focus on has made dealing with the pooch’s ill health easier.
He added: “It has given us the chance to focus on all the happy memories instead of just sitting at home watching him deteriorate.
“If anyone else is thinking about it I would say, ‘Go for it.’ It has been a lot of fun.”
To read more about Molson’s adventures, visit mistermolson.wordpress.com.
To donate to research into canine cancer, visit www.wearethecure.org/friends/mistermolson
Molson’s bucket list:
Completed:
Go camping
Take a concrete mold of his feet
Get in a hot tub
Go to a dog park
Ride in a convertible
Ride in a police car
Ride on a fire truck
Have breakfast in bed
Have a beer
Get professional family photos
Watch ‘Marley & Me’ with the family
Visit the largest pet store on the East Coast
Eat homemade dog treats
Go to a drive-In movie
Get high
Play in the Snow
Go swimming
Fly in a helicopter
Eat an entire ice cream sundae
Have a steak dinner
Order at a drive thru
March in a parade
Play in a sprinkler
Take a boat ride
Get a dog massage
Find a girlfriend
Get married
Ride in a Harley-Davidson Sidecar
Meet a famous animal
Become a news Anchor
Become a Service Dog
Get a portrait painted
Hike the Appalachian Trail
Become a Canine Good Citizen
Swim at a waterfall
Be a paramedic
Have a dog party
Stay at a dog friendly hotel
Drive through the mountains
Go on a picnic
Wear some bling
Be a lifeguard
Watch a sunset
To do:
Visit Central Park
Eat a Coney Island Hot Dog
Plant a tree
Do dog art
Eat more ice cream
Ride a train
