Dogs become members of the family, and that is why it is so important that they’re there for all the big life events – even the tragic moments. And many people all around the world understand this, which is why you often read stories about hospital staff or hospice workers bending rules in order for their patients to be able to give a proper goodbye to their beloved pets.
When one woman was hospitalized in Brazil, the staff were more than happy to break some rules in order to fulfill her final wish: say goodbye to her pet poodle with a kiss and a cuddle.
Normally in southern Brazil, at the Santa Maria University Hospital, pets are not allowed. But when 80-year-old Maria Teresinha Prieto Flores, known as Tetê to her close friends, was dying, she wanted to say goodbye to her Poodle, Pink. Tetê was a widow with no kids, who’d had Pink for 8 years. However, several months prior to her death, she had been hospitalized with advanced lung cancer.
As Jéssica Stello, a close friend of Tetê who was also the daughter of Tetê’s godson, explained to the Brazilian newspaper, Diário de Santa Maria, “They drank coffee together every morning. They were inseparable. Often she would stay at home and refuse to go to places where Pink wasn’t allowed.”
During her hospitalization, Tetê told some of the hospital staff how much she would like to say goodbye to her beloved Pink one last time. Touched by her plight, the workers decided to help her realize her last wish. After taking the request higher, the hospital granted permission for Pink to visit Tetê in the hospital, provided that the little pooch was all up-to-date on all her vaccinations.
In anticipation of Pink’s big visit, she received a special grooming. The reunion was naturally a very emotional one, as the newspaper reported. According to the paper, in the days prior, Tetê had been quite weak and quiet, but when she saw her beloved dog, she found her strength again. She was able to give Pink a big hug and kiss goodbye.
Four days after their meeting, Tetê passed away.
As one hospital worker, the one who helped to arrange the reunion, said, “It was worth it to see her joy, even for a few minutes.”
It was such a relief that Tetê had a chance to say goodbye to her beloved Pink.
Watch the emotional video below:
