A man from Argentina gave a sick dog the best possible farewell gift when he adopted him so he could live out the rest of his days with ‘unconditional love’.
Luciano Karosas, from Berazategui in Buenos Aires, welcomed the dog into his home during his final weeks – after four families had already rejected the animal because of his illness.
Thanos the dog, who had previously been called Coconut prior to his adoption by 21-year-old Luciano, had a cancerous tumour growing on his head and only had weeks left to live before being taken in by the kindhearted man.
The poor pup had been living with a different family when he received his cancer diagnosis, but when taking care of Thanos became too difficult for them – after the disease spread to his head – they felt like they had to give him up.
He was then taken in by a number of other families, but they also couldn’t handle his condition and what it entailed and so Thanos was yet again given to an animal shelter – where he met Luciano.
When the 21-year-old visited the shelter, he was touched by the dog’s heartbreaking story and decided there and then to take him in and fill his last days with the feeling of unconditional love. ‘I came out with a piece of my heart in my hand,’ he told Portal Amigo Cao.
Luciano was determined to make Thanos’s last days special, but initially didn’t want to accept there was nothing he could do to save the animal. So in a bid to save his life, the 21-year-old took the dog to the vets in the hope that they might be able to operate.
He explained:
I found it hard to adapt to the idea of how little time we will spend together. I took him to a stem cell veterinarian to see what we could do, looking for a little more hope (which had given him 40 days to live) and told me that there is no treatment that extends that time.
Following the disappointing news that nothing could be done, Luciano simply decided the two would make the most out of what limited time Thanos had left.
He pampered the dog as much as he could, with Thanos seeming happier than ever in the short time he was living with Luciano – even playing and snuggling like any other dog.
Sadly though, Thanos eventually succumbed to the illness and he passed away earlier this year, with his adopted owner wishing him a ‘good trip’ on social media and writing: ‘I will love you forever.’
Rest in peace, Thanos.
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A Broadcast Journalism Masters graduate who went on to achieve an NCTJ level 3 Diploma in Journalism, Lucy has done stints at ITV, BBC Inside Out and Key 103. While working as a journalist for UNILAD, Lucy has reported on breaking news stories while also writing features about mental health, cervical screening awareness, and Little Mix (who she is unapologetically obsessed with).