If you’re an animal lover, you know the heartbreak that comes with losing a pet. You’d do anything to save them if you could. That’s exactly how Janine Guido felt when she met Watson, a dog in desperate need. Janine, who runs Speranza Animal Rescue, couldn’t turn her back on him.
Watson was a homeless pitbull, found in Philadelphia by a college student. The poor dog was covered in sores, had a tumor on his leg, and was severely malnourished. The student rushed him to an emergency vet, but the news wasn’t good. Watson’s condition was critical, and he had cancer that was rapidly spreading.
With little hope left, Watson was moved to a shelter where staff promised to keep him comfortable.
“I had a feeling things wouldn’t get better by the next day. I couldn’t leave him alone. Not when he needed me the most,” Janine shared with The Dodo.
Determined to be there for Watson, she gathered blankets and made a cozy bed for him. Then she held him close all night.
“He slept so soundly, snuggled up tight to me. I cried myself to sleep, and I woke up with tears,” Janine recalled.
The next morning, Watson began to pace, and soon, he stopped eating and drinking. Janine knew his time was coming, but she stayed by his side, offering the love and comfort he needed.
Not long after, Watson passed away, but he spent his final moments surrounded by love—maybe for the first time in his life.
It was a tough goodbye for Janine.
“I’m so grateful I could hold him through his last night. I kept telling him how loved he was and that his life mattered. My heart was breaking, but I wouldn’t change a thing,” she said.
