A routine trip to the vet for bad breath turned into heartbreaking news for Kermie’s family. The 11-year-old Lab-Beagle-Chow Chow mix, beloved by Eric Ralston, a principal hospital corpsman in the US Navy, had been diagnosed with oral carcinoma.
The grim prognosis gave Kermie only two to three months to live, leaving her family devastated. Little did they know that Kermie had her own plans, and she refused to say goodbye until her cherished owner returned home from his nine-month deployment.
Eric Ralston had been stationed overseas in March, leaving behind his loving family, including Kermie. When Kermie’s bad breath raised concerns, Eric’s wife took her to the vet for an examination. The devastating diagnosis of cancer shattered their hearts, as Kermie had been their first “fur child,” and they couldn’t fathom Eric missing the chance to see her again.
As time passed, Kermie defied the odds and continued to thrive. Three months turned into several, and hope began to flicker within the Ralston family. With Eric’s deployment nearing its end, they dared to dream that Kermie might get the chance to reunite with him.
However, just 12 days before Eric was scheduled to return home, his deployment was extended, dashing their hopes. The approaching holidays intensified their worry, with Christmas on the horizon, and Kermie’s condition remained uncertain. Still, Kermie persevered, displaying a remarkable will to see Eric once more.
Then, a Christmas miracle unfolded. Eric’s homecoming came earlier than expected, and Kermie was there to welcome him. Adorned with a red bow, she sprinted from the house and into Eric’s loving arms. The reunion breathed new life into Kermie, who had been on her last leg. Eric’s presence was a magic elixir for her, rekindling her appetite and zest for life.
Jennifer Ralston, Kermie’s human mom, remarked, “His return was some kind of magic lozenge for her.” The once-struggling Kermie was now eating and drinking without difficulty, savoring each moment of happiness with Eric by her side. In January, Kermie celebrated her 12th birthday, a testament to her enduring spirit.
However, February brought a turn for the worse. The good days became fleeting, and the Ralston family knew the time had come to make a difficult decision. On February 22nd, Kermie lost her battle with cancer, surrounded by Eric and her loving family.
Kermie’s story is a poignant reminder of the bond between humans and their canine companions. It showcases the incredible resilience and unwavering love that dogs bring into our lives. Though Kermie’s battle ended, her legacy of love and determination lives on, reminding us of the power of unconditional love between pets and their owners.
Please share this heartwarming tale with your friends to celebrate Kermie’s life and the enduring bond between dogs and their humans.
This noseless, tailless dog with only three legs is one of the happiest dogs we’ve ever seen!
A dog with no nose who was almost put down because nobody wanted her has finally found a home.
Bonnie, a Border Collie cross, was rescued in Romania and was on the verge of being put down due to the extent of the injuries she sustained as a stray.
The pooch was found with her snout missing, leaving a large, open wound, and part of her front left leg missing as well.
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Bonnie, a Border Collie cross who is missing its nose and part of its leg, has finally found a home
The pooch was found with her snout missing, leaving a large, open wound, and part of her front left leg missing as well
Kate Comfort, 29, from Canterbury, spotted Bonnie on Facebook and adopted her months later
Bonnie was brought over to the UK by Beacon Animal Rescue Centre where Kate Comfort, 29, from Canterbury, spotted Bonnie on their Facebook page.
It was love at first site for Kate and Bonnie was officially adopted her a few months later.
Kate, a civil servant, said: ‘We adopted Bonnie from Beacon Animal Rescue Centre which is run by my best friend Rebecca.
‘Rebecca put up a post of her with her beautiful big soulful eyes and huge ears and I just fell in love.
‘I had trouble trying to convince my husband at first – as we already had three dogs – but no one wanted Bonnie so I said that I would foster her until we could find her the perfect home.
Bonnie was rescued in Romania and was on the verge of being put down due to the extent of the injuries she sustained as a stray
Bonnie the sweet dog with no nose has finally found a forever home
‘The fact no one wanted her made me want her more, she was vulnerable and needed love.
‘It turned out that her perfect home was our home and we ended up adopting Bonnie ourselves!’
Kate admits she was alarmed by Bonnie’s appearance at first but grew used to it the more time she spent with the dog.
Kate and her husband, Ross, 31, wanted to gain experience of taking care of dogs with unique needs but ended up falling in love with Bonnie and couldn’t give her up.
Upon the decision to adopt her, they began fundraising for Bonnie to get a prosthetic leg, but the wound on her stump kept opening up.
They were advised to remove it and wished they had done it sooner; Bonnie is now completely pain-free and as agile as the couple’s other dogs.
Kate admits she was alarmed by Bonnie’s appearance at first but grew used to it the more time she spent with the dog
Kate and her husband, Ross, 31, wanted to gain experience of taking care of dogs with unique needs but ended up falling in love with Bonnie and couldn’t give her up
Kate said: ‘We thought about paying for Bonnie to have the surgery, but once we realised it would have been purely cosmetic and would have made no positive impact on her life then we decided against it.
‘We thought putting Bonnie through an operation to try to make her look more “normal” would have been cruel.
‘Our Bonnie is perfectly imperfect, we love her just how she is and if anyone is offended by how she looks, then that is their problem – not ours.’
Despite some negative comments towards Bonnie, she boasts 14,000 followers on Instagram where she goes by the name of Bonnie the Brave, with her pictures receiving thousands of likes.
Kate added: ‘I originally created an Instagram page for her when we were trying to raise money for her to have surgery but, even though the surgery never took place, her followers have grown and grown and we have been overcome by how much impact Bonnie’s life is having on people.
It’s not certain what happened to Bonnie’s face with all of her nose and front part of her mouth missing
Despite some negative comments towards Bonnie, she boasts 14,000 followers on Instagram
‘She is an advocate for unique dogs and we have had so much kindness and positivity, it’s just incredible.
‘In person, most people are amazed by her but again, we have had some negative responses.
‘There have been people who have actively shouted and screamed at Bonnie with one person even trying to kick her.
‘People have referred to her as “it” or a “thing” which hurts my feelings as she deserves the same amount of love as any other dog.
It’s not certain what happened to Bonnie’s face with all of her nose and front part of her mouth missing, but they suspect it was done by a human when she was living on the streets.
Kate said: ‘Bonnie is one of the best things to happen to us and I’m so glad we gave her the home and family she deserves’
Kate said: ‘We aren’t totally sure what happened to Bonnie, the girl and her mum who found Bonnie thought it was a train because they had seen her there previously.
‘The other suggestion is that an animal did it, perhaps a fox or a wolf or even a human but we simply do not know.
‘Despite this, Bonnie isn’t wary of people, so if it was a human, she is very forgiving.
‘But then again, animals are forgiving creatures – they never fail to amaze me with how tolerant and forgiving they are when subjected to cruelty and abuse.
‘I prefer animals to humans, I wish we were more like them, which is maybe why I surround myself with animals, rather than people.
‘Bonnie is one of the best things to happen to us and I’m so glad we gave her the home and family she deserves.’
To keep up with Bonnie’s adventures follow her at @bravebonbon on Instagram.
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