I Hoped To Photograph A Miracle, But Instead, I Captured My Hardest Goodbye
Lilly was my first dog, my first love any she saved my life. When I adopted her I had severe asthma attacks and she took me on long walks every day – she cured me. In no time I was off my medication, I could breathe normally again and I gained a new best friend for life. If only I knew her life was going to be too short… Lilly’s struggle began in 2016.
We didn’t know what was wrong with her until she passed away because of liver cancer. Every day was a fight and she didn’t give up. Not even once. Going through hundreds of test, visiting many different vets, she didn’t even make a sound. Through her fight, I started taking photos with a hope that I could show her full recovery… Instead, I captured my hardest goodbye.
Lilly was my first dog, my first love any she saved my life. When I adopted her I had severe asthma attacks and she took me on long walks every day – she cured me
In no time I was off my medication, I could breathe normally again and I gained a new best friend for life
If only I knew her life was going to be too short…
Lilly’s struggle began in 2016. We didn’t know what was wrong with her until she passed away because of liver cancer
Everyday was a fight and she didn’t give up. Not even once
Going through hundreds of test, visiting many different vets, she didn’t even make a sound
Through her fight I started taking photos with hope that I could show her full recovery…
Instead I captured my hardest goodbye
Photos © 2016 Jasmina Lozar
338Kviews
Share on Facebook
You love them every minute that you can, because all too soon, the child is gone forever. :(
No no no!! I recently lost one of my dogs this hit way to hard! Crying way to much but really beautiful pictures ! Sorry for your loss x
This is so hard for me to watch. 3 years ago i found my doggy soul mate, a beautiful chinese crested powder puff who was bread as a show dog. Because at an international dog show he only got second place, his breeders abandoned him right at the show grounds. A person i know who was there at the show found him and brought him back with them. They later gave this wonderful creature to me. I had him for just 1 year until he contracted the bacteria e.coli from somewhere, but the worst part is that it was a very aggressive form of e.coli. For 6 months i went with him at the vet everyday for shots and tests. It broke my heart to see him fading day by day, and even worse that nothing seemed to work. His death was the saddest part of my entire life, and i buried him myself. It felt like i buried my soul together with him. I am so sorry for your loss...
Sometimes they live long lives and sometimes short. But as long as that life is a happy one, that is all any dog would ever wish for. You achieved that here so well done.
So sorry for your loss. It's always so difficult to lose your pup.
Dog / animal lovers understand. This wasn't a pleasure to read - so sorry. She was so mature & would have understood your being there - for that, her good bye wasn't as 'bad.'
Jasmina, Lilly was beautiful. Even through her last days her eyes explained it all. Such are our amazing animal families, so full of love and compassion for us even through their most difficult days. My prayers that you will find peace and comfort knowing that you will be together with her some day.
I'm so sorry. Remember her for the joy she brought you. I can somewhat understand. My son had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer... <3
My dog of 8 years died 6 months ago and I am so miserable without him. I have over 5 thousand photos of him and I'm so glad I took the pictures. Even the ones of him when he got sick. These pictures you have shared are beautiful. And I'm so sorry for your loss...
So sorry. Keep strong knowing you had a special connection with your pet. This does not happen so often but when it does, it is magical. Take care xx
Load More Replies...
Lucky you to have had such a dog in your life. Lilly will live forever in your heart. Cherish your memories, they are priceless.
What a beautiful girl she was. It really is like losing a child. I lost my boy end of last year after 17 years together. He was the best dog in the world. Still hard to get used to not having him by my side. At least they are both pain free now, up in the big dog park in heaven.
This destroyed me, i said goodbye to my best friend this time last year, he started having seizures we later found out were related to bone cancer, he was the most amazing dog I've ever had and I miss him every day.
Hope you are ok . I think your amazing dog was amazing because of the love you gave him/her. Sorry for your loss and keep strong.
Load More Replies...
God. I'm crying. The last picture is the saddest it seems. I'm sorry for your loss.
I know how hard this is.. made the same with my dog. wanted to give him his favourite happy-story but it went to be a goodbye forever.. he was from hungary found on the street more dead than alive and i adopted him to give him a new life.. we fought for him and for his live but lost everything.. so hard even after some time. i miss him everyday and got tears in my eyes writing this..
Thank you. This is the spirit, even thoug it is so hard.
Load More Replies...
We got our very first Greyhound about two years after I had a double lung transplant. We had wanted one for so long but couldn't care him because my health was a full time job. When we got Charlie, he was 6 and had been a pet before. His previous owner had brought him back to the rescue because she had too much on her plate to take care of him. So we instantly knew he would be ours. He was sweet and quiet and aloof and loving. He loved to walk, but it had to be in the same path every time. He was so stubborn, which was part of what made us love him so. He loved people and people loved him. 10 months after we brought him home, he began limping. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma which is common in large dogs. It is also terribly aggressive and fast moving. 6 weeks later, we said goodbye. He was in too much pain even with constant medication. He broke my heart. But the house was too quiet without him. So we decided to rescue another. This time we have Ollie. He's healed our hearts a bit.
R.I.P, You where one of the best dogs. I'm sorry for your loss... A savior has been lost...
"Dogs are part children and part angels". And every single one is special. I send you a hug, I know exactly how you feel
Aww, sorry for your loss :( At least, you have so many memories of her and those pics are amazing. She loved you very much.
yep once again the tears are falling , she was with you all the way and her mates were there as well , we do our best but sometimes it is just out of our hands, and the fighting is over and peace comes , dont we wish they could talk, or do we. look at the beautiful memories you have . that little dog in my photo passed way 4 weeks ago . we all know what you are going through .yet we all know we will do it again . bless you
What a sweet and brave girl. I am so sorry for your loss. It is never easy to say good-bye to our companions that give their love unconditionally. Keep her in your memory and smile when you think of her.
Beautiful photos of a wonderful girl! Also beautiful how your other babies seemed to be comforting her.
all i can say is didi you know you put you dog in more pain by not euthanizing her??
My first dogs name was also Lily. She was a stray and she taught me more about dogs and how to treat them that anyone else ever could.I still remember the last day she came to meet me.Her eyes were a cocktail of sadness,happiness and fear. I still wish I had hugged her more,pet her more that day instead of focusing on the other things around me. She taught me so much about unconditional love and trust, about kindness and happiness.When he had her pups she didn't allow anyone to touch them except me.The way she looked at me with so much love and happiness still leaves me in tears.I think she was a black lab but she also had a white star on her chest .She had already started getting a bit of white on her temples,paws and jaw . I can also see the love in your dogs eyes .She loved you so much and was so beautiful. I guess this is why dogs come into our lives,to make them complete and we never forget that feeling.
Thank you for your nice words... Lilly was my everything and allthough I am trying to think of all the great times we had she still took a big part of my heart with her and nothing can ever replace her. Me and Deuce lost the love of our lives but after a while we decided to adopt another dog, Freddy. Nothing will ever be the same and I feel that it doesn't get easier with time - you just learn to live with it but...we have to move on allthough she is ALWAYS on our minds.
This is good news. So good for Freddy. Bless him and all adoptable - waiting for a home-dogs. xx
Load More Replies...
I started taking few videos of sophie since last year. My sister was "smart" enough to let her roam free that final day of sophie even i told her before sophie was almost ran over by a car that almost ran me too. I always look at the videos on Google photos everytime i miss her.
This is rough. We recently lost our dog because of nerve paralysis. He was supposed to turn five this year. It's been very hard and heartbreaking. Sorry for your loss. :(
Okay,I'm crying like a baby right now...so sorry for your loss. I love my doggie so much, she's 15 and I don't know how to live without her
my first dog also had something wrong with her so we took her to the vet and we found out she had internal bleeding so she had surgery to fix it and then she died while they were operating on her.
I had the same story with my cat, I called her my baby and had to let her go (cancer) she was my everything and I was depressed for months
I just went through this myself two weeks ago. Thank you for sharing. The pain is so choking at times and most people do not understand the pain.
I don't cry easy but at the end the tears were soaking my eyes
I am reading this in the dark at 4 am and I share a room with my two sisters and I am trying to be as quite as possible as I cry and my bed is already wet
I feel your pain so much. My best friend passed away last year aged 6, 6 weeks before his 7th birthday. He saved my life. He helped me with my depression and self harm. I've not gone back to self harm after he passed, in memory of him.
Coincidentally, the cat in my picture is my friends rescue cat who also passed away last year unexpectedly.
Load More Replies...
I felt it deep in my heart, sorry for your loss, rest in peace Lilly......
I cannot imagine losing the purest and most lovable creature in the universe! I am literally crying .I am in actual tears. !!
What a huge loss. Lovely photographs of your sweet doggy and her pals.
I think most of us, animal lovers can identify with your story. I will get easier to cope as the years go by and one day you'll be able to smile when remembering your dog. (in my case, a cat). This will give you some confort as you'll realise how amazing it is the love we get from our pets give us and how privilege we are to have experienced something so extraordinary. xx
She had a mission in her life and she fulfilled it, you are her most important achievement. The best tribute we can render to our angels (who now all live in heaven) is to live and act just as they would have us to do it by their side. We were the most important thing for them and we can not let sadness win the battle. We will always be looked by them no matter where we are. Fantastic job!
You love them every minute that you can, because all too soon, the child is gone forever. :(
No no no!! I recently lost one of my dogs this hit way to hard! Crying way to much but really beautiful pictures ! Sorry for your loss x
This is so hard for me to watch. 3 years ago i found my doggy soul mate, a beautiful chinese crested powder puff who was bread as a show dog. Because at an international dog show he only got second place, his breeders abandoned him right at the show grounds. A person i know who was there at the show found him and brought him back with them. They later gave this wonderful creature to me. I had him for just 1 year until he contracted the bacteria e.coli from somewhere, but the worst part is that it was a very aggressive form of e.coli. For 6 months i went with him at the vet everyday for shots and tests. It broke my heart to see him fading day by day, and even worse that nothing seemed to work. His death was the saddest part of my entire life, and i buried him myself. It felt like i buried my soul together with him. I am so sorry for your loss...
Sometimes they live long lives and sometimes short. But as long as that life is a happy one, that is all any dog would ever wish for. You achieved that here so well done.
So sorry for your loss. It's always so difficult to lose your pup.
Dog / animal lovers understand. This wasn't a pleasure to read - so sorry. She was so mature & would have understood your being there - for that, her good bye wasn't as 'bad.'
Jasmina, Lilly was beautiful. Even through her last days her eyes explained it all. Such are our amazing animal families, so full of love and compassion for us even through their most difficult days. My prayers that you will find peace and comfort knowing that you will be together with her some day.
I'm so sorry. Remember her for the joy she brought you. I can somewhat understand. My son had recently been diagnosed with lung cancer... <3
My dog of 8 years died 6 months ago and I am so miserable without him. I have over 5 thousand photos of him and I'm so glad I took the pictures. Even the ones of him when he got sick. These pictures you have shared are beautiful. And I'm so sorry for your loss...
So sorry. Keep strong knowing you had a special connection with your pet. This does not happen so often but when it does, it is magical. Take care xx
Load More Replies... Lucky you to have had such a dog in your life. Lilly will live forever in your heart. Cherish your memories, they are priceless.
What a beautiful girl she was. It really is like losing a child. I lost my boy end of last year after 17 years together. He was the best dog in the world. Still hard to get used to not having him by my side. At least they are both pain free now, up in the big dog park in heaven.
This destroyed me, i said goodbye to my best friend this time last year, he started having seizures we later found out were related to bone cancer, he was the most amazing dog I've ever had and I miss him every day.
Hope you are ok . I think your amazing dog was amazing because of the love you gave him/her. Sorry for your loss and keep strong.
Load More Replies... God. I'm crying. The last picture is the saddest it seems. I'm sorry for your loss.
I know how hard this is.. made the same with my dog. wanted to give him his favourite happy-story but it went to be a goodbye forever.. he was from hungary found on the street more dead than alive and i adopted him to give him a new life.. we fought for him and for his live but lost everything.. so hard even after some time. i miss him everyday and got tears in my eyes writing this..
Thank you. This is the spirit, even thoug it is so hard.
Load More Replies... We got our very first Greyhound about two years after I had a double lung transplant. We had wanted one for so long but couldn't care him because my health was a full time job. When we got Charlie, he was 6 and had been a pet before. His previous owner had brought him back to the rescue because she had too much on her plate to take care of him. So we instantly knew he would be ours. He was sweet and quiet and aloof and loving. He loved to walk, but it had to be in the same path every time. He was so stubborn, which was part of what made us love him so. He loved people and people loved him. 10 months after we brought him home, he began limping. He was diagnosed with osteosarcoma which is common in large dogs. It is also terribly aggressive and fast moving. 6 weeks later, we said goodbye. He was in too much pain even with constant medication. He broke my heart. But the house was too quiet without him. So we decided to rescue another. This time we have Ollie. He's healed our hearts a bit.
R.I.P, You where one of the best dogs. I'm sorry for your loss... A savior has been lost...
"Dogs are part children and part angels". And every single one is special. I send you a hug, I know exactly how you feel
Aww, sorry for your loss :( At least, you have so many memories of her and those pics are amazing. She loved you very much.
yep once again the tears are falling , she was with you all the way and her mates were there as well , we do our best but sometimes it is just out of our hands, and the fighting is over and peace comes , dont we wish they could talk, or do we. look at the beautiful memories you have . that little dog in my photo passed way 4 weeks ago . we all know what you are going through .yet we all know we will do it again . bless you
What a sweet and brave girl. I am so sorry for your loss. It is never easy to say good-bye to our companions that give their love unconditionally. Keep her in your memory and smile when you think of her.
Beautiful photos of a wonderful girl! Also beautiful how your other babies seemed to be comforting her.
all i can say is didi you know you put you dog in more pain by not euthanizing her??
My first dogs name was also Lily. She was a stray and she taught me more about dogs and how to treat them that anyone else ever could.I still remember the last day she came to meet me.Her eyes were a cocktail of sadness,happiness and fear. I still wish I had hugged her more,pet her more that day instead of focusing on the other things around me. She taught me so much about unconditional love and trust, about kindness and happiness.When he had her pups she didn't allow anyone to touch them except me.The way she looked at me with so much love and happiness still leaves me in tears.I think she was a black lab but she also had a white star on her chest .She had already started getting a bit of white on her temples,paws and jaw . I can also see the love in your dogs eyes .She loved you so much and was so beautiful. I guess this is why dogs come into our lives,to make them complete and we never forget that feeling.
Thank you for your nice words... Lilly was my everything and allthough I am trying to think of all the great times we had she still took a big part of my heart with her and nothing can ever replace her. Me and Deuce lost the love of our lives but after a while we decided to adopt another dog, Freddy. Nothing will ever be the same and I feel that it doesn't get easier with time - you just learn to live with it but...we have to move on allthough she is ALWAYS on our minds.
This is good news. So good for Freddy. Bless him and all adoptable - waiting for a home-dogs. xx
Load More Replies... I started taking few videos of sophie since last year. My sister was "smart" enough to let her roam free that final day of sophie even i told her before sophie was almost ran over by a car that almost ran me too. I always look at the videos on Google photos everytime i miss her.
This is rough. We recently lost our dog because of nerve paralysis. He was supposed to turn five this year. It's been very hard and heartbreaking. Sorry for your loss. :(
Okay,I'm crying like a baby right now...so sorry for your loss. I love my doggie so much, she's 15 and I don't know how to live without her
my first dog also had something wrong with her so we took her to the vet and we found out she had internal bleeding so she had surgery to fix it and then she died while they were operating on her.
I had the same story with my cat, I called her my baby and had to let her go (cancer) she was my everything and I was depressed for months
I just went through this myself two weeks ago. Thank you for sharing. The pain is so choking at times and most people do not understand the pain.
I don't cry easy but at the end the tears were soaking my eyes
I am reading this in the dark at 4 am and I share a room with my two sisters and I am trying to be as quite as possible as I cry and my bed is already wet
I feel your pain so much. My best friend passed away last year aged 6, 6 weeks before his 7th birthday. He saved my life. He helped me with my depression and self harm. I've not gone back to self harm after he passed, in memory of him.
Coincidentally, the cat in my picture is my friends rescue cat who also passed away last year unexpectedly.
Load More Replies... I felt it deep in my heart, sorry for your loss, rest in peace Lilly......
I cannot imagine losing the purest and most lovable creature in the universe! I am literally crying .I am in actual tears. !!
What a huge loss. Lovely photographs of your sweet doggy and her pals.
I think most of us, animal lovers can identify with your story. I will get easier to cope as the years go by and one day you'll be able to smile when remembering your dog. (in my case, a cat). This will give you some confort as you'll realise how amazing it is the love we get from our pets give us and how privilege we are to have experienced something so extraordinary. xx
She had a mission in her life and she fulfilled it, you are her most important achievement. The best tribute we can render to our angels (who now all live in heaven) is to live and act just as they would have us to do it by their side. We were the most important thing for them and we can not let sadness win the battle. We will always be looked by them no matter where we are. Fantastic job!
476
119