Georgi Anderson and her children knew their dog Artie only had a short time to live, so they decided to create a bucket list for the excitable two-year-old whippet.
Artie came to the St Leonards family via Anderson’s work as a palliative care veterinary nurse. His previous owners couldn’t care for him after he developed aggressive cancer in his leg.
To help pack a lifetime of experiences into just a few months, Georgi Anderson and her sons, Charles and Arthur, are working through a bucket list for their dying whippet, Artie.Credit:Chris Hopkins
The leg was amputated, which has hopefully given the pup another six months, and in the eight weeks Anderson has had him, Artie has been lavished with outings, treats and a doggy play date.
The family first came up with the idea of a bucket list when their greyhound Haruka became terminally ill around Christmas in 2019. She had been with the family for a little more than a year.
“A lot of her bucket list items were going to see the big Christmas tree in Geelong and taking her places we might normally not have taken her,” Anderson said.
“We also had some food-based things like tasting ice cream, puppuccinos and tasting chocolate, which we didn’t do until her very last day.
Artie quickly made himself part of the family after Anderson adopted him.Credit:Chris Hopkins
“It was more about making some memories for the kids and for her. This time around, the kids are a bit older and we’ve become a bit more sophisticated.
“So one of the items we’ve ticked off is taking Artie on the ferry to Sorrento, where we had fish and chips, ice cream and a run on the beach – all memory-making things that he enjoys and that we would normally do over 15 years instead of a few months.”
Anderson has brought home animals in the past, especially older animals at the end of their lives, and the family has two other dogs and three cats.
Artie quickly made himself part of the family.
Artie with family and new friends on his Sunday play date. Credit:Chris Hopkins
“Within days, he had melted himself into our family and I can’t imagine life without him now as he is just the perfect dog – it is quite cruel he has such a short time,” Anderson said.
“But he doesn’t know; he doesn’t care. He is stoked and loving every day, and it will be us that suffer when he is gone.”
Anderson put a post up on the Facebook page for her local area that she wanted to have a play date for her speedy whippet on Sunday and was stunned by the response. People offered to bring tennis balls and their own dogs.
Artie and playmates in action.Credit:Chris Hopkins
About 35 dogs ended up joining Artie on the St Leonards Football Oval.
“I just put a date and time on there and why we were doing it and people have just run with it,” Anderson said. “Other dogs struggle to catch him as he is fast. He’s probably even faster on three legs than he was on four.”
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