Apet groomer has shared the heartbreaking last words she said to a dying dog who was once one of her oldest clients.
In an emotional video posted to TikTok, Madison Faith said goodbye to 15-year-old Charlie, Sheltie, who had been coming to see her since she started her career.
Writing in a separate clip uploaded to social media, Faith explained that Charlie had stopped eating, lost weight and could hardly stand or walk. As she puts it, he was "just for his family" and sadly it was time to let go.
The loss of a beloved pet can have a huge impact. In 2022, a systematic review was conducted of 19 qualitative papers from 17 studies exploring the psychosocial impact of bereavement and grieving the loss of a pet.
The findings, published in the journal Death Studies, confirmed what many pet owners already knew: the death of a beloved family pet or companion animal can result in feelings of grief and loss that are comparable with the death of a human.
That's certainly the overriding emotion in Faith's video, which chronicles her final visit from Charlie. In the clip, she can be seen carefully grooming her much-loved doggy client one last time, stopping occasionally to give the adorable-looking Sheltie a kiss or cuddle.
Faith said Charlie was given a "comfort groom" because of his age. He was given frequent breaks and laid down for most of it. Even so, Faith appreciated the opportunity to provide the pet pooch with some modicum of comfort during what was a difficult time.
Stock images of a dog being groomed. A dog groomer's heartbreaking final message to a dying canine client has been revealed.ИРИНА МЕЩЕРЯКОВА/GETTY
"I've enjoyed every second of grooming him," she wrote alongside the video. "This is the part that will never get easier."
According to the video, Faith always ended each session by returning him to his mom with the promise: "I'll see you next time Charlie."
This time around though, she said she was "truly at a loss for words" so rather than focus on farewells, decided to send him on his way with those same special words: "I'll see you next time Charlie."
Those final parting words left a lump in the throat of many watching the video who will have no doubt experienced the pain of losing a pet firsthand.
One viewer wrote "This made me cry" with another commenting: "Why can't they live as long as us?"
A third said: "This makes me so sad. I'm sure it meant the world that he got one last groom with you."
A different viewer added: "My parents have a sheltie named Charlie and I'm going to be devastated when he passes. You were so kind and gentle with him."
Newsweek has contacted Faith for comment.
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