We’ve seen doggie bucket lists that took pups and their families around the country in search of adventure, others that meant dogs getting rescued from shelters just in time to live out their finals days with joy, and others still that created a happy social media whirlwind.
Honey’s story is no different, even if her bucket list only took a day to complete. A beautiful Pit Bull with a golden-colored coat for which she was named, Honey endured a very difficult life. She had been abused nearly to death by her previous owners as a breeding machine, had had her teeth filed down to avoid fights with the dogs she was confined with, had a wound on her neck sewn shut with an ordinary needle and thread, and contracted pneumonia. Years later, she developed cancer in her bladder, skin, and heart.
Meghan Martin rescued Honey before the disease had begun to spread, and during that time the dog helped her more than she could ever have expected. Honey helped her through an especially difficult pregnancy—during which she would position herself between Martin’s legs to support her when her low blood pressure threatened to make her faint.
She told Fredericksburg.com:
She has paid me back tenfold for anything I ever did for her. She’s been the most dedicated companion. For all the times I saved her, she saved me right back.
The cancer very quickly progressed to the point where Martin decided to make the final decision. Before Honey left the world, however, a very special bucket list was in order.
First, they visited a local butcher shop for a luxurious meal. For the first of several times a person would be left in tears that day, the resident meat cutter, Brian Casey, said:
I could tell right away, she was sweet as anything. I just lost it. The length to which her owner was going to to give her a last hurrah, I don’t know, it really spoke to me and how I care for dogs.
Casey had the chance to meet and say goodbye to Honey right after finding her “the nicest ribeye [he] had.”
The next stop on the list took the pair to see Santa. Though dogs aren’t normally allowed, the manager of the facility asked Martin to bring Honey after hours when the children had gone. Bill Holmes, the man who’d portrayed the big jolly guy, had what may have been the most emotional response of the day.
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Holmes too had a Pit Bull, and Honey’s story broke him down. Because of the pain medications she was on, she could not climb up onto Santa’s lap, so Holmes lowered himself onto the floor with her. After nearly an hour together, Holmes gave Honey a real, genuine hug before saying goodbye himself.
This girl had been fighting all her life, and Martin has always fought with her. Sadly, Honey took a turn for the worse just two days after her adventures around town and Martin had a vet come to her home to put Honey to sleep. Carrie Putnam, Martin’s friend and the woman who took the photo of the two lying in the grass (another fun event), said:
They’ve both taken care of each other, and they have a bond you rarely see between an animal and a person.
That right there is Pibble love at its finest, and an amazing feat for any dog pushed to the point at which many people would give up.
You’re a true hero, Honey, in your own amazing way. Every life you touched is sure to miss you dearly. Rest in peace.
