I’m getting old… I feel it in my bones.
I feel it in the air.
My heart doesn’t skip a beat anymore whenever my hoomans ask me to go for a walk.
My mind isn’t on catching the ball these days.
All I wanna do is rest… Cuddle and rest.
My hoomans seem to know that.
And, they seem to know my last wish: to smell the salty air on my favorite beach.
Who’d have known they would come up with such a unique way for me to visit the beach one more time?
Cocoa, The Mobile Dog
The Antonino family, from Georgia, were always big dog fans. When they got their sweet Cocoa, the family finally felt complete.
Cocoa, the lovely Chesapeake Bay Retriever, turned out to be quite a blessing. Through all these years, she was an angel sent to the Antonino’s to make their lives a whole lot better.
Cocoa’s arrival into this Georgia home was over a decade and a half ago. At the age of 16, this girl was well into her senior years, given the fact that Chesapeake Bay Retrievers usually live from 10 to 12 years.
Cocoa was a record-breaker. She showed everyone that the expected lifespan is just a number – a number she will beat in no time.
Sadly, the golden years did start to be covered in gold, but as time flew by, they became a bit rusty.
And, so did Cocoa. The years did not spoil her; however, you could see on this old gal that she was running out of time.
The biggest hit for Cocoa and her family was when she lost the ability to move without experiencing severe pain. Instead of going for walkies, Cocoa had to stay put because lying in her bed was the most comfortable position.
But, Tom and his wife knew how much their dear dog loved going to the beach. There must be a way for Cocoa to go outside.
That’s when Tom came up with a brilliant idea: he had a dog bed and a rope, and they started pulling out Cocoa to catch some sun rays.
Sure enough, it worked only at home. So, how do you make this dog bed mobile enough so it goes to the beach, too?
A bit of engineering experience allowed Tom to build Cocoa a mobile bed, or her own bed on wheels. It was a much better option for all of them.
Cocoa got to go outside and her hoomans didn’t have to break their back in order for her to do so.
Next stop: Virginia Beach!
The family trip turned out to be one of the best adventures in Cocoa’s life. She got to enjoy the salty air, the sound of waves hitting the shore, and the sun rays kissing her weak body. She felt blessed.
And, she even got a photo as a lovely memorabilia!
During one of their walks on the Virginia Beach oceanfront, a woman stopped Tom and asked if she could take a photo of him and Cocoa. The photo went online and viral within days!
Everyone was truly impressed by this man’s determination to keep his senior dog’s life as normal as possible.
“I found out from my brother-in-law. He said, ‘Is this you?’ and then other people asked, ‘Is this you?’ and I’m like yeah, that’s Cocoa. That’s Cocoa and I going for a walk,” said Tom with a laugh.
It’s incredible how a couple of ropes, a doggy bed, and a wheeled platform could make memories for a lifetime.
Sadly, Cocoa didn’t get to enjoy her unusual outings for too long. The trip to Virginia Beach was her last one. She crossed the rainbow bridge, leaving her hoomans heartbroken.
At least she’s now in a place where she can run freely, without pain or a worry in the world.
