“I COULDN’T HEAL IT… but I’m able to stay.

” The real story you won’t be able to read. My name is Andrés, and I lived with Lucas for 19 years. It wasn’t just a dog. It was my home with paws. My sidekick. My shadow. My quiet joy on grey days. He knew me better than anyone… even when i didn’t recognize myself. Over the years, her body began to slowly fade away.

Arthritis turned him into a fragile old man. He had a hard time getting up. Sometimes his paws failed. Her eyes got cloudy, but her soul remained the same.. and his look kept looking for me, like the first day. And I was there. Always. The only relief I found was water. Every day, without fail, I would carefully carry it in my arms, take it to the lake, and throw it into the water with me. I held him between my legs, with my chest against his back. He was floating. I was closing my eyes. And for a moment… I stopped shaking.

He slept a little, silently, as if water took away his years and pain. I couldn’t cure it. Couldn’t beat time. But I could give her that: closeness, tenderness, and my love. To the very end. I’d sit still with him for hours. There was no need to talk. Just be. Because when you truly love, you learn that sometimes love is not shown in grand gestures.. But staying when it hurts, when it’s hard, when it breaks the soul.

The last few days were the hardest. Lucas was sleeping in more.. eat less. But every time she saw me coming in with the towel, her old eyes would light up. I knew we were going to the lake. I knew there was still some peace left. And so it was until the end. Last day, holding it down like always. I didn’t care about the cold, the tiredness, the tears that were falling uncontrollably.

Lucas fell asleep in my arms, in the water that soothed him… Only this time, he didn’t wake up.  This is the last picture I have with him. I don’t share it out of sadness. I share it for the love. Cause some goodbyes don’t hurt….. rip. And there are loves that do not end, even if the body turns off. “I could not cure it… but I’m able to stay. ” And that, sometimes, is all that true love needs.  If you’ve ever owned an old dog, fragile, and still full of love… you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.