Never underestimate the love between a person and their pets.
When we choose to bring animals into our homes (and our hearts), we’re making a serious commitment of time and energy towards them. As a result, any bonds that form are as strong as those we form with our family members—after all, our animal companions definitely count as family members (if not immediately after we adopt them then shortly after). The hardest part of these relationships with our pets is that they often have much shorter lifespans than we do, leaving us to mourn their loss.
For James Xuereb, a family man living in Ontario, Canada, the loss of his two dogs was almost too much to bear.
The story began almost 13 years ago when Xuereb was dealing with depression.
To help ease his mind, Xuereb’s wife Wanda decided to bring home a Bichon Frise puppy named Nemo. Although Xuereb and Nemo formed a strong friendship almost immediately, the family decided two years later that Nemo might be happier with some canine company. That’s when they brought home another named Lucy, who fit right in.
Although Bichon Frises are adorable, they also are known to have congenital heart defects.
After a long life, both Nemo and Lucy passed away and Xuereb was heartbroken. Seeing how distraught their dad was, Xuereb’s daughters Jaleen and Jade had an idea for how to cheer him up. With the cameras rolling, they approached their dad and gave him a card that they had made for him. They explained that they had a big surprise for him but that he had to read the card on camera.
Though he gave it a shot, Xuereb was too emotional to finish reading the card.
After passing it back to his daughters, they read it out loud for the camera.
The card read:
“Hi, my name is Lumo. I am a boy Bichon. No, I am not Nemo, nor could I ever be Lucy. My mommy bought me to bring some happiness back into your life. So as we walk on this journey of life together may we create our own wonderful memories and rekindle the beautiful memories that you had with Nemo and Lucy. Love Lumo!”
After that, the girls showed their dad their surprise: an adorable new Bichon puppy named Lumo.
Without missing a beat, dad embraces the dog with tears of joy.
Although the love we feel for our animals can take a lot of out us in hard times, it also gives us a lot in return. While Xuereb was mourning the passing of Nemo and Lucy, his daughters were there to help pick him back up again—and to offer him a new way to express his love for these adorable dogs.
Needless to say, James and Lumo are already fast friends!
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