"On this day I died"

The Roberts family knew they would have to euthanize their beloved dog Dukie. They had no choice — the cancer was progressing. Jordan Roberts saved Dukes at the time. The dog ended up in a dog shelter and fell into the group of dogs that, as a rule, do not leave kennels: a large black adult dog. Such people are almost never taken home. But Dukey was incredibly lucky—Jordan saw him.

A few years later, the dog was found to have osteosarcoma in his right front paw. In fact, osteosarcoma is a malignant tumor that develops in the bone. The paw was amputated, but the disease progressed and brought the animal a lot of pain and suffering.

Jordan prescribed euthanasia and before the euthanasia procedure, the family decided to arrange the best send-off for their pet. They asked photographer Robin Arouti to capture the last day of their best friend's life.

Oh, I ate so many hamburgers! We had a real party.

And I was laughing.

And I thought about how much I would miss this place.

We joked a lot.

We were serious.

My friends from next door came to visit me. They're twins. When someone offered one of them my hamburger, he replied, "No thanks, I don't want to take anything from Duke."

Even Kristen came to check on me. She's so funny. Kristen is my groomer. And my friend.

When we were waiting for the vet, Kristen said we were going for a walk. Then someone suggested going down to the water park at the end of the street. And we all went there!

"You know I'm going to miss you, right?"

"And for you, too."

"I want you to look after my family."

"Do you hear? That's all I'm asking."

Yes, we got pretty wet today!

And they were smiling.

We were grateful for this day.

Today we broke the rules.

I listened to the children playing nearby. And I was thinking about my guys who stayed at home. I liked protecting them.

I was absolutely calm.

I didn't feel any pain. Even though the tumor was so big.

Today I felt only love.

I said goodbye to my beautiful friend Kira. I think she saw me hovering over them a second before the doctor said it was time. I was excited and happy.

I didn't say: "Goodbye." I said, "See you later."

God, I was a happy dog. We didn't spend much time together, but it was unforgettable. You gave me a second chance, and we got through it all together. I'll never stop looking out for you.