A life full of Lucky

Once upon a time because all the story start like this, there was a “little” teenager who wanted so badly a dog.

She didn’t care how it had to be the dog, she only knew she wanted one even if she already had a very particular cat named Bob.

Even if she was so young she decided to ask to her mum EVERY DAY to adopt a dog, promising to clean her room everyday (this was a lie, the room were always in a caoticaly order), to make her bed (another lie) and to cook (this one was easy because she always cooked).

Luckily her mother never killed her (even if I’m sure she thought about it several times🤪 ).

Otherwise today I couldn’t be here sharing the story of my girl Lucky.. yes that girl was me.. (it was a surprise right? You weren’t aspecting this 😜 )

I never had a normal teenage life, I had to be always extremely responsible, no one asked to me to be like this, this was what I felt after my dad gone, my granpa had Alzheimer few yrs later and my nan had a lot of strokes plus problems with diabetes (she was a real worrier), I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders.

I always felt angry, sad, I didn’t want to talk with anyone, my heart was broken, I had no idea of who I was, I had zero faith in the future.

I wasn’t completely alone in this pathway I found new friends at the high school, I was almost always dressed in black because any colour gave me joy, I still felt broken but better.

I’ve never done the things that teenagers do normally, but honestly I don’t think I would have done them anyway even if I had been in a calmer situation.

What I understood yrs later is you can always find the light even in the darkest moments, there is always something to be grateful.

Finally when I was 17yrs my mum decided to take me a dog, after 4 yrs of waiting LUCKY IN DA HOUSE!

Before talking of our story I will tell few words about the pet therapy.

In the 2025 almost 2026 everyone know how beneficial is the pet therapy, for example at the airport of San Francisco they introduced a pig called LiLou in 2019 (when I went in SF? In 2018 of course, I want to be cuddled by a pig), LiLou is trained to help people scared to fly to keep calm and reduce their stress, I love flying but could u imagine how cool would be staying with LiLou before your flight?

Honestly someone have to suggest to add a pig in all the post office of the world.

The first time people started talking of pet therapy believe it or not was in 1792 thanks to the doctor William Tuke at the York Retreat Hospital, he incited the patient with mental problems to stay with the animals this helped they to improve self-control and emotional exchange.

In 1800 in Germany at the Bethel Hospital started studying if stay with animals would helped disabled people and patients with epilepsy.

Slowly everywhere in the world occasionally gave a try to pet therapy to reduce anxiety, to help the autistic spectrum to socialise and improve empathy, to cure PTSD, to cure the broken heart 💔 this was my case but I never thought a dog could help me with this.

I already had a cat his name was Bob, Bob was in my life since I was 5yrs, he was a particular cat I always thought he hated people because he never purred except once, when Bob was near to start a fight with another cat he… vomited in front of the unfortunate cat.. no I’m not kidding I saw it a lot of times and I laughed so hard every time, then I brought him at home (I also have stomach problems under pressure practically Bob was my son).

Even if I loved Bob so much I felt like if there was a missing piece in that period, finally after my mum agreed to take a dog we went in Molinella to see some puppies.

I was thrilled to see which one would be my choice, we arrived in this farm and in front of me I saw TEN puppies so gorgeous! (Half husky and half no idea the mum was a black dog called Laica).

Initially my first choice was a black and white dog I loved she for the black ears, I felt immediately a connection.They suggested me to choose the grey one because he was bigger compared to the others, so he had more chance to survive. They were born on 17 June I was there on 27, he was cute and I thought yes why not.

He called me 3 weeks later to telling me: “if u don’t arrive today I will bring all the puppy to the doghouse”, my mum and I took the car and arriver at the farmer.

We discovered he didn’t want to gave us the grey dog because he promised to his girl that was for her (no idea if this was true), honestly it wasn’t a problem the dog with the black ears and pink nose was still available, I had to argue with him because he kept showing me other puppies.

I took the puppy I wanted in my arms and I said: “this is my dog I will call her Lucky Axel (we never used the second name but I loved how it sounded) now I will bring her at home”.

How cute she was!

What I wasn’t expecting was that in few seconds I became a mum (I can see the disappointed face of people who have children now and saying: “really u think u were a mum?”), if u take care of the right food to wean, you woke up several time in the night every time Lucky cried, you spend the night cleaning everything because even if she wasn’t wearing a diaper she didn’t like to have dirt things near to her (the dog naps where in a separate room far from where we slept, Lucky was a real queen) and in the morning u are completely destroyed YOU ARE A MUM!

To be completely honest I wanted gave Lucky back to her previous owner, a week without sleeping, cleaning each single spot, using a lot of candles and air freshener to cover the smells completely destroyed me and I couldn’t live anymore in that way (I was 18yrs but I think a lot of mum felt in this way everyday).

This was also the moment when I understood that during the day I had to use all my forces to keep Lucky awake so maybe I could sleep. (I know best mum ever 🤪 🤪), since that moment the things became better.

So I had a cat who hated people and had stomach problems under stress and a dog with a funny face and she very stubborn when she wanted do something she had to do it… You know what they say pets and owners are similar and those two were my copy.

Lucky transformed my days in adventures, I never knew what there was in her mind.

Having a puppy it’s like seeing a baby who grown up, I saw how Lucky transformed her walked from an unsure and shaky way to fast paced.

Animals are magical creatures, we grown up without having an idea how to do things, animals arrive on this world and they already know EVERYTHING! They also know how to swim this for me will be priceless.

My aunt had another half husky who was older his name was Jack, they found Jack one day along the street and since that moment he was part of the family, I LOVED so much seeing this two together because Lucky always imitated Jack, if Jack was sitting down Lucky done the same, she always looked at him to do the same exactly thing.

Lucky loved to play but at her condition, since the fact she was full of energy and my objective was to make her tired, I threw the ball downhill so she had to go uphill to get back, perfect plan right? WRONG! Lucky would go and get the ball back but after a while she wanted me to go and get it back. Lucky always had her own way of playing, she liked me to take the ball away from her.

When we were at home when Lucky wanted to play she arrived to me with her toys in the mouth, if I didn’t want to play she left her toys near to me and comeback with another one and another one and so on until I finally decided to play. (Practically Lucky thought the toys was wrong, she was sure I wanted play)

Lucky was my nurse, if I was ill Lucky was always next to me and she started crying to advise my mum if she thought I needed help.

The difficult part initially was let Bob and Lucky together, Bob didn’t like Lucky so much so initially they lived separate and slowly very slowly there was some moment together (unfortunately I have zero pic of them).

The first time it was extremely scary for me, I was on the bed with Bob on my left near the face, at one point I saw Lucky trying to go on the bed but she was too little so the first attempt didn’t worked, she had the brilliant idea to take a run and had managed to climb onto the bed, obviously I sent her away I was afraid that Bob might scratch me in the face by mistake.

I saw them finally together without fighting, Lucky was liking him and I checked if was for love or she was hungry, unfortunately was one of the last day of Bob, before gone Bob purred I thought this was his way to say thank u. When Bob gone I felt like if part of me was gone, in particular my childhood because we grew up together (poor Bob when I was 5 I had no idea of the correct way to be there for him).

Lucky and I had very funny moments like once we were in the mountain, u know one of those moments when you feel completely in connection with nature, you are 100% relax.

There was this idyllic moment I was looking Lucky with a yellow butterfly flying near to her big nose, I thought I could take a pic of her and… Lucky decided she had to taste the butterfly and eaten it…I couldn’t believe what I saw I was without words but also I wanted to laugh so hard, don’t be sad for the butterfly, Lucky decided it wasn’t good enough and spit it out and the butterfly who flies away, butterflies have a short life but for sure Lucky contributed to make the life a little bit more lively.

When I went to visit my granpa Sergio I always saw the beneficial effect of Lucky on him, he had Alzheimer and he stopped talking so I wasn’t always sure if he understood who I was or not, every time he saw Lucky I understood how happy he was, he always started playing with her sometimes at the end he took my hand and started kissing it (thing that he never done before). Those simple moments are still in my heart, I couldn’t thanks Lucky enough.

I discovered thanks Lucky so many things, there was a sort of community of dog’s owners this gave to me the possibility to talk with a lot of people during the yrs, people who lived in my zone but without the dogs we never started talking.

Talking with different people helped me to relate with different person and I practiced the small talk.

Lucky LOVED music during our holidays in Cesenatico a small city of sea our house had a terrace, in the Riviera Romagnola hotels always organised evenings with live music, every time Lucky use to stay in the terrace listening music and she returned inside only when the concert was finished.

I discovered yrs later that dogs love music like us, they can understand some words, they love the rhythm everyone like us have different tastes.

If u still don’t believe it I had here a video of dog who recognise music:

I always knew that for dogs there is a sort of hierarchy, I considered myself like the owner and mum of Lucky, I always thought to be her pack leader.

With the time I understood Lucky thought I was her equal a sort of sis, because if my mum scolded Lucky, she looked exactly like me and she immediately come to me to ask for protection. Honestly understanding she didn’t saw me like a leader it had hurt me a little bit, I mean I took care of her since the first day I had to be her pack leader right?

Me and Lucky loved food more or less in the same way.

Lucky preferred food instead to adventures, once we were in mountain and Lucky had managed to take off her leash and harness (Lupin in a previous life for sure), I saw her far from me, fortunately I had a piece of sandwich with roast, when I showed her the sandwich Lucky started running so fast to go back, it’s always better escape with a full stomach, and while Lucky enjoyed the sandwich I could catch her 😏 (I told you I was the best mum ever, this also why I deserved to be her pack leader).

Every time I gave to Lucky and Jack a biscuits, Lucky eaten her biscuit so quickly like if her life depended from it and she immediately went to Jack to take away HIS biscuit directly from HIS mouth, you have no idea how many time I thought: “Now Jack will bite Lucky” Jack was too good he only barked at her.

The second love of Lucky were the boys, when she saw a boy she fallen in love in a sec, if we went to vet and the vet was a man she was happy, if was a woman Lucky immediately was scared.

Lucky never followed the commands like: stay, give me the hand, seat etc. if a man say the same thing she followed each single instruction, and no one taught her how to do it, so I never understood HOW she knew?

Lucky was in love of my husband of course, dogs immediately understand if there is a good person in front of them and I used her super power, if she started barking to someone it means I had to be careful.

If your dog love sleeping like this means he/she is completely relaxed.

Our last chapter

When a human is ill it’s easy to understand, when animals have something it’s difficult to understand until is too late, animals have a high pain threshold.

One day Lucky looked so different, when I touched her I understood she felt the pain, so we immediately took her to the vet.

They made blood test and eco it was cancer, the vet suggested me to try with chemio and she said Lucky have maybe 6 months to live.

I refused to start chemio, I didn’t want to transform her last months in an hell.

Lucky was almost 11yrs (77yrs for humans).

I know reading this u will feel sad, don’t be because Lucky was lucky for real, instead of living only few months we had 3 almost 4yrs together!

During this yrs we treated her better of a Queen, I always went to the butcher to buy something good for her once I bought a giant hamburger, I bought a new bed for her but she preferred going on our bed and going down when she listened we were back home, I always brought Lucky at the sea, mountain or countryside even before because Lucky LOVED it, but during the last yrs I tried to bring her in those places even when I had only few hours free, we spent each single sec enjoying the moment and we played a lot.

Lucky and me when my thyroid was still working…

What no one told u is how hard is saying goodbye to a pet, Lucky was a friend, my little girl and my soulmate.

The day before Lucky gone she was a little bit different, in that period she lived with my mum because was more practical she had problem with the stairs and my mum’s house is all on one floor, I visited her and I forgot the watch (normally I never forgot it), so I said to my mum I would back the day after to take it.

That morning my mum called me saying: “come here quickly you can the moment is arrived”.

We called the vet, Lucky spent all the day in the small garden of my mum looking the door like if she knew.

I spent all the morning only looking Lucky, she was so different, it was like if she wanted to stay alone, so I never stay near to her even if I wanted so badly. (Still now I’m split in two, part of me think it was the only thing I could do the other part think I should cuddle her)

I took Lucky in my arms when I understood she wanted walk in another zone but Lucky couldn’t move well the legs, I left Lucky on her bed and at 12 the vet arrived.

Lucky took the last forces to stand up and walk a little bit toward the vet, I thought was her way to say she was a real fighter and: “F*CK U VET! I lived more than 6 months”.

The vet asked me if I was sure, of course I wasn’t but I had to, Lucky was suffering too much.

What I remember in that moment was I saw Lucky lose consciousness falling back and when I putted her in the right position made me feel good for a few moments*, few seconds later I understood Lucky was gone or she was so near, I started crying so hard, I felt my heart breaking, my sis started crying because I was crying and my mum left the room because was so hard seeing us.

I found the force only to say: THANK U, THANK U, THANK U, THANK U I repeat it for so long, even if Lucky was gone I wanted to be sure that if there is a chance that she could hear me I had to try.

When you lose someone there is one clear thing I always noticed, the soul really exists it exists no matter in which religion you believe, no matters is you are atheist, when someone gone even if is an animal you can perceive the soul living the body, and what stay in this world our body is like an empty box.

It’s like being split in two parts that before were inseparable.

Saying goodbye to Lucky was one of the hardest and humbling moments of my life, Lucky was my universe, a big piece of my heart and my soul were gone that day .

In case one day you will be in the same situation stay with your friend until the last breath, I know it is hard but they aren’t stupid they know what will happen and they will look for you, take all ur force and hug him/her.

I donated immediately all the things of Lucky: a LOT of toys, collars, leashes, harnesses and various accessories were so many that I thought that maybe I had two or three dogs (Lucky was a real queen).

It was my way to process or better to don’t think, because every time I saw something of Lucky I started crying like a baby.

I’ve read a lot of articles who says: “loosing a pet is like loosing a baby”, I know it could be difficult to understand for people who have kids, for people without the connection is the same of being a parent.

If you think it have a lot of sense, with all the pets it is like having a small baby they don’t speak or better they have their way to communicate, you take care of them always, you are worried when they don’t feel good and they can’t say what’s the problem, you do everything to make them happy.

The only thing always help is giving urself time to process, now when I think to Lucky I only focus my mind on all the funny things she has done.

How when Lucky was elderly she never wanted to wait, so when we were at the vet she started barking to have attention, the time when during a walk Lucky tried to eat a piece of bread who it was coming out from the bag of a man and how I stopped Lucky before it was too late. Or the time she managed to escape and I had to chase her in the condominium garden wearing only… a bathrobe.. yes I’m not kidding and there was also some bricklayer in the garden because in the period there was the floor to fix, on Hallmarks would be a great RomCom, it’s a long story but every time I laugh so hard.

When I argued with the teacher of religion who said: “animals don’t have a soul so they don’t go in paradise”, one of my friends joined the discussion defending animals and their souls, we are BFF since that moment.

Lucky filled my heart, I became a better human, I was in complete peace after a bad day only looking her big nose.

I mean look THAT NOSE! 😍

I don’t have animals now, for a cat it would be dangerous because we live near a street (my neighbour lost a lot of cats), I’m not ready to have another dog, every time I think maybe is the time to take another one I start thinking I would love a dog with a funny character, black ears etc, so basically Lucky.

In those moments I understand it isn’t the time, but maybe the destiny and universe will put on my pathway a dog in the right moment, who knows.

Animals have this big power on us they can calm our soul, my teacher of religion maybe was right animals don’t go in paradise, because I think they are already part of it, they are angel on the earth and when they go in paradise they are simply going back home.

I love stay in hotel, B&B etc with animals, I also always stop the car when I see animals to take a pics, they are always the best part of the travels.

Hope u liked this topic like I loved writing it, have u ever felt in the same way? Do u have or had animals? If u want share ur experience I can’t wait to read it!

If you enjoyed it don’t forget to share it with everyone

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Wishing you an incredible day and HAPPY NEW YEAR 🍾🍾🍾 It’s almost 2026 and for sure will be full of surprises, laugh, good and bad moments, it will be simply AMAZING! 🤩

Laura

Like always THANKS TO ALL MY FOLLOWERS YOU ARE THE BEST ❤️❤️

To all the other what are you waiting for? It’s free!

*When I followed a course of first aid, the teacher who worked for the hospital and on ambulance like paramedic, he told us that is the instinct of human to pull of the things where should be, and this gave us calm like if we have all under control, but it’s also one of the worst thing we can do because maybe moving the body could cause pain or damage it in some way.