We may have many friends in our lifetime but none of them are likely to be as close to us as our furry friends. When we have a dog, we quickly understand that they are more than a pet, they are a member of the family and we know all too well why they are often called man’s best friend.
Many of us would never live our life without a pet by our side but there are some issues that we must be realistic about. Perhaps the biggest issue is the fact that dogs don’t live very long. There are some breeds that may live to be 12-15 years old but others may be shorter-lived, closer to a decade.
That means that from time to time, we are going to have to mourn the loss of one of our best friends who is also a close family member. It could be a very difficult thing to get through this, and Michael J Fox is someone who understands that fact very well.
Michael J Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and announced it to the world in 1998. Since that time, he has gone through various struggles but having a dog has assisted him through the process.
The latest of those dogs, a Labrador mixed with a great Dane named Gus was a ‘wonder dog’ to Fox. He has a memoir, released in 2020 in which he wrote about how close he was to that dog and how loyal the dog was to him. He said: “I didn’t rescue Gus. You can argue that he rescued me, but he’d be too modest to make that claim.”
If you’ve ever had a dog in your life that you were this close to, you know that it is a relationship unlike any other. He spoke further about it on a CBS special called The Pet Project, in which he said: “You know that no matter your situation, no matter what you feel, this animal is with you and is connected to you.”
Fox then added: “Your instinct when you have a chronic illness is to sometimes isolate and make your world as small as possible so you don’t have much to deal with, but a dog will open you up.”
Unfortunately, Gus died in 2021 and his death was announced on Instagram. Fox will miss his loyal friend, as he described him as: “Gus — great dog and loyal friend, we’ll miss you.”
Source: Instagram