When Jasmina Lozar Povše first saw Lilly in a shelter on a dog rescue mission in Croatia, she didn’t think she was ready to bring home a new dog. Jasmina had been suffering from debilitating asthma and allergies, barely able to get outside at times. She felt she couldn’t offer a quality life for Lilly. But when her friend returned to the shelter two weeks later and saw Lilly still there, Jasmina knew she had to take her home. Lilly was covered in fleas and ticks, was in very poor physical condition and was depressed and frightened. It took months to get her back on her feet after coming home with Jasmina, but it was totally worth it.
Lilly was quick to return the favor. She motivated Jasmina to work through her asthma and begin regaining her normal lifesyle. “She managed to get me out and take me on walks,’ Jasmine told Metro.co.uk. ‘That is where my recovery began.” Jasmina wrote on BoredPanda, “In no time I was off my medication, I could breathe normally again and I gained a new best friend for life.” It was clear the two were becoming inseparable best friends.
Unfortunately, things started to change last October. Lilly wasn’t acting like herself; she was lethargic and appeared to be in pain. Jasmina took her to the veterinarian, but the diagnosis wasn’t an easy one. In fact, they ended up visiting several different veterinarians and Lilly underwent hundreds of tests. Lilly took the stress like a champion. Jasmina wanted to recognize Lilly’s incredible attitude and strength. Everyone believed that such a happy dog was going to recover quickly.
If only things had worked out that way. “Every day was a fight and she didn’t give up. Not even once. Going through hundreds of test, visiting many different vets, she didn’t even make a sound. Through her fight, I started taking photos with a hope that I could show her full recovery… Instead, I captured my hardest goodbye,” wrote Jasmina. Although this might be the most difficult project Jasmina has ever worked on, it’s probably one of the most beautiful we’ve ever seen. She documented Lilly’s struggle in a way that proves her love and dedication to her canine companion.
“Lilly was my first dog, my first love and she saved my life,” Jasmina says. “When I adopted her I had severe asthma attacks and she took me on long walks every day – she cured me.” Despite the best efforts of Jasmina and multiple veterinarians, a diagnosis wasn’t reached until it was too late for Lilly. Earlier this year, Lilly passed away from liver cancer. “My heart broke when I lost her and even though I couldn’t let her go I know now I had to. She’ll be in my heart (and on my skin) forever,” she told Metro.co.uk.
Perhaps the biggest downfall about loving dogs is that their lives are far too short. But as every dog owner knows, even the short time we have with our dogs is worth the heartache at the end. The photographs Jasmina took of Lilly are absolutely breathtaking and we hope they offer some comfort for this very difficult time.
Toledo, United States.
