Pulled from a high kill shelter, I adopted Epifanio “Fanny” Joseph Castgana, a 6/7-year-old Boxer, from Louisiana Boxer Rescue on February 4, 2016. I have always had a soft spot for senior and/or special needs’ dogs.
Fanny had his share of medical issues. Less than a week after adopting him, he underwent surgery to remove a digit due to cancer. He also suffered from heartworms and seizures. However, his medical conditions did not slow him down. He was my best friend. My partner in crime.
In 2017, Mardi Paws selected Fanny to be the “King of the Throne”. In 2018, he was “Epifanio the ‘UniBOXERcorn’”. The pup-arazzi loved taking pictures of him! Since his photos were always pawfection, Fanny turned into a su-paw-star and every year he appeared in both The Times-Picayune and on-line. Most recently, Fanny’s paw-fect picture graced NOLA.com’s breaking news article titled, “Mardi Paws parade moving to Covington, while a new dog parade sniffs out Mandeville lakefront”.
Unfortunately, in early October 2018, my vet gave me the news I never wanted to hear. Fanny had a cancerous heart tumor. Due to his age and medical conditions, I decided not to pursue aggressive treatment. I took him home and just enjoyed the time I had left with him.
On his last Earthly day (October 17, 2018), we played and he jumped in the back of my car and we went to Starbucks and he got his favorite treat, a puppuccino. That night he awoke from his sleep, got up, took a step, and then started slouching. I knew in that moment that he had had a massive heart attack. I was blessed to have been right there to hold him in my arms as he crossed the Rainbow Bridge.
While I miss Fanny every day, it gives me comfort to know that I saved him from Death Row and he was able to spend his Golden Years being treated like the King he was. In return, he showed me what unconditional love was and forever changed my life.
Story Shared by Stacy Gregg
