A dog owner has said her final goodbyes to her dying best friend by showering him in kisses, cuddles and his favourite foods.
Ellie Buckler, 21, from Blackpool, was determined to make Baxter's last ever day on earth an incredibly special one, and captured it on camera to treasure forever.
Her touching TikTok video has gone viral online, with more than 11 million people viewing it and thousands of dog lovers sending her their condolences.
Ellie felt heartbroken when her 12-year-old sharp-pei began to deteriorate and was struggling to walk and breathe.
On her TikTok, she explains: "He was on lots of painkillers and it wasn't fair to watch him suffer anymore, it would have been selfish of us to let him carry on in that state."
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After being advised by a vet, the family chose to have Baxter put to sleep - and Ellie says it was "the hardest decision of our lives but the kindest thing to do".
Once a date was set in place, Ellie put on a brave face and planned a miniature bucket list for Baxter's final 24 hours - filled with tasty treats and affection.
She said: "He had never eaten a McDonald's or chocolate before, the past few months he's only been able to have dry food, so we thought we'd let him have all the nice things."
It was truly a send-off fit for a king and began with a breakfast treat - a whole McDonald's McMuffin just for Baxter.
Ellie explained that she'd only ever given him a "tiny bite" of hers in the past, so he looked at it in shock before munching it down.
Then the pair took a slow walk to the shops for a packet of ham, and shared it together.
Much of the day was spent lying outside and cuddling together, which the whole family got involved with.
Finally, she gave him one last snack - a "naughty" chunk of chocolate washed down with a cup of tea.
On the evening, Ellie's family took Baxter on his final car journey to be put to sleep, and she held him in her arms as he peacefully passed away.
The footage finished with a powerful clip of a rainbow that appeared in the sky that night.
In a comment, Ellie added: "I'd do anything to have dogs live forever."
Animal lovers were taken to tears watching the video, with over 32,000 people commenting on it.
"I'm sobbing. My worst worst nightmare," one viewer said, whilst another wrote: "It's horrible when you lose your dog, when I think about mine now, I still have a tear in my eye."
"Looks like he had the most perfect life and he can now run free in the sky," someone kindly commented.
"I can tell he had the best last day with you, also the best years," a TikToker agreed.
How did your dog spend their last day on earth? Email nia.dalton@reachplc.com.
