They were ready to say goodbye to their terminally ill dog until his reaction changed everything

The decision to put a pet to sleep is perhaps the hardest choice an owner ever has to make. You agonize over the timing, fearing you are waiting too long or acting too soon. For Alexandra Blumenfeld (@alexblumy) and her family, the time had seemingly come for their 11-year-old dog, Brinkley.

Brinkley had been battling a terminal cancer diagnosis for a year. Recently, his condition had taken a sharp turn for the worse. He was exhausted, breathing heavily, and scans revealed internal bleeding and tumors.

"That's when my parents called us home and said we should come say goodbye," Blumenfeld recalled to Newsweek.

Dog owner pets their dogCanva

The Final Goodbye

When the siblings arrived at their parents' house, Brinkley was in rough shape. The vet had warned them that he didn't have much time left, and the family decided that a home euthanasia appointment was the kindest option to end his suffering.

"We couldn't bring ourselves to do it [at the clinic] because he hates the vet... We didn't want that to be his last memory," she explained.

The family spent the day surrounding Brinkley, crying, petting him, and preparing for the end. They thought they were witnessing his final hours.

Gif of a sad looking pug via Giphy

The Miracle Rally

But then, something inexplicable happened.

As the family sat with him, showering him with love and attention, Brinkley started to wake up. And not just wake up, he began to "perk up."

He stood up. He ate food. And then, to everyone's shock, he walked to the door and asked to go for a walk, something he hadn't had the energy to do all week.

"He wanted to play, go for a walk and eat every meal. It felt like a miracle," Blumenfeld said.

The Aftermath

Stunned by this sudden burst of life, the family canceled the appointment.

The next day, Brinkley was still moving around, enjoying the extra time with his loved ones. While the family jokingly calls him a "master manipulator" for the dramatic turnaround, the internet offered a sweeter theory.

"He said, ‘I’m so glad to see all of you,'" one commenter wrote.

Another user, @mammamaryo, suggested that the surge of affection was the best medicine: "I’m the only one who thinks that by watching you all together and getting all the love, he felt better."

While veterinarians often refer to this burst of energy as "the rally" or terminal lucidity—a common phenomenon before passing—for Brinkley's family, it was simply a gift of more time.

You can follow Alexandra Blumenfeld (@alexblumy) on TikTok for more content on lifestyle and pet parenting.

This article originally appeared earlier this year.