The Dobbie sisters of Adelaide, Australia, grew up with their beloved dog, Tigger, by their side.
When Tigger, a Jack Russell terrier the family had as a pet for 16 years, became sick, the four sisters recreated a childhood photo with him just before his death on Wednesday.
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“Immediately we were rummaging through clothes trying to find the right attire to do so,” she said. “It was definitely a happy and jovial event and we knew the sentimental value the photo would serve for us before it was even completed.”
Dobbie said the original photo with Tigger was taken nearly 15 years before she and her sisters -- Lauren, 29, Samantha, 23, and Elizabeth, 21 -- recreated it this week.
“Our mum was trying to get a nice family photo of us with him,” Dobbie recalled. “We actually have another photo taken minutes apart of us standing nicely and smiling happily, but we thought the silly one was a better interpretation of Tigger’s life with us, and better showed the happiness he brought to our lives and us.”
Dobbie shared the photo on Reddit, where it has received hundreds of comments.
“He loved people and it’s very ironic that the story of Tigger has now touched the hearts of people he never even met,” Dobbie said. “My family and I believe this is his way of saying that he’s okay and for us to smile at his memory.”