One of the worst things that any pet owner could ever hear is that their animal has cancer.

Our pets mean the world to us and we relate to them in a way that we can’t with other people. Just like losing a human friend, letting go is one of the hardest things to do in life. Sometimes, though, we can make the best of it. That is exactly how one man named Alec Karcher and his family felt when they learned their dog, Cody had cancer.

They had given the 10-year-old dog a wonderful life before learning that cancer had struck him. When they received the diagnosis in May last year, poor Cody’s parents were told he only had between 1 and 3 months to live. Rather than spending those precious, unknown days in mourning, they decided to make the last days of their dog’s life the best yet.

In and of itself, going out of their way to put on a happy face for their pup and give him new experiences is honorable. However, what makes Cody’s story particularly heartwarming is what others decided to do to make his last days a little easier. Namely, the giant fast-food chain, Burger King.

Alec and his family refused to let the cancer rob Cody of his quality of life.

With cancer comes treatment plans, and that means a whole lot of medicine. Even if treatment isn’t the plan, animals are still usually given large doses of medication to keep them comfortable and ease their pain. The only issue is that every dog on the planet hates taking medicine. The last thing a dog-owner wants to do to their sick fur-baby is force drugs down their throat.

Instead of terrorizing Cody with this, Alec and his family came up with a brilliant idea they knew Cody would love. They decided to hide his medicine in the heart of a tasty, plain cheeseburger each day, and it was a win-win. They could successfully give Cody his meds and in return, he got a royal treat!

On days when they were too tired or pressed for time to cook, Alec would swing into a Burger King to order up a cheeseburger for his best friend back home.

During one of these beef-bound trips, an employee piped up with a question that had been on her mind. She asked Alec why it was that he so frequently ordered just a plain cheeseburger with nothing else on it. After all, what’s a burger without all the yummy fixings? That’s when Alec broke the tear-jerking news that his best friend and furbaby was dying of cancer.

After hearing Alec’s story, the employee handed him Cody’s cheeseburger and asked him to wait for just a moment. While he didn’t understand why he should wait he went ahead and stuck around. It’s a good thing he did because the employee brought back some amazing news.

The employee told her branch manager about Cody, and he responded with a vow to give the cancer-ridden dog free cheeseburgers for the rest of his life!

Overwhelmed with gratitude, Alec took to Twitter to thank the fast-food restaurant located on Alexis Rd. in Toledo, OH for making such a difference in his dog’s last stretch of life.

The post quickly went viral and eventually it reached the eyes of the corporate giant themselves. When it did, they responded with a call to action for everyone. They even thanked Alec for the opportunity to be an example of good in the world!

“The world needs more kindness and empathy. Thank you for giving us the chance to do this for Cody,” the tweeted.

Though the free cheeseburgers won’t stop Cody’s cancer, they will definitely make his last days with his family more enjoyable, and a whole lot yummier!

Losing a precious pet can be one of the hardest things to go through in life. However, there are things you can do to keep that last stretch of their life the best one of all. One way to do that is by creating a doggy bucket list of all the things you know they’d love that they haven’t got to experience yet.

That’s what author Lauren Fern Watt did when her 7-year-old Mastiff, Gizelle was given a terminal cancer diagnosis. She took Gizelle canoeing, pumpkin picking, and had lots of fun outings. Though it didn’t save Gizelle’s life, it made it more enjoyable and it certainly saved Lauren’s.

We hope that losing a pet early is something you never have to face in life. If you do, though, we hope that the universe will show you and your furbaby all the kindness and compassion that life has to offer.

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H/T: Relieved