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Sick pup plays in snow one last time after ice rink donates buckets of it

"Maggie enjoyed her last morning with her two favorite things, snow and her owners."

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By Harrison Moore via SWNS

A dying dog was able to play in the snow one last time after a Utah ice rink delivered buckets of it to her home, bringing joy to the winter-loving pup in her final hours.

Owners Marianna Wilson and Elijah Saltzgaber were heartbroken when they made the difficult decision to put down dog Maggie, 11, after a battle with cancer.

All her life Maggie loved to be in the snow, and the pair weren't prepared to let her go without giving her one last weekend of wintery pleasure.

This included lots of her favourite foods, camping and belly rubs.

But they had no idea how they would get hold of snow in September.

Luckily Salt Lake County Ice Centre answered their pleas and delivered buckets of ice shavings right to their yard.

Sadly, Maggie died just hours later.

Her owners posted: "We are devastated and already feel the enormous void of her absence.

"As difficult as the decision to end her suffering was, we are comforted in knowing she departed with grace and dignity.

"We wanted to share one last weekend filled with paddle boarding (her favourite), food, camping, playing with her ball, more food and belly rubs.

"Our outing was incredibly bittersweet. Seeing her big brown eyes take in all the stimuli of nature had us doubting our decision.

"Could we wait another week? Another month? Ultimately, all our bargaining and second-guessing led us right back to our want to free her from the pain of her cancer."

Maggie was diagnosed in July and died a few hours after her snowy outing in late September.

A spokesperson from Utah's Salt Lake County Ice Centre said: "Today was a bittersweet day, as we had an opportunity to help make a difference for a very special dog, Maggie.

"We filled bins, buckets and the back of the van with ice shavings from the rink.

"Maggie enjoyed her last morning with her two favorite things, snow and her owners."

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