TOLEDO, OH (WTOL) - It's always hard to lose a friend. But sometimes, a random act of kindness can help ease that pain.
This is the situation that Toledo resident Lynn Morris and her family find themselves in.
Lynn and her family celebrated their dog Cody's birthday in March. But soon after, they learned that it may be his last.
Cody was diagnosed with terminal aggressive bone cancer and was only given a few months to live.
The family adopted him when he was just 8 weeks old, and he has made quite an impact on them ever since.
"He's such a loyal dog. We call him 'our old gentleman' because of how he looks out for us," Lynn said. "He's the ideal companion."
The family put their heads together, determined to make the most of the time Cody had left.
"I thought, 'If I were a dog, what would be on my bucket list?'" said Lynn.
Lynn and her family decided to feed him one of his favorite treats every day: a cheeseburger.
Prior to the diagnosis, they were pretty careful about Cody's diet, but decided they wanted something to comfort him while he took his daily medication.
"We wanted to thank him for being such a good boy," Lynn said.
Most of the time they made the burgers themselves, but Lynn said Sunday night she and her fiancee decided to swing by a Burger King in Toledo.
When they pulled up to the window of the store on East Alexis, the worker, Ashley, noticed something odd about their order.
After a bit of chit-chat, the family explained what they were doing for Cody, and without skipping a beat, Ashley ran off to find her manager.
The manager, Josie, decided that all of Cody's burgers, for the rest of his life, would be free at their store.
It's an act that has touched the family during such a difficult time.
Lynn's son, Alec Karcher, took to Twitter to express his gratitude.
The tweet said:
The Burger King corporate Twitter page responded with:
CEO Jimmy Harmon of Bennett Management Corporation, a company that owns several Burger King franchises, including the one on East Alexis, said that he is proud that these employees took the initiative to do the right thing, even if it meant bending the rules.
He believes the employees stayed true to the company's motto: People pleasing people.
Harmon said in a statement:
"We are very proud of our employees. We were also very touched by the story and have sympathy for the family and their dog in these tough times."
The Burger King held true to their promise when the family came in to redeem their offer the next day.
Lynn expressed gratitude to the East Alexis Burger King workers for their kindness, and wanted to remind people to always adopt their pets.
"They turn out to be the best companions," she said.
