'Poh the Dog's Big Adventure' Ends: Instagram Dog Famous for Bucket List Passes Away

A dog famous for his bucket list has crossed the rainbow bridge.

Named Poh, the 16-year-old Labrador retriever, passed away on Feb. 12 after he had become terminally ill.

Known for his various adventures across the U.S., including trips to the ocean, Disneyland and Mt. Rushmore, was due to be put down on Feb. 16 after tumors started spreading in his body and his quality of life had greatly declined.

“Although Poh was comfortable, his body couldn’t keep up with his spirit anymore, and we would help him transition,” Poh’s owner, Neil Rodriguez, writes on Instagram. “The chances of him passing naturally were just very slim as it would basically mean he would starve to death. We wanted our vet involved and that required us to make an appointment. So as strange as it seems, we scheduled the last day of Poh’s life.”

But according to Rodriguez, his “trouble maker” dog was not down with an appointment and was going to choose how he was going to leave this planet.

“Poh spent his whole life being a trouble maker with a capital T. Just like Danny Glover wasn’t the type of guy who dies on a toilet bowl in Lethal Weapon, Poh isn’t the type of dog whose last day can be scheduled,” Rodriguez writes on Instagram. “Call it coincidence if u want, but we feel that Poh decided when he was ready to let go, and he went out on his own terms, guns hot, just like how he lived.”

Here is the letter in its entirety:

Photo Credit: Poh the Dog’s Big Adventure

This is a pic of poh we took yesterday morning. As it turns out, this would be the last sunrise I would watch with #pohthedog. I hope by telling you this next story I can make you smile… When Yuko [his wife] left for japan poh got better, he was had gained weight & even walked around in his wheelchair solo.

When Yuko came home he was happy as can be, but something changed. He stopped eating & drinking & we were dealing w/ him being incontinent for the 1st time. It was as if he had ‘let go’. It was as if poh was holding on because he was waiting for mom to come home & now that she was… Well that’s what he did.

We brought poh to our vet & we all felt it was OK if we waited a day before making any rash decisions. Sure enough, his condition improved…until last Thurs. His eating habits changed again & it turned out he had lost a whole kg. He was still eating, but not enough.

Although poh was comfortable, his body couldn’t keep up w/ his spirit anymore, and we would help him transition. The chances of him passing naturally were just very slim as it would basically mean he would starve to death.We wanted our vet involved & that required us to make an appointment. So as strange as it seems, we scheduled the last day of poh’s life. TUES 2/16, at 4:30 pm.

We brought him with to #toronto for 1 last trip as I had to work. The moment we left he perked up, he started barking at us for attention, just as before. He was in his element, on the road with his mom and dad.

Around 7:30 pm he was barking & we stopped to feed him & give him water. He ate a little & drank a bit, but he kept barking, so I helped him pee. As I was getting ready to lay him down, he pooped on my sneakers 🙂 That was the last thing he did, before he lied down and crossed over.

Poh spent his whole life being a trouble maker w/ capital T. Just like Danny glover wasn’t the type of guy who dies on a toilet bowl in lethal weapon, poh isn’t the type of dog whose last day can be scheduled.

Call it coincidence if u want, but we feel that Poh decided when he was ready to let go, and he went out on his own terms, guns hot, just like how he lived.

We were lucky enough to meet Poh and his sweet demeanor, warm eyes and the love he had for his owners will be missed on this planet. RIP sweet dog.

Here are some of his many adventures, showing that Poh truly did live a very full life.

Bonaventure cemetery