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'She needed to have the best life possible': Wilkinson couple rescues terminal bloodhound

"We knew she needed to have the best life possible and we just wanted to be a part of it," Julie Cochran said about Darby

WILKINSON COUNTY, Ga. — You see it all the time on social media -- the heart-wrenching grieving process we do when we lose a pet.

We take that in stride when we sign up to bring an animal into our lives.

Chris and Julie Cochran just rescued a bloodhound named Darby.

They don't know how long they have with her, but they're determined to make the journey as loving as possible.

"We have donkeys in the backfield and then we have some cows, and in the front field, some alpacas and some sheep," Chris rattled.

The new kid on the block just came home Thursday.

Darby is a bloodhound with a brutal past.

"When we saw it, we thought, 'Oh, my. That poor dog -- somebody's gotta help her,'" Chris recalled.

Darby showed up at a house in Ivey, and the people there got in touch with Two Tailz Rescue Group in Alpharetta who got her emergency care.

The Cochrans saw her story on Facebook.

"We knew she needed to have the best life possible and we just wanted to be a part of it," Julie said.

They can put pounds on the pup, who weighs half of what she should, but possibly no one can fix the deeper wounds.

"She does have a form of cancer, most likely lymphoma, in one of her lungs, and probably what is a cancerous mass on her back that we can't biopsy yet because of her skin infection," Julie said, "But at this moment, doctors have given us a six- to 12-month lifespan for her."

It's joyful to help out a soul that has had such a doggone rough lot in life. Darby is just meeting her other barnyard friends.

"Let's just say I moved my Blink camera into her room and I watched her last night as she slept," Julie admitted.

But it's also almost unbearable to think about a terminal prognosis.

"I can't say anything," Julie said after a long, silent pause.

The term the rescue agency gave for this situation is "fospice" care -- fostering and hospice.

All Darby knows is that she has found champions in the Cochrans, people who want to make sure she's treated like a princess and to make sure whatever happens in the future, it comes with hugs.

"As long as she's willing to fight, we're willing to fight," Chris said confidently.

The rescue group is paying for Darby's care.

Chris says they're staying optimistic. The first goal is to get her happy and healthy, and then they may talk to doctors to see if they can surgically remove the cancer.

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