Texas Woman Recreates Old Photo With Her Dog, And The Story Behind It Will Melt Your Heart

Ducky is the kind of pup who makes you believe in second chances and tiny miracles. He is 13 years old now, but you wouldn’t know it from the way he struts around.

He’s sassy, stylish, and has a whole wardrobe of Halloween costumes that could put any superfan to shame.

And here’s the fun part: Ducky actually changes colors. Yep, like a real-life magic trick!

When he was a puppy, his coat was dark and silky. Over the years, his fur morphed into a rare greige shade that became his trademark look.

His mom, Erin Abay, nicknamed him “Ducky with the Good Hair,” because honestly, his fur was so flawless it could make most people jealous.

Last summer, though, things took a scary turn. Ducky developed a dry cough that wouldn’t go away.

So Erin, who has an eye for these things as the program director at the Humane Society of Navarro County, took him to the vet.

The diagnosis made her stomach drop: poor Ducky had stage 1 lung cancer.

Thankfully, they’d caught it early. Ducky underwent surgery to remove the tumor, and true to his nature, he bounced right back like nothing ever happened.

Life slipped back into their familiar rhythm. Ducky lounged with the cats, gobbled his favorite snacks, and modeled his super-cool costumes.

Over the years, he’s worn more than 40 different outfits and even uses his social media fame to raise money for local animal shelters.

That’s Ducky: cute, but always giving back.

But just when things seemed steady again, Erin noticed a small lump on his belly while giving him one of his daily rubs. Her heart sank.

Tests confirmed her worst fear: this time, it was lymphoma.

Erin was crushed, as she shared in an interview:

“I immediately got concerned because I figured it was a lymph node, and none of his others were swollen.”

Still, she wasn’t about to give up on her boy. They started chemotherapy right away, which meant frequent trips to the oncologist.

Ducky, even though he trembled a little with nerves, always walked in bravely, trusting his mom was by his side.

After the first round of chemo, his signature hair began to thin.

Shih Tzus like Ducky tend to shed more during treatment since their fur is closer to human hair than regular dog coats.

Watching his locks fall out was hard on Erin, but even on his worst days, Ducky still chased his toys and wagged his tail, determined to stay himself.

And then, something totally unexpected happened. Ducky’s fur began to grow back, but it didn’t look anything like before.

His soft blond-gray shade turned into a deep, rich brown, and his sleek coat came back curly and coarse. He was almost like a brand-new dog. Erin shared:

“The color change was pretty exciting. He went from gray to hot chocolate.”

After six months of treatment, Ducky got the all-clear. Cancer-free.

Now Erin does everything she can to keep him healthy and happy, because she knows better than most how precious time is.

She’s been living with cystic fibrosis her entire life, in and out of hospitals, facing her own uphill battles.

Through every treatment, every hard day, Ducky has been there as her little shadow.

Recently, Erin recreated a picture with Ducky taken 11 years earlier, and the difference is incredible.

In both photos, you see their unshakable bond, but now you also see resilience, love, and everything they’ve overcome together.

Yes, they’ve both gotten older. But if you look closely, you can see it; they shine even brighter now. More love, more joy, more fight in them than ever before.

Because Ducky isn’t just a dog. He’s a survivor. And together, he and Erin are a team that proves love really can carry you through anything.