Meet Chester – a senior statesman dog from an animal rescue with terminal cancer, who is going to live a pampered dog’s dream thanks to the Columbus woman who’s fostering him through his final days. Chester was adopted by a Columbus woman who wanted to give him the best of everything in his final days. The ailing pooch's previous owners had abandoned him at a high-kill shelter earlier this year before rescued by non-profit Animal Ark Rescue, she said.  Facebook Nicole Elliott is seen with her terminally ill shelter dog Chester after recently taking him in as a hospice foster mom. "He wasn't in the best shape. They bathed him and shaved away all of the matted, dirty hair. They found a very large tumor on his side, and had it removed. Since then they have shown up all over his body," she told WTVM. Elliott says Chester’s history is mostly unknown before April 2015, when Animal Ark rescued him from a high-kill shelter in Columbus after his owners dropped him off there. Elliot, who has a passion for rescuing animals, said she found Chester's photo while scrolling through the Facebook page of Animal Ark Rescue -- a shelter that was searching for potential owners to care for him during his dying days. Georgia mom Nicole Elliott says she was inspired to take on the mission after scrolling through a Columbus animal rescue group's website and seeing Chester's grizzled snout with a headline reading "hospice needed." But then, "I slept on it, and woke up knowing it was the right thing to do. I knew that it would be my responsibility to make his final days the best I could, to mine and his ability," she told the station. Previous Next 
 
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 When she arrived at the shelter that morning, she said: "I fell in love the moment I saw him." Since they started, Elliot has been documenting Chester's experience on a Facebook page she created for him, as well as a donation site for Animal Ark Rescue. "Before I went and got him, I decided to do a bucket list," Elliot of Columbus, Georgia told ABC News. I am so overwhelmed with all of the love and support. She said she hopes it brings awareness to animals who have a lesser chance finding homes before they die. Chester was shortly after introduced to the world on his very own Facebook page titled: "Chester's final journey."  Nicole Elliot said she immediately knew she wanted to adopt Chester, a senior rescue dog who suffering from terminal cancer, and bring him on an exciting journey that would make the most of the time he has left on earth. He is just very sweet and he soaks up any love that you give him. The terminally ill pooch is spending his final days eating hot dogs and getting belly rubs after being rescued from a shelter by a foster mom who says she intends to give him one "awesome final ride." I am open to suggestions and ideas." Today I took him on a shopping spree, and gave him a soothing oatmeal milk bath. He really enjoyed the bath," Elliott posted on June 28. So far he took a ride with the windows down, he had a famous Nathans hot dog, he had a doggie sundae, he had a milk and oatmeal bath (spa day), he went on a shopping spree where he got a cozy bed, bandannas, lots of treats, and toys. "There are so many people that say animals don’t have souls like humans, but I feel like anybody who met Chester would see he does have a soul. Mobile users: To see a slideshow of Chester and Nicole's exploits, click here. Elliott admits that it will be hard once they lose him but says right now it's not about her.
– Chester may be in his last days, but he's living the dream. Little is known about the terminally ill dog's life before April, when he was rescued from a high-kill shelter in Columbus, where his previous owners left him. "He wasn't in the best shape," says Nicole Elliott, who found Chester on nonprofit Animal Ark Rescue's Facebook page. "They bathed him and shaved away all of the matted, dirty hair. They found a very large tumor on his side, and had it removed. Since then they have shown up all over his body." But despite his health problems, Elliott is helping him get the most out of his last days. "I slept on it, and woke up knowing it was the right thing to do," she tells WTVM. Chester, likely 13 or 14, now has a Facebook page and is checking off a "bucket list" to ensure he has an "awesome final ride," Elliott tells the New York Daily News. So far, Chester has had a spa day with a milk and oatmeal bath and a shopping spree for new toys. There have also been plenty of treats, like "a famous Nathans hot dog" and a sundae. "I am taking it a day at a time and trying to give him normal doggy experiences that he may have never had the chance to do before, and a ton of spoiling," says Elliott. Next on the list: dinner at a restaurant, a day at the beach, a boat ride, and a birthday party with other rescued animals. "There is no estimate on time that I will be blessed with Chester," Elliott says. "He doesn't seem to be in much pain, but he is slow due to his age." She adds "he still has very perky moments and he loves to terrorize my kitties." Elliott hopes Chester encourages others to adopt from shelters with hospice programs, ABC News reports. Other animals "deserve a chance at a great final journey too!" she writes. (This dying dog took a "bucket list" trip to the Pacific.)