Tom Antonino is most known for a moving photograph snapped by a bystander on a family vacation to the beach in early March.
It shows a guy with his dog, Cocoa, an aging retriever. The dog attended her owners everywhere when she was younger, having an active lifestyle. However, as she grew older, she began to lose strength and stamina. By the age of 16, she had completely ceased walking. Cocoa was adored by her family, and they wished for her to have a long and happy life.
Tom and his wife Lauren built a mobile bed for the dog so she could still go out in nature with them.
They mounted the completed dog bed on wheels and attached a rope to it, allowing it to be dragged like a sled. Lauren says, “Cocoa always appreciated taking long walks with Tom, and he realized how essential it was to her.” They once established a world record by walking 100 thousand steps along the Virginia Beach boardwalk in one week!” Carrie, a Virginia Beach resident, had no idea who was in the photo when she posted it on her Facebook page.
Carrie’s post received about 29 thousand likes in only a few days. It has been shared by over 55 thousand subscribers on their social media platforms.
As a result, the photos shot by Carrie eventually reached Tom’s relative, who informed him that he and Cocoa had become famous on the network. Lauren called Carrie to inform her that Cocoa had left them not long after this shot was taken. She emailed the kid a photo of the dog she had when she was younger, asking her to include it in the post so that others would know more about her.
