Dog gets last meal ‘made with love’ from Texas Roadhouse

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Pets are just like members of the family.

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Look no further than the sick eight-and-a-half-year-old Great Dane Iris, whose “last meal” was lovingly prepared by a Texas Roadhouse location in Ephrata, Penn, about 90 km northwest of Philadelphia, according to PEOPLE.

Iris’ owner, Hunter Metzger, placed the pickup order with the restaurant in early April and couldn’t believe the compassion shown to his beloved pet just before her death.

The order was fit for a king or, at the very least, a very sick dog – an 8 oz. New York strip steak, steak fries, mashed potatoes and fresh-baked bread – and Metzger handed off the note: “Last meal for our dog. Prepare w/love,” said a Facebook post from restaurant employee Kate Weston.

Metzger told NBC affiliate WGAL that he and his family wanted to give Iris “that last best day ever” as she was non-responsive to medication to treat a nasal growth.

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“So, we took her on car rides,” he told WGAL. “We brought her around to visit family, and I said, ‘You know, we’re going to get her a steak dinner for her last meal.’”

Weston, a self-described “animal lover,” told WGAL that she wanted to make Iris “the best steak” ever.

“In that moment, nothing mattered but getting Iris her last meal,” Weston said.

In return, the pickup meal came with a note from Weston and her fellow employees as she wrote on the to-go lid “made with love.”

Plus, the meal was free, according to Metzger.

“I pulled in and walked up to the to-go window and said, ‘I’m Hunter. I’m here to pick up my order,’” Metzger told WGAL.

“And a few of the ladies in the room immediately came up, offered their condolences, and said, ‘We saw your note. You know, tears in all of our eyes. We definitely prepared it with love.’”

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Metzger told a local Facebook group that he shared a “big thankyou” to the meal preparers, and he added that Iris, “the sweet pup,” was laid to rest shortly after her Texas Roadhouse meal.

“This kind of customer service and demonstrated compassion sets this Texas Roadhouse team a level above the rest! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!” he wrote on Facebook.

The community response has gone a long way to mend the broken hearts of Iris’ family members.

“It’s just been really neat to read through the comments and the support and the love from people all around the world – not just here in the U.S. We’ve seen Australia, United Kingdom,” he told WGAL.

“We needed that bright spot in this tough time,” Metzger added.

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