A winter-loving dog was given one last chance to play in the snow before being put to sleep after suffering from cancer.

Maggie Bear had been ill for months when her owners decided to take her away for the whole weekend.

During a camping trip, she was taken paddle-boarding, given her ball to play with and spoiled with belly rubs and her favourite food.

She came back ‘blissfully tired’ but her owners also wanted to give her the chance to enjoy feeling the snow between her paws again – something that had always given her ‘joy.’

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It being September in Utah, there wasn’t much snow around so they contacted the local ice skating rink to help out.

The Salt Lake City Ice Center was more than happy to help out and donated buckets of ice shavings to make a mound for Maggie Bear in her garden.

Video shows her looking content and taking bites of snow while perched on top of the icy throne.

On Facebook, the Happy Tails Dog Hiking Group said: ‘We said goodbye to our sweet Maggie Bear this morning.

‘We are devastated and already feel the enormous void of her absence. As difficult as the decision to end her suffering was, we are comforted in knowing she departed with grace and dignity.’

Maggie’s owners said they wanted to say goodbye in a ‘calm and peaceful manner’ so that the process of being put to sleep wasn’t ‘scary or stressful’ for their beloved pet.

They admitted their camping outing was ‘incredibly bittersweet’ and doubted whether they had made the right decision.

But, they said, ‘ultimately, all our bargaining and second guessing led us right back to our want to free her from the pain of her cancer.’

They had initially appealed for snow with a post on social media and described the response as ‘overwhelming.’

After being contacted by the ice center, they drove over very early in the morning and loaded up a van with Maggie’s snow.

Back home in Salt Lake City, the whole family then pitched in to unload the snow and create the mound for the dog.

The post added: ‘We are incredibly grateful that our sweet girl spent her final moments surrounded by immense love and comfort. We are absolutely heartbroken, but have found comfort in knowing we gave her the best life and the most gracious passing. Hug your loved ones extra tight for us tonight.’

The Salt Lake County Ice Center said: ‘It’s not always about skates and hockey pucks at County Ice Center. Today was a bitter sweet day, as we had an opportunity to help make a difference for a very special dog, Maggie.

‘This morning we filled bins, buckets and the back of his van with the ice shavings from the rink. Maggie enjoyed her last morning with her two favorite things, snow and her owners.’

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