A distraught pet owner spent £3,500 to fly 7,000 miles to Hawaii to say goodbye to her hamster in the most dignified way possible.
When Lisa Murray-Lang, 46, learned that her Syrian hamster, “Spud,” had passed away last March at the ripe old age of three years and seven months, she was crushed.
She had spent years making him cardboard recreations of well-known places and sites from all around the world.
Lisa then saved up the cash to go to Waikiki, Oahu, to visit the beach that served as inspiration for his preferred “getaway,” and scatter his ashes “somewhere he would have liked.” This was done to honor Spud’s life.
The professional dog walker, from Birmingham, and husband William, 66, took a 10-day trip – including three flights via Amsterdam and Los Angeles, and a four-star hotel booking.
And on the final day of their trip, they scattered his ashes during an emotional ceremony, next to some surfboards on the beach.
Lisa said: ‘On the last night before we came home, as the sun was setting, we went down to the beach and laid him to rest.
‘It was amazing really because one of the beaches I had been inspired by when I made Spud’s Hawaii model and had all these surf boards lined up on the beach.
‘The spot where we left him was just like that, which made it really special for me.
‘We took a picture of roughly where he was, with our shadows cast onto the beach as well so that we could always remember where he was.
‘It was a really nice way to say goodbye, and I’m happy knowing that we left him somewhere that he would have loved.
‘There’s definitely a reason why they call Hawaii paradise – it was exactly as it was on TV. It was just stunning – really beautiful.
‘We went snorkelling while we were there too, and out onto the water on a boat trip – it was just an amazing trip really.’
As planned, the couple played Beyoncé’s song ‘I Was Here’ and left a message in the sand dedicated to Spud.
Lisa started making sets for her pet as a lockdown hobby when the pandemic started, just six months after she got him.
She handcrafted every element using cardboard and dolls, with some sets even featuring hamster-themed artwork.
They included the famous magical castle of Hogwarts – or ‘Hamwarts’ – from the Harry Potter films, along with No 10 Downing Street.
She scattered the ashes in Hawaii in October.
Now, as a final memorial tribute to Spud, Lisa says the couple plan to travel to Amsterdam – ‘Hamsterdam’ – later this year to ‘follow in his pawsteps’.
Spud had ‘visited’ the city himself in his second favourite display – featuring a visit to the Van Gough – or Ham Gough – Museum, which Lisa will visit to pay tribute to Spud.