For most pet owners, their dog or cat is not just an animal that lives in their home.

Our pets become part of our family. And just like with our human relatives, it can be hard to say goodbye to them when the time comes.

When Paul Heroux was told his dog, Mura, had just months to live, he found a touching way to say farewell.

"One last ride in the car."

Heroux, the mayor of Attleboro, Massachusetts, adopted Mura, a Japanese wolf dog, when she was only eight weeks old.

And he told ABC News that he felt a connection to Mura the moment he laid eyes on her.

"I was like, this is my little girl," he remembered.

Now 10 year old, Mura helps Heroux with all kinds of mayoral duties. She visits senior centers, lets school children read to her, and is even featured in local parades.

But in September, Heroux had to rush Mura to the veterinarian after she suffered a ruptured spleen.

Tests from her hospital stay revealed even more bad news: Mura had an aggressive blood cancer called hemangiosarcoma.

In her best case scenario, Mura has another year to live. But her condition could worsen in only months. In any case, veterinarians say her cancer is terminal.

"It was heartbreaking. I picked her up and said, you're going to die little girl and you don't even know it," Heroux said.

But Heroux came up with a creative way to distract Mura from her condition, and give himself time to say goodbye to his beloved dog: a road trip.

"Just let her think she is the little princess that she is "“ going for the best ride of her life."

Heroux cancelled his planned vacation to the Middle East - his first trip in three years - to take Mura on a cross-country tour.

The pair took a roundabout route to Vancouver Island, Canada, to visit the breeder where Mura was born.

Their trip took them up to Niagara Falls, New York, then through a host of other states.

They stopped along the way for photos at landmarks like Mount Rushmore and the Golden Gate Bridge, and for visits to several national parks including Yellowstone and the Grand Canyon.

All in all, the duo manged to visit 24 states and two countries in just 12 days.

As Heroux shared photos from the road, people encouraged him to treat Mura, and shared stories of their own final trips with dying pets.

"Mura doesn't know she has terminal cancer, so don't tell her," Heroux wrote in one update.

"Just let her think she is the little princess that she is "“ going for the best ride of her life."

And Heroux told Fox News that his "princess" definitely got a kick out of her road trip.

"I know my dog really well and this was a very nice time for her," he said.

Mura is still taking chemotherapy and other treatments, and relaxing at home with Heroux.

As he told Mura's new online fans, this journey "wasn't goodbye." It was ony "an 8,500 -mile ride" with his dog.

[H/T: ABC News]

We hope Mura enjoys the rest of her time with Heroux! Have you ever said goodbye to a pet in a special way?