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Dying Man’s Last Wish For His Beloved Dog Just Came True

Just one thing remained on John’s wish list as he was approaching death: a new home for his cherished dog Pawpaw.

His wish was finally fulfilled.

MUTTVILLE

John first met Pawpaw in 2017 at Muttville Senior Dog Rescue in San Francisco, California, and the two have been together ever since. Then, Pawpaw was 11 years old. The elderly man and his senior dog were devoted friends for almost two years.

But John understood that it couldn’t endure forever.

John and Pawpaw on adoption day in 2017 | MUTTVILLE

John had ALS, a neurological disease, and as his condition worsened, he realized the only way he would be able to go quietly was if he knew Pawpaw would be waiting for him in a loving home.

John and Muttville began looking for a new residence for Pawpaw in February.

MUTTVILLE

Tim Belavich and Bernie Knobbe learned about John and Pawpaw in this way. Since Bernie and Tim had previously adopted three puppies from Muttville, a friend of theirs who happened to read The Dodo’s post about the hunt immediately had them in mind.

Bernie and Tim sent a message to The Dodo saying, “She had been hearing about Muttville since 2015 when we adopted our first senior schnauzer Clara.” Since 2015, we have included images of us with our rescue children in our yearly Christmas and holiday cards to promote Muttville.

Bernie and Tim contacted Muttville right away to offer Pawpaw a place to live with them in Los Angeles. The staff at Muttville made a commitment to sort through all of the adoption applications they received for Pawpaw over the course of the ensuing weeks.

Bernie and Tim with the three dogs they’ve rescued from Muttville | BERNIE KNOBBE AND TIM BELAVICH

By chance, Muttville contacted Bernie at the end of March while he and Tim were passing in San Francisco to see whether they were still interested in adopting Pawpaw.

Bernie made plans to go see Pawpaw at John’s house.

According to Patty Stanton of Muttville, “Bernie met Pawpaw and John on Friday, March 29 at their house.” The members of John’s family and Muttville’s founder, Sherri Franklin, all observed that things seemed to just click.

Both John and Bernie were overjoyed they had the opportunity to meet in person, Stanton said. “John was feeling good enough to spend some time conversing with Bernie.”

John went suddenly on April 1st, three days later.

Stanton added that John was able to rest well knowing that his favorite puppy would be okay.

Despite the fact that Pawpaw will always remember John, it was time for Pawpaw to move on to new endeavors.

Bernie playing with Pawpaw | MUTTVILLE

Stanton explained that while Bernie was in San Francisco around that time, he met everyone at Pawpaw and John’s home. “Everyone felt that it was just meant to be because of the timing, travel, and personal connections.”

Tim and their two other rescued schnauzers were waiting to meet and welcome Pawpaw to his new home while Bernie and Pawpaw drove out to Los Angeles together.

On April 5, early in the evening, “the kids met,” according to Bernie and Tim. Everyone in this family has experienced love at first sight ever since.

Pawpaw in his loving new home | BERNIE KNOBBE AND TIM BELAVICH

The adoptive family of Pawpaw is incredibly grateful to be able to give animals the loving home they so desperately need when their human guardian dies.

Who will take care of elderly pets when their senior owners get sick or pass away? [It’s a] severe challenge. They composed. Despite being a crucial factor in family planning, it is frequently ignored.

Pawpaw and John undoubtedly contributed to raising awareness for the issue. Hopefully, Pawpaw’s tale will encourage other families to think about adopting older pets in like circumstances when seeking for a new furry family member.

We received hundreds of questions, according to Stanton. “This fit like a glove!”