A Home for Patch and Rags!

When Patch came to me, he had little hair. His head and tummy were essentially bald and covered with sores from secondary infections. He'd been brought into a city shelter to be put down. Another Heartland volunteer saved him and he came to me.

A week later, a call from the same shelter came. They had a puppy they thought was Patch's sibling, in even worse shape than Patch. In addition to mange taking hair from all the same places and secondary infections, Rags had a terrible case of kennel cough. A week later, he nearly died from pneumonia. I took him from his temporary foster home and he came to me.

I now had two very sick, tiny puppies on my hands. Rags needed medicine for his pneumonia so dangerous to humans, they cannot touch it with bare hands. Both dogs needed antibiotics twice daily, ointment applied to their whole bodies three times a day and medicated baths every other day. For months.

There were multiple vet appointments. It was a bad case of mange, and not quick to clear, but we were keeping it under control. Patch and Rags were growing beautiful, shiny, coats. As the hair filled in on their heads and faces, two beautiful dogs emerged. Every six weeks, we'd return to the vet for skin tests . . . and every six weeks, we'd go home to continue their treatment. Meanwhile, the tiny puppies grew. And grew. Soon it was no longer possible to bathe them together without flooding the bathroom, so we started separate baths.

Finally, when they were about seven months old, they passed a skin test! No more mange! We had to continue treatment until a second test confirmed they were free and clear. It was time to start looking for a forever home for these boys I'd watch grow up and cared for so many months.

At almost a year old, Patch and Rags still hadn't found a home, maybe because of their breed or because people were afraid of the disease that struck them as youngsters, or perhaps they became victims of big, black, dog syndrome. At any rate, other foster dogs came and went, while Patch and Rags stayed with me. It was difficult not to consider them my dogs. I loved them every bit as much as my dogs . . . and they'd been with me longer than some of the dogs I adopted. I would have been fine with them staying forever, but the reality is, I wanted better for them. I wanted to see each of them in homes where they would be the center of attention because these dogs are special. Both are the most affectionate, loving animals; some of the sweetest dogs I have ever cared for. They deserved to have all the attention they craved. While I loved them and cuddled them and played with them, with all the other dogs I cared for, it just never felt like it was enough for them.

Friday night, I filled the car with crates and supplies, bathed dogs and organized their medical records and other paperwork. Saturday, I loaded four dogs into the car, in hopes they'd find their forever homes at Saturday's adoption event. I rarely bring Patch and Rags to adoptions together. The odds they'd find homes on the same day are astronomical. While I always dreamed they'd find a home together, I just didn't see it happening. So, yesterday was Rags' turn to go to adoptions.

I didn't know it, but a couple had been looking at Patch and Rags on the website. They were also considering one of our shelter dogs, their application for which was already pre-approved. With no children to care for, and a big empty spot left in their home from a beloved pet they'd recently lost to illness, they were the perfect placement. A home in the city, a fenced backyard, and two devoted parents to smother a dog with attention. They spent some time with Rags. I answered questions. I nearly fainted when they said that if they adopted Rags, they couldn't imagine not taking his brother with him.

I always encourage potential adopters to take a step away from PetSmart and the pleading eyes of homeless animals to discuss the decision to bring a new dog into their lives. While my job is to find homes for my animals, I want those placements to last forever. An impulsive decision to adopt often leads to an animal getting returned once the adopter realizes the huge amount of responsibility that accompanies pet ownership.

Though they intended to go out to lunch and discuss the adoption, once this couple made it to the car, they realized they were both on the same page and were both serious about taking my boys home. They came back and asked me to go get Patch. While I was thrilled for my boys, I burst into tears on the spot. After a whole year with my beautiful boys, imagining my home without them was overwhelming.

Two wiggling, active puppies in great big bodies did not deter them. Patch and Rags left, together, with their new parents, a pair of matching crates, bowls, leashes, collars and doggy beds. I said goodbye, sitting on the floor of PetSmart, with both my boys trying to fit into my lap at the same time. I hugged their big heads and kissed their puppy faces and watched them walk away into forever with their new family.

I am so happy for them. It is a dream come true that I didn't have to place them in separate homes, that they will always have each other. I came home to an email update and a photo of my boys in their new home.

Loving Patch and Rags has been a blessing I will always be grateful for. In time, it wont hurt so much to miss them as I do today. There are other dogs who need me that I will now have space for . . . and that is the whole point of going through the heartache of this goodbye.

Have a blessed life, my sweet boys, I will always love you!