A dying veteran's final wish to see his beloved pet dog has been granted by an animal charity.
Last week, when 69-year-old John Vincent, from New Mexico, entered a hospice to receive palliative care, he was forced to give up his beloved dog Patch to an animal charity. With little time left, the veteran asked if he could see his five-year-old dog one last time.
And this wish was granted on Thursday when the charity brought Patch to the Raymond G. Murphy VA Medical Center in Albuquerque.
Danny Nevarez, Animal Welfare director, said that Patch was quiet throughout the journey to the hospital, but when he saw Vincent in his hospital bed, the dog "began to cry".
"It's almost like he knew, he just started whimpering," he told the Albuquerque Journal.
The journal went on to reveal that John, who has no family in New Mexico, joined the Marines as a young man and served for three years, which included a stint in Vietnam.
Patch came into his life when his neighbor's dog had puppies.
The veteran said: "He was the smallest, and I wanted one that could ride on my bike. The only hair I had was on my chin, which was called a patch. … And he had a little white patch, so we were the patch brothers."
The heartwarming pictures were shared on Facebook by Albuquerque Animal Welfare who wrote: "They were so happy to see each other and to say their goodbyes. It was an honor to make this veterans [sic] final wish come true."
Check out the video below to see another emotional reunion. This is the moment a man found his dog after searching for three years:The shelter also revealed that while Patch has returned to the charity after visiting John, it looks like he may have already found his forever family.
"Patch is now back at our Westside Animal Shelter awaiting his new home," the charity added. "Patch already has an interested adopter."
