We will all get to a certain point in our lives where we see it coming to an end. It is sad and scary, but it is what it is. Death is inevitable.

A Vietnam war veteran came to this frightful stage of his life, and there was only one thing on his mind; his dog.

During this very unfortunate part of his life, he made a dying wish; to be reunited with his long-time buddy Patch, his Yorkshire Terrier.

Dogtime.com describes this breed as:

“Small in size but big in personality, the Yorkshire Terrier makes a feisty but loving companion. The most popular toy dog breed in the U.S., the “Yorkie” has won many fans with his devotion to his owners, his elegant looks, and his suitability to apartment living.”

Well, Patch was certainly all of that and then some.

The war veteran first met his fur buddy years ago and he became his “patch brother.”

John Vincent first met the Yorkshire Terrier when he was still just a puppy. The two clicked and have been inseparable since then.

“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,” Vincent told the Albuquerque Journal.

The best buds would wear a matching pair of goggles when they rode on John’s motorcycle and would go for nice nighttime walks together.

Time flew fast – John’s body started to give in and his health eventually deteriorated.

He needed to be admitted to a hospital to get medical attention and, sadly, he was not able to bring Patch with him.

He was forced to surrender his beloved dog to Albuquerque Animal Welfare since he had no family around to take responsibility for his fur buddy.

All John wanted was to be reunited with his old pal before he finally went.

John was placed at the Hospice Center at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs Medical Center where he would spend the remaining days of his life.

He made a request and told Amy Neal, a palliative care social worker at the hospice center that he wanted to see Patch again, one last time.

“I asked him if that’s something that would be meaningful for him, and it came together very quickly,” Amy said.

Amy even called it “an honor” to fulfill the war veteran’s request.

She then reached out to Danny Nevarez, Director of Animal Welfare, and told him what John wanted to happen. The shelter was happy to cooperate and they made it possible by arranging the reunion of the separated pals.

It was time for the “patch brothers” to be reunited and everyone was excited.

When Patch was being transported to the Hospice Center, he was quiet as if he knew what was about to happen.

“It’s almost like he knew, he just started whimpering. Like he had that anticipation,” Nevarez said.

Patch was finally reunited with his dad who seemed to have sky-rocketed straight to cloud nine with joy.

“Yeah, that’s me, that’s daddy. Are you so happy to see me? I’m so happy to see you,” John told Patch in a soft gentle voice. Patch replied to him with a kiss!

John was at ease knowing his buddy was going to be with a new family to love him.

The people from the animal shelter were moved by what they saw.

They were also happy that they were able to grant John’s wish, and they assured him that someone had already shown interest in giving his Yorkshire Terrier a new home.

“It was such a heart warming moment! They were so happy to see each other and to say their good byes. It was an honor to make this veteran’s final wish come true. Patch is now back at our Westside Animal Shelter awaiting his new home. Patch already has an interested adopter,” Albuquerque Animal Welfare wrote on a Facebook post.

John and Patch’s relationship was beautiful and heart-wrenching.

It only proves that not all goodbyes are meant to be sad. Sometimes, we need them in order to have a “happy ending.”

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Source: The Animal Rescue Site, Albuquerque Journal, Dogtime.com