A man diagnosed with terminal cancer knows he is facing the end of his life, but it’s someone else he’s most concerned about: his beloved dog, who faces an uncertain future when the owner is gone.
Now, the man’s dying wish is to find a perfect home for his sweet pet before he passes.
David Fine, from Plainville, Massachusetts, rescued his pet dog Babs, a Shar-Pei/Boxer mix, from a shelter 10 years ago, and the two have been inseparable ever since.
Sadly, the two will soon have to say goodbye: David, 63, is dying of cancer.
According to WJAR, David underwent treatment for leukemia and was diagnosed with vascular disease, before getting the devastating news that he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer.
David opted not to undergo treatments — while they may have bought him a little more time, they also would’ve decreased his quality of life.
Five months ago, doctors told him he has six months to live. With his time running out, David has one top priority: finding a new home for Babs.
“I had told myself I was never gonna get another pet because it breaks my heart to lose them,” David told WJAR. “Unfortunately, she’s going to outlive me this time.”
For David, who does not have children, his loyal dog is the most important thing in his life: “It’s like trying to find a home for your child,” he added.
“She is the most important thing at this point. My fate is sealed but hers is not.”
David says he wants to see Babs transition and get acclimated to a new home while he is still alive. When he enters hospice care, he will surrender Babs to her new family. While he says having to give up his dog might “kill him,” he will “rest at peace” knowing she’s safe and secure.
He’s getting help from animal rescuer Jennie Mann, who put the word out on social media and is screening potential candidates. She wrote that David is a “sweet kind-hearted man” and that finding a home for Babs is his “dying wish.”
“His dog is his life,” she wrote in a Facebook post. “He said he can’t be laid to rest, until he knows his baby will be taken care of, when he is gone.”
“He wants someone who will love her like he does,” she added. “He wants her to understand he did not abandon her, and that he has passed. He wants her to feel comfortable going to a new home so she doesn’t feel like she lives with a stranger.”
Jennie writes that Babs is a loving and affectionate dog with no behavioral issues, but she does not get along with other dogs and needs to be the only pet in the household.
In a May 10 update, Jennie said she has been meeting with interested adopters, though many of them have pets at home or live too far away, so the search continues.
