John and Pawpaw met in 2017 at San Francisco’s Muttville Senior Dog Rescue. From the moment John clapped eyes on the adorable 11-year-old pup, he was in love! They immediately became best friends and John brought the pup home soon after.
Unfortunately, John knew that his neurodegenerative condition, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (or ALS), meant that he might not be around for Pawpaw for much longer. It was very important to him that the pup would find his way to a forever home when John passed away.
Muttville Senior Dog Rescue was told about this goal, and in February 2019, they began to help John find a new home for Pawpaw. News spread across the internet, and then Tim Belavich and Bernie Knobbe, who have adopted from Muttville before, caught wind of it.
Tim and Bernie wasted no time informing Muttville that they would be happy to take the pup into their Los Angeles home. After looking through several applications, Muttville decided to contact Bernie and Tim, asking if they still wanted the pup.
At the time, Bernie just happened to be in San Francisco, traveling through, so he made arrangements to visit John in his home.
On the 29th of March, Bernie met the pair for the first time. Immediately, something clicked. It was as though everything fell into place. Pawpaw seemed happy to meet Bernie, and Bernie was glad to be able to actually speak to John in person.
Just a few days later, John passed away on the 1st of April, happy and at peace in the knowledge that Pawpaw was going to a loving home. Pawpaw has really settled in well with Tim and Bernie, and he’s loving his new life!
Images & Feature Image Source: Muttville