One Kansas doctor went out of his way to fulfill the dying wish for Mary, an 80-year-old woman who wanted to see her beloved dog Herman again before she passed away.
When Mary was taken to the hospital, her 11-year-old rat terrier was taken to a shelter because there was nobody else to care for him. Dr. Ryan Sears of Kansas City Medical Partners decided to track down Herman and reunite his dying patient with her pet one last time. In order to do so, he had to call all of the area shelters because Mary wasn’t sure where the dog had been taken.
Once Dr. Sears found Herman, he personally went to pick him up and bring him back to see Mary.
State Line Animal Hospital & Holistic Health shared the story on Facebook.
“A couple weeks later, his owner’s doctor contacted us asking if he could come get Herman to see his owner before she passed away. The woman had no family or friends to take care of her or Herman. That wonderful doctor went above and beyond and came to get Herman. He got to see is owner one last time before she passed away the next day.”
Herman is a middle-aged neutered male, rat terrier mix that was brought in by Leawood Animal Control after his owner’s…
Posted by State Line Animal Hospital & Holistic Health on Wednesday, September 19, 2018
The adorable terrier was so overjoyed to see Mary again that he wiggled all over her hospital bed.
According to Fox8 News:
“The instant that she saw him, she was wanting to pet on him, and you could see the change in her face that she was so happy to see her dog,” Sears said.
The staff wrapped Herman in a blanket so he could cozy up to Mary one last time.
“He wanted to be right up next to her,” Sears said. “We had to wrap him up in a blanket because he was just so much energy, and we had so many things going on at time.”
Dr. Sears said that the reunion provided her with the closure she needed.
“After she was reunited with Herman, Sears said, “you could tell that was enough for her to say, ‘I’m ready.’”
Mary was at peace after seeing her little buddy and knew he was going to be ok. Dr. Sears assured her that Herman would be in good hands and would find a loving home at the shelter. Then the next day, she passed away. Herman went back to the good folks at State Line, where they would help him with his separation anxiety.
Since none of Mary’s family or friends came forward to care for Herman, they searched for a home for the energetic and affectionate little dog. A family decided to adopt him, but then returned him three days later when they realized they couldn’t provide him with all the attention he needed.
It’s a situation that shelters see regularly. Sometimes dogs are abandoned when their elderly owners pass away and nobody comes forward to take responsibility for the pet. Finding a suitable home can be difficult since many potential owners don’t realize how much time and care an energetic dog like Herman (even at age 11) requires.
Fortunately, the shelter soon gave a happy update: Herman found a forever home at last.
“Herman has been adopted and is loving his new home. Here are some pictures the new owner shared with us!”
As mentioned in a previous post, Herman has been adopted and is loving his new home. Here are some pictures the new owner shared with us!
Posted by State Line Animal Hospital & Holistic Health on Monday, October 1, 2018
Following news of what Dr. Sears had done, St. Joseph Medical Center praised him on Facebook.
“We would like to recognize Dr. Ryan Sears, with Kansas City Medicine Partners, for his selfless act of kindness. He went above and beyond for his patient to reunite her with her dog before passing away. He truly inspires us all. ????”
We would like to recognize Dr. Ryan Sears, with Kansas City Medicine Partners, for his selfless act of kindness. He went…
Posted by St. Joseph Medical Center on Friday, September 28, 2018
See the video from Fox8 News below:
Featured image: Screenshot via Facebook/St. Joseph Medical Center