Dying man's wish to find his beloved dog a forever home granted

Dale Yurong Image
Saturday, January 13, 2018
Dying man's wish granted
All Harold wanted was to make sure his beloved dog "Rowdy" found a new home.

FRESNO, California -- The 10-year-old beagle mix, Rowdy, is calm and cool. Taylor Therese and her roommates are thrilled to have her.

"I'm going to try not to get emotional but we did this because we wanted to change the last part of Harold's life. That's the only thing that he has is this dog and we wanted him to know she was going to a good home," said Taylor Therese.

Harold Godfrey was a regular at Pismo's Coastal Grill until he was diagnosed with cancer a few months ago.

"He called me and said, Mona, I want you to take Rowdy to the shelter," said Monda Ahmed. "I told him there is no way I'm giving Rowdy to a shelter. I'm gonna find Rowdy a home and he started crying. I started crying."

For eight years Godfrey and Rowdy were also regulars at the Woodward Park Dog Park which Ahmed oversees.

"Then I posted on Facebook. I need help. I got over 22,000 shares," said Ahmed.

Therese was not looking to adopt a dog but knew she had to help.

"Harold's been coming in since I've been working here. I know he's come in since the day it started and he's just so sweet and he just loves this darn dog. He takes food home to her every day," said Therese.

The boss at Pismo's offered to cover her $500 pet deposit for her apartment while a customer offered a year's worth of free food.

Ahmed says Harold does not have any immediate family but he clearly has a lot of friends.

This really touched my heart," said Ahmed.

She even gave Therese pet stairs to help Rowdy climb to bed with her.

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