A Fort Collins, Colorado, woman is reaching out in hope that someone will help fulfill her dying wish — that some caring family will adopt her beloved dog.
Diagnosed with terminal breast cancer, 62-year-old Patricia Cudd’s days are likely numbered. But Cudd is determined to find a new home for someone very special to her.
“We have Sherlock — my companion for about four years. My sole companion and the love of my life,” Cudd tells an ABC News affiliate.
Cudd adopted Sherlock — affectionately known as “Sherie” — from the Longmont Humane Society in Longmont, Colorado, on September 17, 2010, when the little Pit Bull Terrier mix was just a puppy.
“He was sitting on this cot and just looked forlorn,” Cudd remembers, thinking back to that day. “My son and I looked at him and just fell in love.”
It was love at first sight, and Cudd adopted Sherlock on the spot. Today, Cudd credits Sherlock for keeping her going.
“He’s my best friend,” Cudd tells 9News.
But only two years after Sherlock came into her life, Cudd got some devastating news from her doctor — she was diagnosed with terminal cancer and given only a short time to live. And while Cudd has surely lived far longer than doctors predicted, she knows her life is quickly coming to a close, but before she departs this world for the next Cudd says she has to make see Sherlock settled in a loving home.
“I love this dog so much but I can’t care for him anymore because I’ve got, well, stage four metastatic breast cancer — for those who know about it,” Cudd says of her four-legged soul mate and her dying wish for him.
Early on, Cudd enjoyed taking active Sherlock on long walks by the Poudre River near their home. But through chemotherapy treatments and the tough toll the cancer is taking on her body, Cudd can no longer take those long walks. Instead, after her chemo, she lies in bed beside Sherlock. As the days go by and the cancer becomes more painful, Cudd knows she may have to enter hospice care soon.
“I’m passing away,” she tells the Coloradoan. “I don’t know when exactly. Of course, everyone is passing away. But the cancer, you know — stage four is the ultimate stage — and he needs a home.”
“I want someone else to love him as much as I do because I can’t run with him anymore,” she says through tears.
Cudd and Sherlock currently live in a hotel room, primarily because it is so difficult to find landlords who will welcome a Pit mix into their apartment complexes and rental properties.
“I know Pit Bulls have a terrible rep, but I’ll tell you, they are the most devoted,” she insists, explaining that while Sherlock is certainly sensitive, he’s also a lovable goofball.
“He gives it right back to you when you’re affectionate to him — he’s right there for you,” Cudd says of Sherlock.”
Cudd says her ideal choice in a family for Sherlock would be one who is active and kind. Sherlock is housebroken, well-mannered, and loves people. He hasn’t been around small children and would likely do better in a household where he is the only pet.
Though the day to say goodbye is coming fast, Cudd is trying to focus on all the wonderful lessons Sherlock has taught her these past four years.
“He’s taught me to have fun!” Cudd says of her dog. “To just plain have fun. To go outside, look at the sun and enjoy life. He’s such a great animal! Just magnificent.”
“He’s changed my life. He’s made my life bearable,” she adds. “He’s a reason to live.”
If you or someone you know might be interested in granting Patricia Cudd’s last wishes by adopting Sherlock, please contact Jess by email at rubyphoenix36@yahoo.com or by phone at (970) 775-0797.
Sources: Facebook.com, Coloradoan.com, 9News, ABC News
