Hospice Patient Gets Puppy Cuddles for Final Wish

When Dan shared his dying wish with his hospice nurse in early August, he had one specific request: to cuddle a golden retriever puppy with that distinctive puppy breath smell. His care team at Mount Evans Home Health Care & Hospice in Colorado jumped into action.

Nurse Geneva turned to Reddit, posting in r/Denver and r/goldenretrievers to find a puppy nearby. The response was immediate.

Amber Barnett Traub saw the post and knew her 11-week-old golden retriever, Gladdie (short for Galadriel), was the perfect match. "Her breath smells more like coffee than milk, but if that's okay, please let us know," she wrote.

It was more than okay. Within a day, the Traub family brought Gladdie to Dan's home.

Dan had been a golden retriever owner his whole life. His most recent dog, Shanti, had been diagnosed with illness at the same time Dan received his own terminal diagnosis. She had passed away just months earlier, leaving him heartbroken and alone.

The moment Gladdie arrived, that sadness melted away. She played fetch with Dan, tugged on toys, and cuddled with him on his giant beanbag couch while he shared stories about his beloved dogs Shea, Molly, and Shanti. He told the Traubs about the hiking trails they loved exploring together near his Colorado home.

Dan died peacefully just days after meeting Gladdie. Before he passed, he gave the Traub family a ball-throwing machine he had used with his own golden retrievers, a gift they treasure and plan to use as Gladdie grows.

Sunny's Take

Mount Evans has spent 45 years fulfilling final wishes for hospice patients, and they're one of only two 5-star hospice agencies in Colorado. Some requests are simple, like a final sip of beer. Others require more coordination, like helping someone attend a grandchild's wedding.

Nurse Geneva and the entire care team ask every patient what they need resolved and if they have any last wishes. Not everyone makes a request, but when they do, the team goes above and beyond.

The Traubs were honored to share Gladdie with Dan in his final days, giving him one last chance to feel that golden retriever love he'd known his whole life.

One small act of kindness from strangers on the internet brought profound peace to a dying man's last days.