Dogs are truly man’s best friend. They are the perfect pet, a loyal companion who can provide you with company and comfort when times get tough.

And for one man, his beloved dog was there when he needed him most: on his deathbed. It’s a sad story, but one that ultimately shows the beautiful bond that exists between people and their pets.

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John Vincent, a Navy veteran who served in Vietnam, is facing the end of his life. The 69-year-old has entered hospice care at the Raymond G. Murphy Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

Sadly, this also meant having to part ways with her beloved dog, Patch, a 5-year-old Yorkshire terrier. Since she had no family in the area, she surrendered the dog to Albuquerque Animal Welfare.

John is likely in his final days, so palliative care worker Amy Neal asked if he had any final requests.

For John, the choice was simple: he just wanted to see his dog one more time.

Moved by his last wish, the workers decided to make it come true, organizing a beautiful final reunion between the man and his dog.

“I asked him if that was something that would be meaningful to him,” Amy Neal told the Albuquerque Journal. “And it all came together very quickly.”

“When the request came in, it was an immediate ‘absolutely’ and let’s do everything we can to get it done,” said Danny Nevarez, director of Animal Welfare. “It was as simple as bringing Patch here.”

Albuquerque Animal Welfare team members brought Patch to the hospice. John was deeply touched to see his old friend again:

“Yeah, that’s me, that’s dad,” Vincent told Patch. “Are you so happy to see me? I’m so happy to see you.”

The group was reportedly calm during the journey, but grew excited as they approached the һoѕріtаɩ.

“It’s almost like he knew, he just started moaning,” Nevares told the Journal. “Like he had that anticipation.”

Vincent adopted Patch when a neighbor had a litter of puppies. He named the dog after his small patch of white fur, which matched the single white patch on John’s chin.

“We were the Patch brothers,” Vincent said. He says he also liked that Patch was the runt of the litter, so he could take him for rides on his motorcycle.

It was a touching reunion between two old friends. Sadly, it is likely to be their final farewell.

Still, it’s nice that they were able to make the reunion possible, giving the veteran a little joy in his final moments.

“It was such a touching moment!” Albuquerque Animal Welfare wrote on Facebook. “They were so happy to see each other and say goodbye.”

“It was an honor to make this veteran’s last wish come true.”

And if there’s a silver lining, it’s that Patch will still be well cared for when his owner is gone.

He has returned to the animal shelter where he is looking for a new home and Animal Welfare says they have an interested adopter lined up.

But of course, part of her heart will always be with John.

It’s a beautiful, bittersweet story that shows how sometimes our pets really are our best friends, even in our final hours.