A thrilled man has reunited with his beloved dog two years after he had to give her up to fight cancer.
Michael Naylor said he had an instant bond with Minnie from the moment she was born.
The 45-year-old doesn’t just consider her as his pet pooch, he said she is his “twin flame.”
Michael explained: “We’ve imprinted on each other.
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“It’s weird, I don’t go anywhere she can’t go.”
However, Michael’s pancreatic cancer diagnosis worsened in 2021 and he was unable to get out of bed to take care of Minnie, who wouldn’t leave his side throughout.
His health condition even impacted the dog.
“My mum and wife couldn’t even pull her out of the room to go outside, let alone go for a run or a walk,” Michael said.
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He made the heartbreaking decision to give her up for adoption in 2022.
Minnie arrived at the Humane Society of Greater Niagara in St. Catharines, Canada, as they had a programme that offered 30 days of free board.
Michael said: “There wasn’t a day that went by that I didn’t think of her.”
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He used to keep her dog tags in his pocket and would drive by the shelter after his cancer treatments to catch a glimpse of Minnie playing outside.
Animal care technician Briana Howard said the separation was just as hard on Minnie as it was for her owner.
The shelter spokesperson said: “Some dogs are happy-go-lucky and don’t even really realise where they are.
“Minnie was the opposite, one thousand percent shut down, sad and reserved.”
The dog was adopted by another family in September 2023 and Michael said he struggled to cope with permanently losing her.
He stopped seeing his doctors and taking his medicine.
He couldn’t even leave his room, he said.
Then his life started to change for the better.
First, he learned that his condition had been misdiagnosed and that he didn’t have pancreatic cancer but intestinal cancer.
New treatments helped him regain his strength.
And Minnie’s new owners brought her back to the shelter in May 2024 due to personal challenges they were facing.
When he went into remission in October this year, he immediately thought of Minnie.
Michael, who has four children, saw her photo on the shelter’s website and said “something clicked” in him.
He vowed: “I’m getting her back.”
There wasn’t a dry eye in the house when he went to pickup Minnie at the shelter, as reported by What’s The Jam.
A touching video shows the moment they are reunited, with both clearly overwhelmed by the moment.
Michael said: “When I called her, her ears perked up and she came running.
“There are no words to describe that moment.
“She’s my baby, my guardian angel, my everything.”
He added: “She’s always been there for me, and now I can finally be there for her.”
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