Local Rescue Brings Joy to Western Kentucky Man this Holiday Season

Every year at the Christmas Wish Headquarters you read a letter that touches your heart. This holiday season an Owensboro wife wanted to find a way to honor her husband who needed some joy in his life. Saving Paws Animal Rescue of Kentucky, with the help of Christmas Wish, made this Christmas miracle happen. We have photos to show the surprise.

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So many people are going through difficult times this holiday season—letter after letter brought hardships and heartbreak. But, there was one that caught my eye. It was written by a wonderful wife, who wanted to surprise her husband with a new puppy for Christmas. There were plenty of tears while reading about her husband's challenging life. To respect their privacy, we won't be adding any names to this article.

 BRINGING CHRISTMAS JOY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON

She started the letter; "Dear Christmas Wish, My husband has been very sick this year. His boxer passed away on August 5th and he's been so sad since then. He keeps saying how much he wants a boxer puppy." She shared more about his disability, his hard upbringing, and how much she'd love to see joy brought back into his life. It was a well-written letter that touched my heart.

I knew I needed to get to work to make this Christmas miracle happen!

SAVING PAWS ANIMAL RESCUE OF KENTUCKY

As you know, WBKR has a long-standing relationship with the beautiful team at SparKy in Owensboro. We feature adoptable pets every Thursday morning with our Pet of the Week segment. We team up for charity events, donate, and help to save lives. More on that in a minute!

Immediately after reading the letter, I went to PetFinder.com. I filtered the search engine to find the perfect pup. The VERY first photo that came up was Liam Christopher. He's been at SparKy for several months, and you guessed it. He's a boxer mix puppy! I just knew it was meant to be.

MEET LIAM

Liam was our SparKy Pet of the Week on June 8th, 2023. He has a TON of energy!

"Liam is an 11-month-old Australian Shepherd/Boxer mix. He came to SparKy with his siblings from a neighboring county shelter. These puppies are very active but very sweet. Liam loves to play with toys and other dogs. He would love to play fetch with something, but a ball is the best. toy. ever!!! Liam is neutered, microchipped, and up to date on vaccinations, including distemper/parvo and rabies."

MEET AND GREET WITH LIAM HAPPENS

I contacted John Austin and Jennifer Bufkin with SparKy to see if we could make this miracle happen. Of course, they were on board after reading the letter themselves. It was time to set up a meeting. His wife and I went to SparKy to meet Liam and to see if it would work out. She fell in love immediately. You could see how much Liam loves and has been loved while spending time at the rescue. He has the sweetest demeanor and is very well-mannered. He has been through the detention center program and has been trained well. He is among the favorites there. I'm sure they will miss Liam incredibly, but finding his furever home has always been the goal. It's now HIS turn for a loving family.

THE CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

We set up the surprise for Christmas Eve. Her husband had no idea what was about to happen. We were over the moon excited! Even Liam couldn't wait to meet the family. He was practically pulling me into the house.

He was SO surprised to see Liam walking into the room. There was so much emotion and joy in that moment. Liam was a curious pup. You could immediately tell that this was meant to be.

You could tell that it was love at first site. Liam warmed up quickly!

Now, it's time for the handoff. I guarantee Liam has finally found the furever home he deserves. Here's wishing them a lifetime of happiness and joy.

We can't wait to follow their journey. I'm so thankful for SparKy, the Christmas Wish family, and the ability to bring joy into someone's life who needs it the most! That goes for both her husband and Liam.

Christmas miracles do happen! Rember to adopt, don't shop. Pups like Liam Christopher need us.