Three-month-old Vera Patches (then Bizou) was left at our front gate in early October. There's no doubt that she was scared, confused, and hungry. We're not sure where she was before the night she arrived at PAWS Atlanta, but it's safe to say that her little life hadn't been easy.

Despite this rough beginning, Vera warmed up to our staff quickly. Soon, she was a happy girl with a waggy tail and a sweet smile. We knew she would find a family in no time, but her new family's story is even more heartwarming than we imagined!

Here's what Vera's new mom and dad, Laura and Andrew, had to say about their new best girl:

"We are beyond thrilled with our adoption of Bizou. We have renamed her Vera Patches, Vera for short, after my beloved grandmother. We adopted Vera after losing our sweet, amazing rescue pup, Blue Berry.  We adopted Blue as a pup, and had her for nine and a half wonderful years.  She was diagnosed late this summer with an aggressive cancer. Although we tried our best to treat her disease, we were not able to gain more time with her as we had hoped. Blue took a sudden turn for the worse and died from complications of the cancer on October 1st.  We were devastated.

I could not imagine myself with another dog so soon after Blue Berry’s passing, since my grief for her was so overwhelming. But when I saw the photo of Vera on PAWS Atlanta's Instagram, by broken heart began to flutter. 

My husband and I went to meet Vera a few days later, and now we are smitten!

She's leading us to a path of healing, through many puppy kisses, wiggles, and her never-ending curiosity about all things.  It hasn't taken long for her to become the center of our little universe. We look forward to spoiling her as a much loved member of our family!"

This is a perfect tale of "who rescued who?" if we've ever heard one. Vera needed a family to shower her with the love she deserves, and Laura and Andrew needed a pup to help heal their hearts. The bond with these three is already so strong, and we can't wait to see how it continues to bloom over the years.

If you're interested in adopting a sweet friend like Vera, take a look at our adoptable dogs or fill out an application!