After waiting patiently for his forever home, Bernard finally got his happily ever after! In what seemed like fate, Kathy Ahern came across an adorable face on her Pinterest feed that tugged at her heart. Once she read Bernard’s story, she had an overwhelming urge to help the poor pup who had spent most of his life in the shelter.


With recently losing her two beloved dogs, Chubsy and Fluffy to old age, her heart was beginning to open up to the thought of welcoming another dog into her life. Though Bernard’s story sparked a special interest, she took some time to simmer on the thought of actually adopting him.
Bernard was in a shelter in Texas that was about 1,500 miles away from her home in Florida, so this decision would consider some serious thought. Even with considering the logistics of this journey, she could not stop thinking about sweet Bernie.



Kathy was not sure why, but each time she looked at Bernard’s sweet face, her late dog Chubsy would come to mind.
“It’s like I could see Chubsy in his eyes. I felt like Chubsy was telling me I needed to do this.”- Kathy
After a week of contemplating this decision, she finally made the call to the Bulverde Area Humane Society.


At first the shelter was a bit hesitant to send Bernard to a home that was so far away. They had all grown to love Bernie like their own over the last 4 years, so they wanted to make sure he was always close enough to receive help if needed. After the shelter operator spoke with Kathy in length about her love of animals and dedication to her dogs, he knew Kathy was the perfect match.
Soon after that phone call, Kathy set out on a 4 day long adventure to bring Bernard home.  Once she finally arrived at the shelter and met the dog of honor, every single mile and obstacle was worth it.



Below is a snippet of the last installment of Brainstorming with Bernard, which was a blog created in an effort to raise awareness of Bernard’s time at the shelter, written in “Bernards voice”:
“Today’s weather is warmer; or is that my heart that feels warmer? I’m a bit confused so I look around to see if I can figure out what is going on.
THERE!
There.
Right.
There.
That.
Lady.
 
My big, brown eyes spot her eyes and I see nothing else around me. She is like an angel and she is walking towards me! I can feel love radiating from her! Is she REALLY coming towards me?
SHE IS!
My heart is melting. I truly believe that this is my person. I can feel it! Okay, hang on, she really wants to see me!
I’ll be back to tell you how it goes.”
Bernard has now been in his home for a couple weeks and is finally starting to settle in. Bernard has definitely shown evidence of his life at the shelter, as he doesn’t quite understand play time with toys or the juicy steak treat his new mom offers him, but Kathy is giving him all the time and patience that he needs.



Kathy even brought a dog trainer into her home to help her better understand Bernard and help him settle in well with his other furry siblings.  There is no doubt that Bernard hit the jackpot with this loving home!



We cannot wait to watch Bernard continue to blossom in his new home. Thank you to Kathy for going out of your way to change Bernard’s life, and to the staff at the Bulverde Area Humane Society for refusing to give up on this lovable pup!