Mass. Man with Terminal Illness Wants to Find His Dog Best Friend a New Home Before His Death

The Plainville, Mass. man is looking for a home with no other pets and no small children for his dog of 10 years, Babs

A Massachusetts who was diagnosed with cancer months ago is searching for a new home for his best friend.

David Fine, of Plainville, Mass., told local NBC affiliate station WJAR he's had his dog Babs for over 10 years. He took her in as a puppy after she was rehomed twice, and Fine has considered himself her "dad" ever since.

"I had told myself I was never going to get another pet because it breaks my heart to lose them. Fortunately, she's going to outlive me this time," Fine told the outlet.

Fine worked as a carpenter for most of his life, and when he retired in 2020, he had a "lifelong dream" he wanted to pursue—traveling across the country to visit national parks.

"I planned for 30 years or more," Fine said. "I was going to buy a truck and camper, and I'm going to see the national parks. In 2020, I pulled the trigger. I took Babs with me; I had a Cheshire grin on my face the whole week I was there."

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After making a stop in South Dakota to visit Mount Rushmore, Fine arrived in Wyoming. About 100 miles away from Yellowstone, he began feeling sick, he told the outlet.

"I started feeling bad, so sick that I couldn't drive. I wasn't comfortable driving," Fine said.

Years prior, he had undergone treatment for leukemia, then was diagnosed with vascular disease a year later, according to WBDJ. In August, doctors told Fine he had stage four lung cancer — and only six months to live.

According to Fine, he decided not to undergo the "brutal" treatment for the cancer, telling the outlet that they "wouldn't give me much time, and I'd be sick all the time."

"I choose quality over quantity," he added. "I'm alright with it. I came to terms with it. It is what it is, you know. I can try to extend things, but the chemo would make me so sick by the time I got better from one treatment it would be time for the next one, and that's no way to live."

Now, Fine says, he's on a mission to find Babs a new home before he enters hospice care. Fine told WJAR that he has no children and never married. His extended family can't take Babs in as she requires a home with no pets.

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So far, he's published an ad in a local paper seeking a new home for his canine friend and has turned to the public for help. Fine's requirements for Babs' future are that she goes to a home without other pets and small children. Babs is housebroken and extremely well-mannered.

Although Fine doesn't think he'll be able to make it to Yellowstone now, he still wants to complete his goal of finding Babs a new home before he dies.

"Everybody dies; there are things I wanted to get done. I still want to see Yellowstone. I don't think I'll make it there at this point; financially it would be tough, other than that I need to do this for her," he told WJAR. "Then I can rest in peace when the time comes, but I'm not ready to go yet."

"... She's the most important thing at this point. My fate is sealed, but hers is not. I have to make sure she gets as many good years out of the rest of her life as I can," he added.

Fine told WJAR that those interested in adopting Babs should email Dafine1960@gmail.com.

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