He served our country, his dog served him. When hard times hit, PAWS helped them both

Santos Lopez’s chest is Kandi’s favorite place to lay. With their hearts beating together, the Marine Vietnam veteran and his service dog find comfort in each other and the incredible bond they share.

But when Lopez’s PTSD and depression swelled up again in April — and his chest and heart became too heavy for the two of them to bear alone — he needed to seek in-patient treatment at the Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

He couldn’t stand the thought of losing Kandi, but, for both of their sakes, he couldn’t lose himself either.

Lopez, 69, of West Philly, desperately sought temporary housing for Kandi, before turning to Philly’s Animal Care and Control Team (ACCT), where he learned about the Safety Net Foster Program created last year by the Philadelphia Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

Through the program, pets whose owners are going through difficult times, typically due to housing or medical issues, are placed in foster homes until they can be reunited.

As heartbreaking as it was to say goodbye to his good girl in April, Lopez took comfort in knowing she would spend their time apart in a loving home.

“That gave me a lot of peace of mind in the hospital,” Lopez said. “I was just hoping she remembered me while I was away.”

As a dog mom, I know there’s no way to help our pets understand that when we drop them off somewhere, we’ll come back; that we would never leave them, that they’re a piece of our heart.

But we say to them anyway, “I’ll be back. I promise. Be a good girl. I love you.”

In July, Kandi and Lopez were reunited. Not only did she remember him, she settled right back into sleeping on his chest.

“I told the people at PAWS, if I had a million dollars I’d donate it to them for all the care they did for Kandi, because that’s how much Kandi means to me,” Lopez said.

Two-and-half years ago, Lopez’s VA psychiatrist recommended he get a service dog to help with his PTSD and depression.

As he was touring Rags2Riches Rescue’s Delaware County adoption center, a little dog stopped barking, sat down, and looked up at him. Red-hued and brindled, she had big floppy ears that were trying to stand up, but instead, stood out like airplane wings.

Lopez learned she was a red heeler, an Australian cattle dog, and even though she was just 6 months old, he could see the scars on her nose and face, from where she’d been used for fighting.

“She was a rescue dog, and I was thinking ‘OK, that’s like me, a rescue person,’” Lopez recalled. “I said ‘We’ll get along together.’”

Lopez named her Kandi because she’s “so sweet she’ll make your teeth rot.” Kandi took quickly to training and loved running around with Lopez’s grandchildren, trying to herd them like sheep.

The two soon became inseparable; wherever Lopez went, Kandi went too — to the park, the store, and his VA appointments.

Then, the unthinkable happened. Within a two-year period, Lopez lost his sister and one of his youngest sons, a twin who was 28. The loss crushed Lopez, and Kandi too.

“Kandi was seeing I was in distress and she would try her best to comfort me,” he said.

Lopez’s doctor urged him to seek in-patient care. He spent a week-and-a-half at the VA hospital, then 60 days at the VA’s Snyder House, a transitional home for veterans.

But first, he had to drop off Kandi. He did so at ACCT, before she was placed in foster care by PAWS.

“Kandi looked at me and her ears dropped and her tail dropped and I was feeling so bad, I was like ‘Oh my god, what have I done?’” he said of the drop-off. “It was like I was abandoning her, and I was abandoned a lot when I was young. It brought me to tears.”

Lopez went into the hospital on April 17, and throughout his stay, he received regular text and photo updates on Kandi, who split her time between two foster homes. She was first placed with Xochitl Mellor, 31, of West Philly, and her husband.

Kandi was Mellor’s first foster. She’s always wanted a dog of her own, but as a pediatric resident at CHOP, her schedule makes it difficult. PAWS provided Mellor with everything she needed to care for Kandi, from a crate to blankets and toys.

“She’s so friendly; she’d help me de-stress after work and we’d go on runs together,” Mellor said. “She’s the nicest dog.”

“Knowing Kandi had a loving owner to go back to also helped ease any concerns of foster failing. As someone who’d like to foster but already has two dogs, I worry about foster failing with a third. This program makes that a nonissue.

“It was like ‘Oh, we can’t foster fail with this dog, she’s going home to someone else,” Mellor said. “I was already in love with Kandi, but he had her for two years, and it felt good to know we’re helping with their bond.”

Mellor said she even received updates on Kandi from her second foster family, who fell in love with her too.

On July 6, Lopez went to PAWS to bring Kandi home. The reunion was emotional for both of them.

“I was so excited I couldn’t contain myself, and she remembered everything,” Lopez said.

Liberty Britton, PAWS spokesperson, said the Safety Net Foster Program is a way to keep that “precious pet-person bond intact.”

“PAWs has always taken the view that we can’t adopt our way out of pet homelessness, we not only need to rescue the most vulnerable pets, but also we need to prevent pets being surrendered in the first place,” she said.

Since April 2022, the program has cared for 63 cats and nine dogs, but the need for support far exceeds PAWS current capacity.

“In order to expand, we’re really hoping people can step up to be fosters, make donations to support the program,” she said.

Those interested in donating or fostering a pet can find information at phillypaws.org/foster. If you’re a pet owner facing a crisis and need information about the program, you can email dogintake@phillypaws.org or catintake@phillypaws.org.

“I hope the people who read this know the love between a person and their dog and see the importance of this foster program,” Lopez said. “Kandi really changed my life and I’m so happy that I got her, and got to keep her.”