Long Island Dog, Man Win Grant For Local Shelter

Years ago, Patrick Regan was struggling with addiction. At the same time, Clove, a pit bull, was being used in dog fights. The two were brought together by Ruff House Rescue in Freeport, and wound up saving each other. Their touching story caught the hearts of thousands, and now Ruff House Rescue is going to get thousands of dollars in a grant from the Petco Foundation.

Regan and Clove met in July 2013, when he got a call from Ruff House that they had a dog that needed a home. She was from Georgia and had changed hands many times. She had a rough life and needed a caring hand. Regan was a recovering addict, listless and in need of something to ground him.

Clove was timid when Regan first brought her home to Lindenhurst. She would cower in his presence and never seemed happy. So one day, Regan took Clove to a park.

"Maybe it was the wide open space, the fresh air, or the serenity, but it was like she came to life," he wrote in his story for the Petco Foundation. "She accepted my hand for the first time there, running with me and smiling, tail wagging instead of tucked. It was also the first time I had walked a nature trail, and I, too, felt anew and free. We became students of nature that day."

As time went on the, the pair became inseparable. Regan said that he and Clove have never gone a whole day apart. As their bond grew stronger, so did their love of the outdoors. They started hiking more and more, moving on to bigger and more difficult trails. Today, the duo loves to hike up mountains. The pair even climed Mt. Elbert, a 14,400-foot-tall mountain, which is the largest mountain in the United States that dogs are allowed to climb.

"Seeing her gaze off proudly atop these mountains gave me the excitement of knowing I am showing her — and myself — a life beyond our broken roots," Regan wrote. "If she had not come into my life and we had not taken that trip to the park, who knows where I’d be."

Ruff House Rescue is one of 45 animal rescue groups that will receive a total of $765,000 from the Petco Foundation. How much each group will receive is going to be revealed on Monday. But there is a grand prize of $100,000, and other grants ranging from $5,000 to $50,000. And it's all thanks to Clove and Regan.

"Clove is an inspiration to the world; the story of our second chance together is unique," wrote Regan. "Most importantly, she has shown me the power to forgive and live in the present — to let go of the past and embrace each new moment."

Top Photo: Courtesy Patrick Regan/Petco Foundation