Patch could only see darkness with swirls and colorful beaming lights until he saw a dark tunnel with a light at the end of it. Something was making him fly up into the tunnel and he came through a cloudy place and crashed against a pair of golden gates. The Dalmatian puppy shook himself and looked around, but found one dog in a robe with a golden halo with a paper and quill in his paws, standing on his hind legs.
"Oh, you came earlier than our other appointments today..." the elder dog told him. "Welcome to your eternal and new home."
"How are you standing on your hind legs?" Patch asked.
"This is Heaven, my dear boy..." the dog told him. "Anything you wish becomes reality... I'm saddened to see someone of your age to go so young..."
A golden pocket watch tied with a red ribbon then landed around Patch's neck. Patch looked at the watch and held it in his paws and opened it up, but it wasn't ticking and the hands weren't moving at all.
"So, th-this is my life line?" Patch asked.
"Yes, it is, my boy," the elder dog nodded. "That watch is your life and it stopped."
Patch pouted. "I don't suppose you could wind it back?"
"Oh, no, no one's supposed to come back unless for absolute emergency," the elder dog told him. "And if you use the watch to go back for your own selfish gain, you won't be able to come back here and you'll end up... Somewhere else..."
"You mean H-E-L-L?" Patch spelled.
"Mm-hmm..." the elder dog nodded. "One of our clients found that out the hard way, but luckily, he redeemed himself before he died the second time... He gave his own life to save a little girl who was sick and maybe even dying before she was happily adopted."
"Oh, you mean Charlie," Patch smiled. "I've been told about his brave action."
"Hello, Patch." Annabelle smiled, coming in with the Dalmatian pup's white robe and his own halo.
The elder dog stepped aside to let Annabelle do her work.
"Ma'am." Patch bowed to the pink whippet angel of all angels.
Annabelle placed the white robe and halo on Patch as they were both perfect fits.
Patch pouted. "I hope Atticus is okay..."
"You can watch over him, but only in spirit..." Annabelle reminded him. "You're just in time for our ceremony before the other new arrivals show up."
"Good to know." Patch smiled.
"You'll have to get in line with the others who are also becoming Guardian Angels." Annabelle said.
"A Guardian Angel?" Patch asked. "Me?"
"Come along now, I'm not saying anymore until we're all here." Annabelle said as she took him to a part of Heaven where there were other angel dogs who were awaiting for her to start the ceremony.
"Wow, there are a lot of dogs here," Patch said. "I guess I shouldn't be too surprised."
There was a familiar German Shepherd who was sitting and grumbling.
"Charlie Barkin?" Patch asked.
The shepherd turned once his name was called, then looked down to see the Dalmatian puppy. "Hey, you're Patch, right?" he asked.
"Yep, that's me," Patch said before seeing a dog next to him. "Is that Carface?"
"Yep..." Charlie mumbled.
"Who said my name?" the pit bull dog looked around when his own name was then called.
"You got into Heaven?" Patch asked. "I heard you were a very bad dog..."
"All dogs go to Heaven, kiddo..." Charlie said, then had a jokester smirk. "They let me in, didn't they?"
"Yes, but why did they let him in?" Patch asked.
"Like I said... All dogs go to Heaven..." Charlie said.
"Clearly, they saw how noble a citizen I was in my lifetime..." Carface smiled, then leaned into Patch's face. "But you should mind your own business, kid!"
Before anything else could be said, the ceremony started. More and more angel dogs flown in who wanted to be apart of the ceremony. This meant that they all had to be quiet for now. Patch was still devastated that he had to live his life now without Atticus and missed him now more than ever.
"You okay, kid?" Charlie whispered.
"I just miss Atticus..." Patch sighed. "I wish I could've said...Goodbye..."
"I'm sure you'll see him again." Charlie whispered.
Patch sighed sadly and tried to return focus with the other quiet and listening dogs. Annabelle began to give each dog who were becoming Guardian Angels were being given badges. Patch listened for his name, knowing he was going to be selected already. Charlie listened too, thinking the Guardian Angels were just 'teacher's pets'. After giving a dog his badge as his sign of a guardian angel Annabelle grabbed the last two badges she had to give to the last two guardian angels.
"And now for our final lucky angels who are given the special title of 'Guardian Angel'..." Annabelle started after the one dog had accepted his badge from her.
"Can't believe they called us all here just for merit badges, eh, guys?" Charlie grumbled.
Carface shushed him to show respect for Annabelle as she went on and on about how special this award was for the lucky dogs to earn it. Patch continued to listen, already knowing he would be one of the lucky ones.
"Now I know why they call it 'eternity'," Charlie commented. "Everything here takes forever..."
The other dogs shushed Charlie sharply as they tried to listen to Annabelle and had a hard time tuning the German Shepherd out.
"Charlie, take a lesson from the kid and show some respect." Carface suggested.
'I hate to say this, but this does seem to be taking forever.' Patch thought to himself as he waited.
"These diamond studded angel wings go to..." Annabelle finally got to the point as she held the remaining two badges in her paws. "Patch Pongo and Carface Caruthers!"
This surprised Charlie because he did not see that coming at all. And where Patch was surprised because Carface was becoming a guardian angel as well. The two then went up together to claim their badges. Annabelle smiled to both of them as she rewarded them with their badges. Patch smiled, but was still sad that he wouldn't see Atticus again.
"It's all right, Patch..." Annabelle cooed, knowing why this was a bittersweet moment for him.
"Um... Thank you very much..." Patch said softly, remembering his manners.
"What an honor!" Carface smiled rather smugly for his reward. "You're too kind!"
Patch and Carface then flew back to their spots. There was a heavenly choir for them as they were gratefully awarded. That concluded the ceremony and Annabelle flew off with her helpers, allowing the others to do whatever they wanted to do in their afterlife.
"Charlie, why don't you have one?" Patch asked.
"Uhh... Well... I..." Charlie stammered. "It's a popularity contest, really..."
"Really?" Patch asked as he saw several other dogs had their own Guardian Angel badges that shined brighter which made Charlie seem isolated from the others. "Well, I'm sure that you'll get your badge someday." he reassured.
Before anything else could be said, there was a horn being blown in the distance which made all of the dogs smile, except for Patch, who looked confused and curious.
"What's that?" Patch asked.
"Come on, kid!" Charlie told the puppy, rushing over. "I'm expecting company!"
"I'm coming, I'm coming." Patch said before flying off the same direction Charlie was going. He was surprised at his flying, but shrugged it off as he flew over to where Charlie was.
A pair of golden gates became visible as they opened up.
"I'm late!" Charlie kept going as fast as he could to make it.
"Need a lift?" Patch asked.
"Uh, that's okay, I-" Charlie was about to say until Patch was still able to carry Charlie and they flew together over to the Pearly Gates of Heaven to meet the new arrivals.
The elder dog from earlier came with another dog as the gates were about to be opened. Patch got both himself and Charlie to the gates in time for the new arrivals. The doors slowly opened in front of them and one dog was accidentally knocked into the clouded tunnel, going back down.
"Oops..." Charlie chuckled nervously. "Sorry..." he then saw the dog's halo and decided to send it down after the falling dog. "Have they started?"
"Oh, no, no," a puny chihuahua replied as he took out a photograph of a female dog with an eager smile. "Not yet."
"Is the one your waiting for your girlfriend?" Patch asked after seeing the picture.
"Oh, yes, I miss her very much..." the chihuahua sighed dreamily. "I just hope she remembers me..."
"I'm sure she will." Patch smiled.
Eventually, a golden glow came from the clouds and the female dog in the puny dog's picture flew up in the air with hearts all around and she seemed to had gained a large amount of weight and nearly squashed her boyfriend, then hugged and kissed him once they were reunited to spend the rest of eternity together.
"Put on some weight, huh, Fluffy?" the chihuahua smiled up to her, not caring that his halo was bent slightly now.
"Looks like she has." Patch said.
The elder dog made a checklist as more and more deceased dogs were coming in for their afterlife.
"This is nice and depressing at the same time..." Patch said, on one hand, these dogs were going to have a peaceful and happy eternity, but on the other, they were no longer enjoying the freedom and kindness that life had to offer for some.
Charlie continued to wait as the one he had been waiting for hadn't arrived yet. Patch winced as he saw one dog with a vacuum cleaner, one with an engine, and another with a mailman's bag tightly around his neck. What gruesome ways to pass on.
"That's it," the elder dog said. "That's all the dogs."
"Wait, sir, there's actually one dog left, I just know it." Patch said.
"He's right, there has to be more." Charlie begged. "I'm expecting company!"
The elder dog started to read from the list of dogs that were supposed to come in today. "Buster, Bandit, Bowswer, Fifi, Pound, Fluffy, Chi-Chi, Patch..."
"ITCHY!" Charlie cried out once he saw who was waiting for and held out his paws.
The Dauschand crash landed into the German Shepherd.
"Ah, yes, here he is right on the list." the elder dog then found Itchy's name on the list.
"Let me guess, it also tells how he died, right?" Patch asked.
"It does indeed, my boy..." the elder dog said.
"He used to teach me in Puppy School..." Patch said. "May I know how this happened?"
"He choked on a chicken bone..." the elder dog sighed.
"Just like what Annabelle told me..." Patch whispered before going over to his Puppy School teacher.
"Where am I?" Itchy groaned as he tried to sort himself out.
"You old flea bag, you." Charlie smiled once he saw his oldest and bestest friend.
Itchy gagged slightly and then spit out a chicken bone that he had choked on which killed him. "I shouldn't have let Anne-Marie let me have that last bite..."
"Hi, Mr. Itchy." Patch smiled.
Itchy looked around. "Who said that?" he then looked to the Dalmatian puppy and adult German Shepherd. "Patch, Charlie, is that you...?" he then asked and smiled once he recognized them. "Patch! Charlie! It is you! Both of you!" he then smiled and hugged them both, very glad to see them.
"It's great to see you too, isn't it, Charlie?" Patch asked.
"Oh, Itch, you shouldn't have." Charlie said as he threw the chicken in the air and opened his mouth to catch it and eat it.
One of Annabelle's helpers took it before it could land however. "I'm sorry, sir, but you can't take it with you." he then reached into a cabinet to take out a halo and threw it over above Itchy's head.
"Welcome to Heaven, Mr. Itchy." Patch said.
"Wait a minute..." Itchy whispered like he didn't realize where he was right now. "Ain't you guys, uh... Dead?"
"Yeah," Charlie smiled. "As a dog who eats chicken bones."
"Ooh, so that means..." Itchy was slowly understanding and his green vest was replaced by an angel robe with his own wings.
"Yep." Patch nodded.
"How did you die, Patch?" Itchy asked.
Patch took a small breath. "I sacrificed myself to save my newest friend..." he explained gently. "I knew it was coming, but I did it for him."
"That was very noble of you." Itchy said.
"Thank you..." Patch said softly.
"Welcome to paradise, Itchy." Charlie welcomed his best friend. "Come on, I'll show you around... Mark your territory."
"Yeah, this place seems to have everything." Patch said.
Itchy's halo flew around his nose and he got it unstuck, it was a little too big for him. Since the services were done for the day, Gabriel's Horn was placed back in its display for no one to use except for it's rightful owner.