Have you rescued a dog? If so, I’d love to hear how it worked out for you. If you or someone you know has a rescue story to share, let us know! You just might inspire another tail-wagging ending. Chosen features will get their pic taken along with a custom tag from Metalheads Boutique!
When I imagine how Jelly Belly got her name, I picture a little girl in love, naming Jelly after her favorite candy. It really suits her because she really is the sweetest.
“Adopting her just felt like the right thing to do,” says Taylor Flug of Bend, Oregon, when I asked her to share a bit of why she decided to adopt a senior rescue dog with cancer.
“I definitely didn’t intend to fall in love. I figured, at best, with her diagnosis, we’d have a couple months together.”
Last April, Jelly was diagnosed with cancer; the timing couldn’t have been worse. Her previous family had already started planning their move back to the Big Island, Hawaii, and it was unrealistic to move her. They had to make the hard decision of rehoming her.
“It amazes me that she’s so loving and always smiling. She had every right to turn out differently. I know it broke Jelly’s [previous] owners’ hearts when they had to leave her behind.”
When you foster or rescue an animal, you keep this pet out of an already overcrowded shelter. Rescuing a dog has many pros, but saving a senior dog definitely has its selling points. You don’t have to potty train; there’s no biting and scratching, jumping, or chewing on everything because they’re teething.
But the best was yet to come in Jelly’s case! She’s already doubled her life expectancy of only six months with her new family while she lives her best life every day with Taylor and her siblings.
Taylor already had five dogs, and her husband wasn’t thrilled to hear she was coming home with another.
“That was a fun conversation,” she chuckled, “but Jelly has become my best friend and favorite road buddy. We bonded immediately, and she’s my shadow these days. We really get the opportunity to live like it’s our last day because, well, it could be hers,” admitted Taylor.
“No guilt in ordering a side of bacon-n-eggs at Sidelines just for the dog or doing ridiculously fun photoshoots. I encourage everyone to adopt a senior dog at least once in their life if they can. I feel privileged to be part of such a special dog’s journey. Although it’s sad she is going to die, we get to live a whole lot in the meantime, and that makes it all worth it.”
Author: Megan Baker
Megan is a local dog lover, photographer, and entrepreneur here in Bend, Oregon. When Covid hit, her photography business of 18 years was severely affected by the pandemic. This was when she started Metalheads Boutique. Megan still shoots photography, but now she also designs and make pet tags. Since starting her biz, she’s had the pleasure of meeting so many phenomenal dog people with dog-related businesses! Megan’s main focus will be to choose a unique story every month to inspire others and share it here on The Dog Guide Bend. It takes a village…and in Dogtowne USA, aka Bend, Oregon, there’s no shortage of dogs, which means lots of good stories! Have you ever rescued a dog? Do you know someone who has? If so, she’d love to hear how it worked out for you. If you have a story to share, let us know! You just might inspire another tail-wagger of an ending.