Pet Adoption Story – Jade

 

At Holly and Hugo, we’re used to hearing all sorts of heartwarming (and sometimes heartbreaking stories). But we have to admit that the pet adoption story of Jade and her adopted family made us tear up a little! For anyone who has been thinking about adopting a pet, we think this story will help convince you. Introducing Jade:

My husband first met Jade when he mowed the lawns at a local shelter in the lovely Adelaide hills in South Australia. An eighteen-month-old Staffy cross, at the time, Jade had had a rough time of life to date. She was mistreated by her first owner and then hit by a car, which resulted in her front left leg being amputated. Several lawn mows later, and he began to fall in love. He asked to play with her……and the rest is history, as they say.

He and Jade were joined at the hip. She went to work with him every day and they became inseparable. When I came into my husband’s life, Jade was around ten years old. My immediate reaction, as was with most people on meeting her, was….oh, poor thing (due to the amputation). I quickly learned that Jade was as agile and capable as any ‘complete limbed’ animal. My husband recalled stories of her running flat out and jumping into his arms and she would run at warp speed, using her stumped shoulder to turn ‘on a dime’.

I came to realize how strong the bond between man and his best friend was when my husband’s work took him away for weeks at a time. Although Jade was a wonderful companion to me, it was my husband that she truly wanted to be with. She would slump into a ‘depressed’ state and fret for him for days on end. On two occasions, she got it in her head to go and find him. You can imagine how panicked I became, rallying the family together to search for her.

Fortunately, she was found both times. My husband would tell her before departing for several weeks………”now you look after my girl, Jade”, and so she did. She was my constant companion, my confidante, my best friend, protector and sharer of bed! (it’s amazing how a much room a medium size dog can take up!).

Hours before my husband’s return from work, Jade would position herself on the front step and wait. She knew he was coming, and upon his arrival, would go ‘nuts’ with excitement.

Years passed and Jade was fortunate to remain in good health, the only signs of aging being her white muzzle and a few harmless lumps and bumps. She was always a good sleeper, only now most of her day was spent snoozing. At the ripe old age of twenty, our beautiful girl passed away.

She had to be euthanized, and even at the end, it seemed she didn’t want to leave my husband. The vet had to administer two doses of ‘meds’ to get her strong and beautiful heart to stop. We brought her home and lay with her on our bed for hours. I have never seen a man as heartbroken as I did that day. And even now, two years on, a tear is shed for his beloved Jade. Mostly, though, we are so grateful for having her in our lives. The unconditional love she gave knew no bounds.

We hope this story touched you as much as it touched us. Let us know how it made you feel in the comments below, and share this post with your friends so they can see the benefits of adopting a pet as well. If you want to read more about benefits of Pet Adoption please check this post. 

If you’ve adopted a pet and would like to share your story with the Holly and Hugo community, send us your story today. Stories should be between 500-700 words with five pictures (including one of yourself) sent to [email protected]