Happy birthday, Benji! – A Happy Tail
February 29th, 2024
By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager
Sometimes if you want something, all you have to do is ask. When Jaydin noticed a neighbor was neglecting their dog, a sweet little pug living outside, she simply asked if she could have him. Then Benji was hers.
He was just skin and bones and scared of everything. He had never slept inside before, much less in a comfy bed. He spent his days outside in the Arizona heat, with no toys and no love. But you wouldn’t have known that if you met Benji a few months after Jaydin brought him home to her eight-year-old daughter and nine-month-old shepherd mix, Arlo, Jaydin’s service dog. Now he was happy, and he loved playing with his new best friends more than anything.
But even as Benji gained weight and discovered new things like squeaky toys and warm blankets, the consequences of being neglected for so long cast a shadow over the wonderful life he had now. Jaydin took him to the veterinarian right away after rescuing him. He was a healthy young pup despite his past, except for one thing: he tested positive for heartworms.
Jaydin couldn’t say she was surprised. He had been living outside his entire life and had never been given monthly preventatives. But it still broke her heart to see him so close to a new beginning and now facing a potentially deadly obstacle. She wanted to help him, and that meant asking for help herself. Friends and family chipped in to pay for the first of three injections that would cure Benji of heartworms. Once his paws started treading the path toward better health, she put him on heartworm prevention that was safe to use throughout his treatment. All he needed now was the last two injections.
It had been more than four years since she was last able to work. She was a lupus patient in the more advanced stages of the disease, and she was undergoing low-dose chemotherapy that eliminated the possibility of her returning to work. She was left with just her monthly disability check to cover her family’s expenses. The second and third injections needed to happen one day apart so she needed to come up with twice as much money as before! That might have felt impossible if it weren’t for our On-Call Angels.
Heartworm treatment typically falls outside the RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant program’s guidelines but we want to make second chances possible for rescued animals like Benji whose new families only want to give them the life they deserve. Jaydin discovered the Urgent Care grant program and applied right away. With a generous gift from an On-Call Angel funding Benji’s grant, he was able to get the last two injections to complete his heartworm treatment without delay.
Six weeks after the injections, Benji got a clean bill of health from the veterinarian: he was 100% heartworm-free. He had handled his treatment like a little champion with no side effects to speak of. His heart sounded strong, ready to romp and roll with Arlo and Jaydin’s daughter. The veterinarian also found a microchip that listed his birthday – he would be turning four soon! They planned to throw him a birthday party, the first of many in his new, loving life.
It is truly a joy to be able to give families like Jaydin and Benji many more years together, and we are grateful for RedRover’s compassionate supporters for making that possible. If helping individual families is what fills your heart with joy, then becoming an On-Call Angel is right for you. Until then, we hope you enjoy reading the many heartwarming Happy Tails that you inspire!
