“The Most Special Dog” – Bandit’s Happy Tail

By Savannah Verdon, Development Manager –

“Bandit means everything to me. This is the first time in my entire life that I have owned a dog that has loved me and only me. He is my best friend and, as crazy as it seems, I would call him my soul dog. He and I even share a birthday. We go everywhere together and do everything together. I am his special person, and he is the most special dog I have ever had the privilege of raising and having by my side. My dog means the world to me…to be honest, he is my world. I don’t have a spouse or children. He is all I have. He is my everything.”

Jamie was caring for three dogs: Pistol Pete, the seven-year-old Aussie he took in from his sister after she had her children; fourteen-year-old Frank, a family Bichon Frisé he took in when his mom became too busy with work; and Bandit, an eight-year-old Aussie who was and had always been all his (and Frank’s best friend). All throughout law school, his three amigos had been his greatest source of support – there for late-night study sessions, post-exam celebrations, and everything in between. Now that he was hard at work studying for the bar exam every day, they brought more comfort than ever.

Because law school had been so demanding, Jamie hadn’t been working for the past three years, instead paying his rent, bills, and taking care of the dogs’ needs with his student loans. Even though they were older, the dogs had been in good health, and he’d been able to afford their basic care. But Bandit’s gums had started growing over the top of his teeth, a condition called gingival hyperplasia. His gums were severely inflamed, he had plaque built up on his top and bottom teeth, and one tooth had already become loose and fallen out. The veterinarian wanted to do a teeth cleaning to better assess what was happening with Bandit’s gums before they considered cutting them back.

Bandit lived to share meals with Frank. They ate dinner together every night after playing together all day, and neither one would begin eating without the other. Now that his gums were causing him so much discomfort, though, their nightly tradition was suffering. Jamie wanted to get Bandit treatment right away, not only because it was affecting his #1 boy, but because the whole family shared in Bandit’s pain. With his loans covering only the necessities, and after having asked his parents for as much help as he possibly could, he was potentially facing a long wait before Bandit could get the treatment he deserved. For Jamie, that was not an option.

He had already started looking for work despite the need to focus on preparing for the bar exam. Bandit was worth it. Of course, even if he found work, he wouldn’t get paid fast enough to afford Bandit’s treatment in time, or the bills that were beginning to pile up. As a future lawyer, he was a quick thinker and problem-solver, so he was confident he could find another way. When Jamie applied for a RedRover Relief Urgent Care grant, he didn’t know he now had thousands of FurEver Friends ready to help him and Bandit. Your recurring support guarantees that, when pets and families are in crisis, we can provide the financial assistance that protects the bond between them.

Before long, Jamie had an update on Bandit to share with RedRover and the FurEver Friends:

“I need to begin by expressing my gratitude to you. This entire process was so smooth, and I couldn’t be more thankful for the help you afforded Bandit and me. He had a successful dental surgery; they removed seven teeth! Bandit has been recovering, but I can already see a major difference in him – he’s happy again! Truly, thank you so much for your help.”

Happy again, like every pet should be with the people who love them. Because of you, Frank and Bandit are sharing meals again, Pistol Pete has his fellow Aussie, and Jamie has his best friend – his everything. Thank you for being a FurEver Friend to pets and families in crisis!