Dog travels 10 miles in the cold to reunite with his love.
Dogs are not known to mate for life like that of their direct ancestor, the wolf. But recently a love story between two dogs was witnessed in Terre Haute, Indiana that seemed to disprove that - at least for Ben and Jade. Ben, a cream colored shepherd and husky mix was about to prove just what he would do to be with Jade, his love.
For a long time, Ben and Jade were just local strays who lived near Fruitridge Avenue and Fort Harrison Road and were always seen together. Different people that lived in that area, including staff at Benjamin’s Family Dining, always made sure that they were fed, according to Debbie Floyd, the president of the Humane Society board of Terre Haute. “Anyone who travels the north end would have seen them,” said Floyd, who works in that area and also fed them.
But then it was noticed last summer that Jade had become pregnant and the decision was made to trap them both and bring them into the shelter. At the shelter, Ben and Jade even stayed in the same pen and were a bonded couple. Jade soon had six puppies and the Humane Society (THHS) adoption counselor Kali Skinner took the Jade and puppies home to take care of them for eight weeks. Eventually homes were found for all six puppies. Skinner described Jade as very timid, but also a “very caring mother."
Happily, Ben and Jade were reunited once again at the shelter but then one day a wonderful family named the Lawlers came to the shelter and adopted Ben. Although Ben had plenty of food and a warm and loving home, he did not forget about Jade. The Lawlers had Ben for only about three weeks and on Dec. 28, 2012 as Jason Lawler was taking out the trash and talking on his cell, Ben saw his opportunity. He shot out the door and ran and ran and never looked back.
No one is sure exactly where the path of love took Ben as he made his way back to the shelter, but when he got there on a Saturday night, he had traveled over 10 miles. In fact, the 4 1⁄2 year-old, 70-pound dog had crossed busy streets, railroad tracks and lonely fields; braved the cold and his own hunger; all in just about 24 hours, as he found his way back to the Terre Haute Humane Shelter.
While he wanted desperately to be with Jade, he also did not want to get caught. Shelter workers tried for four hours on Sunday to catch him — even using Jade as bait, but “He knew it was a trap,” said Skinner. Jade was inside a fence, and Ben was on the outside. Employees felt that Jade must have been warning him, because he would not go inside. He did, however, “kiss her through the fence,” quickly as the shelter employees worked feverishly to capture the very street-savvy Ben.
The exhausted shelter workers renewed their efforts on Monday, which was New Year’s Eve, and eventually had to use a dart gun to tranquilize and slow Ben down. Even then he put up a long, hard fight and it still took another several hours before they captured him. “The story, the emotion and the energy it took to track this fellow and get him back into the shelter was amazing to witness,” noted Sue Berta, a shelter volunteer. And Ben and Jade were “visibly" happy to see each other, barking and wagging their tails.
This time the Lawlers made the decision not to separate the two dogs again and took both of them home as they had adopted Jade. Both dogs are shy animals and because of their past are uncomfortable around strangers. Ben likes to hide under a bed, while Jade lies on a mat beside him. The Lawlers hope to receive assistance from a shelter volunteer trained to work with such animals. “ Courtney Lawler described Ben as “content and happy because he has Jade,” while Jade “still has a lot of puppy to her.
Debbie Floyd, President of the Humane Society board, is very grateful to the Lawlers for taking both dogs. "Ben and Jade want to be together. There hasn’t been a lot of human love in their lives,” she said. “They found love with each other and that's what makes them happy … Hopefully, they will live their lives happily ever after.”
This is a lovely story about "True Love". I hope they can spend all the rest of their days together. It looks like they will be doing just that. Beautiful story.
This is a wonderful wonderful story. They are meant to be happy and together!
All the best to them and the family who adopted them for ever. May there be many people as the Lawlers and many wonderful creatures like Ben and Jade.
Wonderful~Beautiful story about true love and the angels who have opened their home and hearts to two lost souls.Blessings to the puppies and their peoples....
WHAT A GREAT LOVE STORY.....
I found last year 2 little dogs and now there are with me. I thing them good heart People had the same feelings like me. Don't split them up it is nice to have them together they are enjoy being together and know if they being Loved.
this story was so beautiful that i cried tears of joy for the two dogs. i have a dog of my own and if he found another dog he wanted to be with i surely wouldn't keep him from it.
:') *happy tears* <3
*happy tears* <3
Such a wonderful happy story. Thank you ♡
Wrong! Dogs (and cats) ARE known to bond with eachother. And with their pack, beit a human or another animal. When our cat died we burried it in the woods near a lake. Our dog just could not pass that spot for years to come without checking that everything was OK. I still have several pictures of the two on the couch...
Graet story
such a wonderful love story! what a great love he must have felt to go and find her. good luck to them and their forever home!
fantastic story proving a point I too have seen
dogs do have feelings and they know who loves them
much love to the family who adopted the both dogs
I hope they bring you much happiness
let them be together as they love eachother
Jusr read yure story I know animals mudt have feelings ! Look wot happens wen a wolves mate dies they howl ! and dogs wen there master dies they lie down on the grave and wont leave it ! So many different happenings ! In fact all animals.birds.mamamals and even reptiles all love and hate just like we do but that was an amazing love story and I am so happy it ended well being adopted togeva aint love grand !!
Thank you thank you to the wonderful human family that had such big hearts to adopt both so that they can be together. I know that you will be blessed.
This is the most amazing love story on earth ... It brought tears to my eyes ... How noble that the Lawlers adopted the two inseparable in their love dogs !!! Great happy end ! Hopefully human love becomes as great a part of their future as the love they have for each other !!! Blessings to them and the family !
god bless you for taking both of them and not sending ben back to the shelter.they will come around for you give them time. they will love your family for ever when they settle down. dont give up on them.
Very happy and congratulate the Lawlers on what I bet are gonna be the best dogs ever!
A lovely couplle with a very happy ending!
This is wonderful Bless this dog and all homeless animals
just beautiful
What a wonderfull story this is, tears were in my eyes when i did read there story. After all it dit have a happy ending en i hope they will live in love for ever and ever.............
This is the way all happy little four legged friends should always be loved by each other and their masters. Yay they have a happy forever.
This is beautiful ♥