Just over 6 months ago (on November 10, 2023) my fur baby, Shye (who was a vegan dog for over 15 years) crossed the rainbow bridge.
If you haven’t read the blog post I wrote about our story yet, I invite you to check it out HERE, as it’s quite entertaining and heartwarming.
If you’ve lost a fur baby, I’m sure you can relate when I say that my heart still aches for Shye every single day. She is irreplaceable.
The hole in my heart will never be filled, but recently I could feel a beam of light shining through the hole… Light that was calling me to welcome another soul in need of a forever home into my life.
I went online looking at homeless dogs on pet adoption sites, and came across what felt like a familiar face and my gut said, “She’s the one.”
There was zero description on her profile, so I had no idea what to expect, but was confident from my experience with Shye, a dog who took a year and a half to learn to trust me, that I am equipped with the patience and compassion to handle whatever the Universe handed me.
She had been at the Humane Society for 6 weeks, and when I got there, it felt like she immediately adopted me.
A small but mighty being, the girl can RUN (and run, and run, and run)! Her athletic abilities inspired me so much that I decided to name her after one of the most extraordinary endurance athletes in the world… Fiona Oakes.
Fiona Oakes is the most humble person I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting. She has broken 5 marathon course records and is the fastest human to run a marathon on all 7 continents in the shortest amount of time, all without a knee cap (undergoing 17 surgeries as a teenager and being told she’d never walk properly again).
And what’s even more remarkable is that she doesn’t run because she loves to run. She runs because it gives her a platform to be a voice for animals and raise money for her sanctuary that gives home to over 400 rescued farmed animals.
It brought me such joy to interview Fiona Oakes on the Rise & Thrive Podcast, episode 4, and if you haven’t yet, listen HERE! It’s one of my favorite interviews to date and you’ll understand why I feel called to honor her.
I also rewatched the documentary Keegan Kuhn produced about her called, Running for Good… It blew my mind (again!), and I have no doubt you’ll find it incredibly inspiring.
Back to my dog Fiona…
I was told she was an owner-surrender, and that’s about all I know about Fiona’s past life. She is a bundle of energy and love. And although some of her behaviors show there are signs of trauma she’s working through, it’s apparent that she is an incredibly resilient being who is ready to learn to trust again.
Fiona is already thriving on a plant-based vegan diet. She’s loving her Evolution wet dog food, Petaluma baked dog food, V-Dog jerky and V-Dog dental “bones”, and she’s enjoying broccoli (her favorite veggie so far), chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, and cucumbers regularly as well.
Check out my Instagram reel about her adoption HERE, and stay tuned for more!
And if you’re ready to open your heart and home to a pet, PLEASE adopt from a shelter or nonprofit rescue organization.
According to the Humane Society, approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters, and about 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized nationwide every year.
Not only that, the dog breeding industry is full of cruel practices (read THIS article to learn more).
That said, with the simple choice to adopt instead of shop we get to not only literally save a life, we but also take a stand against cruelty and an industry that contributes to the death of hundreds of thousands of fur legged friends each year.
Ella Magers, MSW
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