This pruppet was submitted by our listener Avalon, and the pruppet’s name is Rhona. BUT it’s spelled R-H-O-N-A, and she was named almost 3 years ago.
Avalon and her boyfriend Adam had been together for about a year and were full-time students. They were both major dog people, but as students, they were so busy with their studies, plus didn’t have a lot of disposable income to support a dog. Adam was dealing with some health issues including back surgery, followed by a car accident that would require another surgery. Plus a ton of ongoing therapies and medications. One day in the Summer of 2018, adam got SUPER sick and they eventually found out that some of his medications, which had been prescribed by different doctors for different issues, were reacting negatively to each other. He was in a ton of pain and being a good partner, Avalon tried to cheer him up by sending links to cute dogs on Pet Finder and laugh at all the silly names the shelter had given to some of the dogs.
Then Avalon saw a listing on Craigslist for a six-month-old border collie and she knew that this was their dog. Yes, she and adam were still students and they both lived separately but with roommates, so this was the worst time to get a dog. But they called and the listing had been made by a backyard breeder. This pup had no natural herding instinct, so she was basically useless to the breeder and she had lived her entire short life outside with no socialization, no training, no love.
As soon as Avalon and Adam Got out of the car, the pup that became Rhona FLEW into Adam’s arms and she’s been stuck to his side ever since. He became her person and get this, when they took her to the vet to get checked out, the vet estimated her birthday as June 14th, which was the same day that Adam had gotten into that car accident. Avalon was right, Rhona really was their soul dog.
They decided they’d work hard with her, getting her to be the dog they believed she could be, overcoming her fears and socializing her. They did have a scare while Adam was walking her, she was bitten by a rattlesnake! Of course, it happened on a Sunday, so not a lot of animal hospitals were open and even if they found one, they’d had to find one with antivenom. It took almost an hour to find and get to a hospital that could help. A bite like this is usually found to be fatal at the 50-minute mark.
Rhona was kept at the hospital after receiving the anti-venom, and the staff said even while she was weak and fighting, she was cuddling up next to other dogs who were in pain and crying. Bringing light even while she was still fighting to live. She has since recovered, and with the help of friends and family and even the staff at the animal hospital, all of Rhona’s medical bills were covered and she has since made a complete and full recovery!
Avalon included this really fun fact about Rhona’s name. Adam is Scottish and border collies originated in Scotland, and there is a Scottish isle called South Rona. It’s isolated and uninhabitable, but it has all these legends and myths about it. How it’s full of magic and mythical creatures gather on the island. The island is spelled Rona, but they added an “h” because that variant of the name means strong and powerful, which they think is fitting for Rhona’s unbreakable spirit.
Since Rhona is living happily in Laguna Beach with Adam while Avalon finishes her degree, I wanted to highlight the Laguna Beach Animal Shelter who is working in Rhona’s community to protect and home pets. They have a bunch of adoptable cuties, volunteer opportunities, and fun fundraisers. Like their best friends’ brunch, which is exactly what it sounds like, brunch at a dog park with your pruppet bestie!