A marvelous Malinois and his matador moves

“I would consider myself a dog dad,” says Nationwide member Tim A. “Ever since I was a 13-year-old or even younger, my mom volunteered for the local SPCA. So, we’ve been very involved with animals and animal rescue all our lives.”

“Dogs are just the best creatures,” he adds. “I honestly think humans don’t deserve them sometimes.”

Pets—but dogs especially—have remained an important part of Tim’s life for many years. When he moved to a rural enclave outside California’s Bay Area, he settled in by serving as a super-dad for dogs as big as his surrounding landscape. “We had rottweilers forever,” Tim says.

As a seasoned dog dad, Tim was no stranger to veterinary care and the bills associated with it. But one incident in particular made him do a little extra prep for his future pet's protection.

Small weed, big bill 

Tim was especially cautious about bringing a new dog into his family after a frightful experience. A few years earlier, one of his beloved rotties, Zev, had a serious and surprising run-in with a local invasive plant that led to very costly surgery.

“A thing we have here in California is foxtails. They're weeds and they have barbs in them, and they can get in [dogs’] ears and noses.” Somehow, Zev got one stuck in his side that became very infected. “It ended up being life-threatening for him.”

At the time, Tim didn’t have pet insurance for Zev. “Fortunately, we were able to pay out of pocket for the surgery that brought him back to us,” Tim says. “But, you know, it was more than $10,000.”

When the opportunity to add a new dog to the family arose, one of the first things Tim said was, “Hey, we really need to look at pet insurance.”

A marvelous Malinois 

Tim is well known among his friends as a passionate and experienced dog dad. So, when a longtime friend had a pup who needed a home, they knew just who to call.

“A friend said, ‘Hey, we got this great dog, really loving and affectionate. We need a home for him, and we don't want to give them to just anybody,’” Tim recounts. This handsome and energetic pup would thrive with room to run, and Tim had just the right place (and right family) for a natural fit. Tim continues, “So, I said, ‘Ziya, you're, you're welcome here.’”

Ziya quickly felt at home with Tim and his family. Out on more than 80 acres of lush pastures, he had the opportunity to show off his skills—and his smarts. Tim says, “He completely has a vocabulary … so he knows ‘walk,’ but he also knows how to spell walk.”

Ziya especially excelled at high energy activities like frisbee and going on long hikes (though, this multi-talented pup is also an expert cuddler). One of his favorite activities is chasing around his dad’s recreational drones.

“Living out here in the country, we have friends that'll come out to fly drones around,” Tim explains. “Inevitably, some of my friends aren't great drone pilots. There are trees and obstacles, and sometimes a drone will go down somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Ziya is awesome about finding them by seeking them out and smelling them.”

Despite being smaller than many of Tim’s previous pets, Ziya is also an attentive defender for the family. “We are like 5 to 10 miles away from any services. So, there's comfort in his protection,” says Tim. That extra protection came in handy one foggy morning when Tim and his wife encountered an angry beast on a morning stroll.

Danger hidden in the fog

“We have marine layers that come through the Bay Area,” Tim says. “It's low-lying clouds and fog, and visibility is pretty low—we’re talking maybe twenty yards.” On one foggy morning, Ziya, Tim and his wife were out for a walk, unaware of the danger nearby.

“So, we started up the hill like we normally do,” Tim continues. “We rent the land for cows to cattle farmers, but we don't expect to have cows in this area. However, one of the fences had a breach in it.” Just beyond their field of view, a huge bull was standing next to a breach in the fence—and it wasn’t happy.

“This bull starts snorting and stomping his feet,” says Tim. “So, we’re like, ‘Okay, we're in a bull fight right now.’”

Tim and his wife backed away slowly to hopefully defuse the situation. Ziya opted to step into the protector role instead. He dove headlong into saving his family.

The bull was distracted by the brave Malinois, which offered a moment for his family to escape. However, Ziya didn’t emerge completely unscathed. “Ziya misjudged it, and the bull kicked him right in his upper jaw,” Tim remembers.

For his part, Ziya seemed mostly unaffected by the blow. Once safe back at home, Tim examined his dog and discovered that Ziya’s upper left canine was out of place where he’d been kicked. They went to the veterinary emergency room to check him out further.

“The jaw was not broken, but the tooth was dislodged,” Tim says. That one tooth required removal, but he fortunately didn’t have a more serious injury—and Nationwide covered Ziya’s eligible veterinary bills. Ziya has since made a full recovery and is back serving as the family protector.

An especially noteworthy claim

Ziya’s harrowing story caught the attention of the claims team at Nationwide, and earned him a nomination for the annual Hambone Award®. This contest highlights the surprising and unique situations our pets get into—and how pet insurance helps them out.

This year's nominees offered ten incredible stories from unexpected eating incidents to unpredictable animal encounters (like Ziya’s matadorian mishap). After a public voting period August 5-12, 2025 and more than 8,500 votes cast, Ziya was awarded the coveted bronze Hambone trophy.

“During the voting process, my competitive nature kicked in,” Tim says. “I connected with friends and family who have pets and are familiar with my dog.” In addition, he tapped into a valuable resource: His nieces and nephews.

“I have twelve nieces and nephews, most of whom are in college and involved in organized sports, cheer or community activities,” Tim reports. “Their involvement helped reach a younger generation and encouraged them to vote and actively participate.”

For his part (and his bravery), Ziya is also getting a reward: “Some special dinner and treats,” Tim says.

Victory laps

Now fully recovered and with new accolades under his collar, Ziya has returned to normal life in the countryside with Tim and his family. That means long days running through the fields, chasing toys and enjoying one another’s company—now with full assurance that all the fences are fixed.

“He's just out there having fun,” Tim says. “You know, the world is his oyster.”