A breezy summer day is always better with a puppy by your side. When Nationwide members Kelly and Mark R. pulled up stakes and moved to sunny Florida, they knew a beachy dog was the perfect addition to their family. But that excitement for the ocean—shared by their newly adopted Australian shepherd, Dublin—led to a surprising incident, and a nod in our annual Hambone Awards®. Here's their story.
A pleasant surprise
For many years, Marc and Kelly wanted to get a dog. However, they both grew up with pet allergies, and taking the leap was difficult when living in a big city. That all started to change when Kelly was introduced to a coworker’s Aussie puppy.
“I immediately took to him, the little puppy,” Kelly says. “For most of my life I had dog allergies, but for some reason, with the Australian shepherd, I was completely fine—even though they're not hypoallergenic!”
Inspired by their new possibilities in pet parenting, Kelly and Marc started considering an Aussie puppy of their own. A move to Florida offered another opportunity to make the big change.
Marc says, “COVID helped a lot of people reprioritize, right? The two of us, coming from the Northeast and D.C., we were working a lot of hours.”
“I knew I would be home to be able to take care of the puppy and all of that good stuff in the beginning,” Kelly says.
Fun in the sun
As Kelly and Marc settled into Floridian life, they started meeting dogs in need of fur-ever homes. On one such meeting, they were introduced to Dublin, and the instant connection was undeniable.
“She immediately went under my dress and hid there,” Kelly laughs. “The rest of the dogs were playing and going bonkers, and she just hid out. Then, I went to the car, and I got this little dog bed, and she was the one who came right out to me. Like she knew.”
With the perfect fit cozying in their dog bed, the couple drove home. For her part, Dublin quickly got acquainted with her new family.
“Since then, it's been a lot of fun and she's very active dog,” Kelly says. “She's definitely become a beach dog—we're about a ten-minute walk from the beach, and that's her absolute favorite place in the world. We say the word and she doesn't get as excited for anything else.”
Stinging surprises lurking beneath
The family spends no small amount of time at the beach, but one such visit stands out from the rest. Kelly remembers, “It was just a typical Saturday in April, and we went a little later in the day just because it's a little cooler.”
Marc stepped away from the beach blanket and Dublin was diligently trailing behind. Then, she started acting strangely.
“All of a sudden she kept rolling on her back,” Marc remembers. At first, he thought Dublin was being playful and looking to catch his attention. But when she turned to run back to Kelly, they noticed something was wrong. Dublin was limping and favoring one paw.
Marc and Kelly combed the beach for evidence of what happened. They discovered that right under the seaweed where Dublin had stepped was a Portuguese man-of-war, a jellyfish-cousin with a notoriously nasty sting.
“Her whole paw was getting big and red, and it was shaking,” Marc remembers.
A fur-ightful experience
Fearing a serious reaction to the venom, the couple rushed Dublin to the emergency vet.
“They took her back really quickly to examine her. From what I found out later, they wanted to make sure that the stinger was not embedded in the paw, because that could create a bigger issue,” Kelly says.
Luckily, the veterinarian didn’t find any evidence of the stinger. The worst outcome was avoided, and Dublin received an anti-inflammatory shot. She returned with her pet parents to the waiting room for observation.
“We knew Dublin was getting better [when] she started to perk up a little, and then she started to want to go over to all the people who were coming in with their dogs,” Kelly says. “Because that’s just how she is—she wants to say ‘Hi’ to everyone! So, I'm thinking, ‘That's a good sign, we’re going in the right direction!’”
Within a few hours, the family was on their way home, and Nationwide covered Dublin’s eligible veterinary bills from this marine mishap.
The power of pet protection
Marc first learned about pet insurance through his voluntary benefits package at work. He wasn’t sure if it was truly necessary, so he asked around.
“When Dublin was a puppy, I was talking with a couple of my coworkers like, ‘Hey, does anybody have pet insurance?’ And one of my coworkers [who has] Nationwide and raves about it says, ‘You absolutely have to do it.’”
Marc and Kelly followed his colleague’s advice and got pet insurance for their pup. After a few surprise trips to the veterinarian in their first year, they’re glad they signed up.
“We don't have any hesitation to take her to an emergency room if we have to,” Kelly says. “We can just bring her in to see her doctor, and we don't have to worry about that financial part.”
“Yeah, it allows us to make sure she gets the best care. We don't have to worry about things,” Marc adds.
All nominees considered for the Hambone Award® have made full recoveries and their owners received insurance reimbursement for eligible veterinary expenses.
Add-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new petAdd-a-pet
Take advantage of your multi-pet discount when you add a pet to your policy. When covering two or three pets, you can receive a 5% discount. When covering four or more pets, you'll save 10% on your base premium. Visit the member portal to add a pet.
Enroll a new pet