Pets have been a part of Nationwide® member Taylor Y.’s life since she can remember. “We always had pets from when I was little,” she says. “The pets have just gotten bigger, I guess you can say.”
After growing up with a cocker spaniel, Taylor adopted a Lab pup named Belle at the end of her high school years. Since then, they’ve been best friends. “She's a Lab with a husky voice, which sounds cute—until she wakes you up at five o'clock in the morning.”
Now in her mid-20s, Taylor and her fiancé had recently moved to a new home in a new state when they noticed their beloved pooch seemed lonesome. Belle was used to running in a pack with the other family dogs. “My dog was really missing her sisters,” Taylor says.
The couple wondered if a new companion pup would help pep her up. That’s when Aurora came into the picture.
It was time to find the perfect match for their pup—but they weren’t in a rush. Initially, Taylor and her fiancé went to meet some puppies, not anticipating they would return home with a new furever friend.
However, they quickly connected with one puppy in paw-ticular: A 3-month-old goldendoodle.
Taylor remembers, “My fiancé would not put her down. [I’m] walking around this puppy place, and he [was] just sitting on the ground just looking at me with her in his lap.”
From that moment, the decision was all but made. Aurora was joining Taylor’s family pack.
Once home, it wasn't long before Aurora's personality began to show.
“Puppies are so sleepy and they're super relaxed, and then one day she just went crazy,” Taylor recalls. “Her personality is just happy, happy, happy.”
Aurora’s high-energy personality was a lot for Belle in those early days. “They didn't get along great at first,” Taylor laughs, “because Belle’s nice and relaxed, reserved. She likes to snuggle on our bed.” Aurora and Belle cohabitated peacefully at best, not building a strong connection in their first few months. All that changed one night when a surprising incident led to a scary snowy situation.
It all started the evening after a long, snowy day. Cooped up at home, Aurora and Belle had energy to burn off before bed.
“[My fiancé] went to take the dogs out,” Taylor remembers. “He was walking pretty slow, but it's hard with a puppy in snow.”
Her fiancé did his best to let Aurora play safely given the slippery conditions. While Aurora took off running in the fresh snow, he bent over with a dog waste bag. When he turned back, he saw her twisting and writhing beneath a dim streetlight. Her foot had gotten caught in a storm drain that was hidden under the snow.
Taylor recalls, “It was really slippery, and she started to panic—so she twisted her little body and … she ended up twisting it all the way around.”
Taylor’s fiancé calmed Aurora down as best he could while dislodging her foot from the grate. Immediately, she showed signs of an injury.
Taylor continues, “She was limping. He started freaking out and called for me, and he was like, ‘I don't know what just happened.’”
The couple did what they could to assess the situation. Aurora was hurt, but they couldn’t tell how seriously. At the same time, steady snowfall throughout the day had made the roads much too dangerous to get to the emergency veterinarian right away. They decided to keep a close watch on Aurora throughout the night, setting hourly alarms to see if anything changed.
Taylor took Aurora to the veterinarian right at opening time the next morning. They quickly ushered her into the X-ray room, and realized just how serious her injury was. Twisting all the way around had fractured Aurora’s leg right above the knee. Due to the severity of the injury, she was referred to the veterinary hospital at Iowa State, where she was scheduled for emergency surgery.
Aurora’s road to recovery would start with a multiple-night stay at the hospital, but the sweet pup wasn't going to let that faze her.
“Aurora broke her leg in half, and she was licking my face. She was taking treats. She was trying to play,” Taylor remembers.
The emergency care Aurora needed was very expensive for the young couple. The total for surgery would come to more than $6,000—much more than they could handle on their own. Luckily, Taylor had enrolled Aurora with Nationwide pet insurance.
When all was said and done, Taylor received reimbursement for her eligible veterinary expenses—and got the comfort of knowing she could make healthcare decisions based on Aurora’s needs, not their financial constraints.
Taylor says, “Nationwide has allowed me to not worry so much about the financial aspects. When someone looks at you and says, ‘Yeah, we can help your dog for $6,000’—nobody is prepared for that.”
More than financial support, Taylor got comfort from Nationwide’s Member Care team.
She says, “I called Nationwide because I'm like, ‘I know that I have pet insurance and I didn't think that I would ever, ever have to use it.’ [The Member Care rep] talked me through my coverage, and she said, ‘As long as your baby's going to be okay, everything is going to be okay.’”
For several weeks, Aurora was laid up at home to slow down, rest and heal. As she recovered, she had to move more at Belle’s laid back snugglebug pace and, over time, the two became grew closer and closer. Now, Aurora is all healed up, and she and Belle are the best of buds—at whichever speed they are moving.
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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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 petTake 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