Day 15: Bluebell & Paula — Love Doesn’t Always Look the Way We Expect

Jen shares an honest, emotional story about Bluebell and Paula, two bonded senior dogs who had spent approximately 14 years living outdoors. After they struggled in the barn and an earlier foster placement didn’t work out, Jen welcomed them into her home and eventually adopted them together.

The dogs were quiet and independent, accepting affection on their own terms. Unlike her other dogs, they didn’t seek constant closeness, leaving Jen struggling with guilt and feeling she wasn’t giving them enough. Jen recalls advocating for Paula when a specialist recommended euthanasia because of her enlarged heart. She brought Paula home, where she lived approximately five more months before her condition declined.

After Paula died, Bluebell struggled with grief and nighttime pacing, leaving Jen exhausted and overwhelmed. Looking back, Jen wishes she had asked for help instead of suffering silently out of fear of judgment. Both dogs remained with her until their deaths, and each offered a moment of closeness at goodbye that she still treasures.

The message for fosters and adopters:

• It is okay to acknowledge that a placement isn’t the right fit. Asking for help or returning an animal should be met with compassion.

• Not every animal expresses love the same way. Quiet companionship can still hold meaning.

• Caregivers need support, too. Honest conversations help people and animals find the care they need.

• Rescue must offer more than survival. Peace, comfort, dignity, and meaningful daily experiences are central to A&F’s No Kill, No Kennel vision.

Jen connects these lessons to the dream of making shelters feel like homes and expanding veterinary care for A&F, other rescues, and the community.

Campaign ask:

Find 5,600 people giving $250, totaling $1.4 million.

The challenge announced in the video is 25 donors giving $250 that week.

Every donation—and every share—helps move the dream forward.