Pooch bounces back from brush with 4-wheeler

Meet Bernie, Veronica’s ranch buddy and four-legged friend for life

For Veronica T., life on the ranch where she lives and works just didn't seem complete without a four-legged companion. When a friend introduced her to Bernie, it was love at first sight. "He was the cutest little thing you've ever seen," gushes Veronica.

Since then, Bernie and Veronica have become inseparable.

“Bernie is the best dog I've ever had. In the horse world when we find ‘the one’ that's our heart horse, and Bernie's my heart dog,” she says.

For a little guy, Bernie is perfectly suited to life on the ranch. He comes to work with Veronica and says hi to the kids, he visits the horses at feeding time and likes to “rough and tumble” play with the big dogs. Then, after a long day running around the countryside, Bernie is a master snuggler.

Vanessa continues, “My favorite time is when he's sleepy because he's just the sweetest little thing. He's a little angel when he's tired. After he's been running out on the ranch he comes inside, and his spot is right between my feet but a little bit higher—and he just snuggles in there.”

Bernie’s life on the ranch is full of play and excitement. However, one misstep turned a fun run on a country road into a Hambone-nominated fright.

What happened?

“On Christmas Eve, I was getting ready to do dinner with my family,” Veronica recalls. Before Veronica could leave for the party, she had to make sure her pups got their daily exercise. She hopped on one of the farm’s four-wheelers to run them down a country road until they were pooped.

She continues, “They were having a great run, and we were heading back home.… I was checking for Bernie, and I had just lost sight of him. Then, I felt the bump. It was like the single worst thing that's ever happened to me … I live on a ranch, I deal with emergencies all the time, so I'm not easily shook, but I lost it.”

Veronica called her friend, Melissa, who rushed down with a truck to take them to the nearest emergency veterinarian. “It was probably a 25 or 30-minute drive. It felt like an eternity,” she adds.

Upon arrival at the hospital, Bernie was given a battery of tests to assess the seriousness of his injuries. Incredibly, the injuries he sustained were not life-threatening—in fact, he wouldn’t even need surgery.

“I don't know how that happened, but it's a freaking miracle,” Veronica says.

Bernie showed signs of improvement after the incident very quickly and was back home after just a few days in the ER. The little pooch escaped the worst, but he still required significant care and recovery time to get back to his normal self.

Veronica continues, “I had to do everything for him: I had to hand feed him, I had to give him water out of a bowl. I think that made us closer—if that’s even possible.”

How Nationwide helped

Bernie’s brush with the ATV resulted in numerous costly tests and treatments.

Veronica says, “With the accident, I don't know if Bernie would be here without the coverage. I mean, I think I obviously wouldn't have done anything differently, but I don't know how I could have afforded it.”

She continues, “It can happen to anybody at any time … if you're not financially prepared for a freak accident to happen, insurance is the way to go. I will never be without insurance again, especially on Bernie. I'll probably keep all my animals on insurance forever because it's just you never know.”