04/16/2026
Buckle up, it’s honesty time!🫠🙃
I grew up in a vet clinic. Countless times as a child, I watched “hit-by-car” dogs being carried in by frantic owners and thrust in the arms of my parents, both veterinarians. I watched emergency surgeries and the subsequent round the clock care.
What they would ALWAYS tell us as kids, and the reason that my parents’ dogs are not allowed on their driveway to this day, is because the majority of these dogs were hit in their own driveways, not running the neighborhood streets.
Then, in 2021, it happened to us. One of our dogs was hit and killed in the farm driveway. I was right there. I didn’t have time to get him to a vet, he bled out in my arms in a few seconds.
It’s weird how your brain handles trauma. It’s strange what random things your brain decides will scar it forever.
I’ve experienced far more traumatic things, unfortunately.
I’ve seen horrors that you would not believe… yet still tend to sleep like a baby day to day. I am so fortunate, I know.
With that… it is different though. My brain just will not let me kick the trauma of my dog getting hit for some reason. Years later, it is still haunting me.
To this day, the stress and terror I feel when a vehicle rolls down the farm driveway, blowing past multiple speed limit and SLOW signs, is crippling. When the dogs are out (which is all the time since they “work” with us) I become absolutely frantic so I can make sure they are safe until that vehicle is parked. People don’t listen. They don’t drive slowly. They show up unannounced. They practice for their NASCAR tryouts in the driveway. Drivers like that mixed with the intolerance I already have isn’t a great combo.
To be honest, it’s been taking a real toll.
It’s taking a toll on the program (we have limited volunteer hours to minimize traffic), on the dogs I now micromanage “to keep safe” (they’re safe… I’m going crazy, but they’re safe) and on my mental health (see aforementioned mentioning of going crazy).
It’s unsustainable, at best.
What I do know is that if I don’t deal with this really inconvenient “skeleton in my closet”, it will snowball.🫠
That said, I feel like it is best for the longevity of the dog side of our program if we temporarily cut back on the number of dogs that we have in our care at one time. We usually keep 20-25 on site at any given point in various stages of rehab and training. It’s a well-run dog circus, no doubt. 💪🤡
However, for longevity and for excellence’s sake, I have made a decision to scale back the dog program temporarily.
🐶This means that we are in need of immediate placement for all of the dogs who are ready for a home, pictured here.
This is obviously not a reflection on the current care that these animals are receiving here (which has been and always will be excellent), but more a reflection on our desire to be able to continue this phenomenal program for many years to come, while preserving my mental health at the same time.
(To add to everything, many adoption applications that people have sent in recently have somehow “poofed”, so if anyone has applied to adopt a dog and hasn’t heard back from us, please text 740-707-0793 so we can make sure your app wasn’t one of the missing ones.🤪)
At this time, the available dogs pictured below will have reduced adoption fees ($50) and will leave us with a “care package” that includes:
❤️a bag of high quality dog food appropriate for their individual needs
❤️enrichment toys
❤️a winter coat that fits well
❤️THREE months of flea/tick prevention
❤️THREE months of heartworm prevention
Please note: We are seeking permanent adoptive homes only, not foster homes, for these dogs. They are currently safe and happy here at the farm until their families come along. For ANY info regarding any of these dogs, comment below or text. Ask us anything! 🥰
So please, call me crazy, call me weak, call me a quitter (again, this is a temporary scale-back), but at least help me place these dogs at the same time.🤣
Tag your favorite influencer, maybe they will share? Ask your dentist if he needs a dog! Ask your bank teller! All of it helps!
And you can call me unhinged if you want, trust I’ll still sleep like a baby. 😉
So… for those of you dog lovers… take this as your sign… adopt a dog!🥳
Also, can we please normalize talking about rescue worker mental health already? K thx.🙃
Rachel Bendler
Director
Bella Run Equine
Bella Run Equine is a 501(c) organization dedicated to responsible rescue, rehabilitation, and rehoming of at-risk horses and dogs. The farm is located in Athens, Ohio.
