Matador Malinois protects family from bullying bull
Meet Ziya, a Malinois pup living in sunny (but also sometimes foggy) California.
Nationwide member Tim A. has kept many canine companions throughout his life. “They’re just the best creatures,” the seasoned dog dad says. “I honestly think humans don't deserve them sometimes. Everybody should be a dog person.” So, when a local pup needed a home, Tim didn’t hesitate.
“My friend called and said, ‘Hey, we got this great dog, really loving, really affectionate,” Tim remembers. This unique pup was training to be a working dog, but his personality was better suited for home life. Tim continues, "[My friend said] 'We need a home for him, and we don't want to give him to just anybody.’ So, I said, ‘Ziya, you're welcome here.’”
As it turns out, "here" was 80 acres in beautiful Northern California—and Ziya found the country life very much to his liking.
“We have friends that'll come out and we'll fly some drones around,” Tim says. “Inevitably, some of my friends aren't great drone pilots—there's trees and obstacles—and we'll have to go find the drone somewhere out in the middle of nowhere. Ziya is awesome about searching for them by scent and finding them.
“He’s highly protective and always alert,” Tim continues. “If he senses something unusual in the environment, he’s immediately by our side, ready to stand guard.” That instinct helps keep the family safe from the unexpected—as illustrated in this remarkable Hambone-nominated story.
What happened?
“We have marine layers that come through the Bay Area,” Tim says. “It's low-lying clouds and fog, and visibility is pretty low—we’re talking maybe twenty yards.” On an especially foggy morning, Ziya, Tim and his wife were out for a walk, unaware of the danger nearby.
“So we started up the hill like we normally do,” Tim continues. “We rent the land for cows to cattle farmers, but we don't expect to have cows in this area. However, one of the fences had a breach in it.”
Off in the misty beyond, a massive bull was standing—effectively unfenced—just outside their view.
“This bull starts snorting and stomping his feet. So, we’re like, ‘Okay, we're in a bull fight right now.’” The couple started backing away slowly, hoping to defuse the situation. Ziya, protective as always, acknowledged the threat and dove headlong into saving his family. “Ziya misjudged it and the bull kicked him right in his upper jaw,” Tim remembers.
For his part, Ziya seemed mostly unfazed, and the family used the distraction to remove themselves from the dangerous situation. Once safe back at home, Tim examined his dog and discovered that Ziya’s upper left canine was out of place where he’d been kicked.
Tim brought Ziya to the emergency veterinarian. That one tooth required removal, but he fortunately didn’t have a more serious injury—and Nationwide covered Ziya’s eligible veterinary bills. Ziya has since made a full recovery and is back serving as the family protector.
How Nationwide helped
An experienced pet parent, Tim knows all about the kinds of everyday costs associated with keeping a pup happy and healthy. After a costly episode with another dog involving a foxtail that became infected, Tim decided it was time to protect his pups with pet insurance. After Ziya’s bull incident, he’s very glad that he did.
“Nationwide has always been there for us when we needed it,” Tim says. “It’s something that I don't even have to think about or worry about or have a doubt in my mind about. Nationwide is a very trusted partner for us.”
He continues, “I'm one of the ones that reads the fine print. There's a wide variety of pet insurance providers out there, but when you go through and read the coverage and what you can expect, Nationwide was definitely the clear choice.”
Tim A. Nationwide member since 2019
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