When my husband abandoned my golden retriever Bailey at the shelter during our divorce, I was devastated. He didn’t know that this cruel act would cost him dearly and reveal his carefully hidden secrets.
Bailey was more than just a dog. She was my family, my lifeline in the storm caused by the collapse of my marriage. And when Adam tried to take her away from me, he unleashed a chain of events he could never have foreseen.
Marriage is supposed to be a partnership, a bond in which both people lift each other up. But with Adam, I felt like I was carrying the weight of two people. And his greed made it heavier every day.
When we first met, Adam was everything I wanted. He was charming, caring, and attentive. He even acted like he loved my dog Bailey.
But once we got married, the cracks started to show.
At first it was little things like refusing to pay for groceries, refusing to do chores, and grumbling about the cost of Bailey’s vet bills. But over time, his true nature was revealed.
He was more interested in hoarding money than building a life together.
‘Adam, Bailey needs vaccinations,’ I said one evening, holding the vet bill in my hands.
‘Do we really need to spend that much on a dog?’ – He replied, barely breaking away from his laptop.
‘She’s not just a dog,’ I replied. ‘She’s family.’
‘She’s your dog, Eliza,’ he shrugged. ‘Not mine!’
That was Adam. Generous with words when he wanted something, but stingy with anything that required real effort.
When I filed for divorce, I thought I’d finally be free of his manipulations. But Adam wasn’t done being vindictive.
During the proceedings, he kicked me out of my house. The very house I’d helped maintain for years. And wouldn’t even let me take Bailey.
‘PLEASE give me back my dog!’ I pleaded. ‘SHE’S MY DOG! SHE’S MY FAMILY!’
‘I don’t care,’ he said.
‘You can’t keep her,’ I cried. ‘She’s been with me since we got married! It’s not fair!’
‘Too bad,’ he said coldly. ‘I own her now.’
I begged him to change his mind, but his heart was as cold as stone.
I couldn’t believe this was the same man who had helped me take Bailey to the vet when I’d found her on the street. I remember everything about that night very well.
The night that changed my life and introduced me to Adam.
The rain was pouring down, drenching everything around me as I hurried through the park on my way home. Just then I heard a faint whimper.
I stopped, squinted through the downpour, and saw a small, shivering figure under a bench.
‘Oh my God,’ I whispered, crouching down.
A tiny golden retriever puppy, soaked and shivering, looked up at me with pleading eyes.
‘Hi, sweetie,’ I murmured, gently taking her in my arms.
Her body was cold and fragile, and my heart broke with pity for her. I didn’t know what to do. I stood in the rain and didn’t know how to help her.
That’s when Adam appeared.
‘Need help?’ – came a voice, startling me.
I turned round and saw a man jogging towards me, holding an umbrella. His hair was sticking to his forehead because of the rain, but he was smiling warmly and his gaze slid to the puppy in my arms.
‘She’s frozen,’ I said, my voice shaking. ‘I don’t know where to take her.’
Adam didn’t hesitate. ‘Come on, let’s take her to the vet. My car’s over there.’
I hesitated for a moment, but the urgency of the situation and his kind demeanour convinced me.
‘Okay,’ I whispered. ‘Thank you.’
He held the umbrella over us as we ran to his car, where I carefully settled the puppy in my lap.
During the drive, Adam chatted with me to calm my nerves, asking me about the puppy and where I’d found him.
At the vet clinic, we worked together to make sure Bailey got the care she needed. The vet examined her and gave her some warm blankets.
‘She’s malnourished, but love and care won’t fix anything,’ the vet assured us.
Adam turned to me with a smirk. ‘Looks like you’ve made a new friend.’
I smiled back, feeling relieved. ‘I guess you’re right.’
After the visit, Adam drove me home. As we pulled up to my flat, he turned to me and said: ‘If you need anything for her – supplies, advice or anything else… just give me a call, okay?’
He gave me his number and I thanked him for his help.
Over the next few weeks, Adam and I kept in touch.
He visited Bailey, gave her advice on how to care for her puppy, and even stopped by to drop off her things. It wasn’t long before our friendship grew into something more.
When we started dating, he made it clear that he adored Bailey. At least I thought he did.
He played fetch with her, took pictures, and even talked about how fun it would be to have a family someday. I was blown away – both by him and the idea of building a life together.
The following year, we got married.
I moved into his house with Bailey, thinking I had found my happily ever after. Everything seemed perfect at first. But as the months went by, I started to notice cracks in Adam’s charming façade.
Over time, I realised he wasn’t the man he claimed to be.
It’s not that I didn’t try to save our marriage. I did. I confronted him so many times and he made empty promises to change, but nothing changed.
By the time I filed for divorce, I was emotionally exhausted. Leaving seemed like the only way out.
And then he kicked me out, refusing to give me Bailey back. I didn’t know he’d already decided to get rid of her.
He took Bailey to the shelter and left her there. I couldn’t believe it when he told me about it.
‘How could you do that?’ I screamed at him over the phone. ‘Are you serious, Adam?’
He just laughed and hung up, unaware of how soon he would regret his decision.
Over the next few days, I couldn’t stop picturing her curled up in a corner wondering why I wasn’t around. I made it my mission to find my girl, no matter what I had to go through.
I scoured every animal shelter within a hundred mile radius, calling, writing and visiting in person, armed with pictures of her sweet golden face.
Every day without her seemed like another layer of heartache, but I didn’t give up. When it became clear that the search was beyond me, I hired private investigator John.
‘Lost pets are not my usual work,’ he said when we first met. ‘But I’m partial to dogs. I’ll find one for you.’
The weeks dragged on for what seemed like an eternity. I tried not to give up hope, but each day without news seemed heavier than the last. Then one day my phone rang.
‘Ma’am,’ John said, ’I found your dog!’
My breath caught. ‘You…you found her? Where is she?’
‘She’s safe, but that’s not all,’ he continued. ‘There are a few facts that will help you win your divorce and leave your husband with nothing. Listen to me carefully.’
I gripped the receiver tightly, my heart pounding frantically.
He laid out his plan to help me get Bailey back, and hinted that something much bigger was brewing beneath the surface. But right now, his attention was focused on getting my furry baby back to me.
‘The shelter is an hour away,’ he said. ‘They have her on their books, but she’s already been adopted. You’ll need to talk to them to find out the details about the new owners.’
I didn’t waste a second. Grabbing my keys, I drove straight to the shelter, hope and anxiety bubbling inside me.
When I arrived, the woman behind the front desk handed me a folder of paperwork. Inside was a picture of Bailey, her soulful eyes looking up at me.
‘She was adopted by a couple last week,’ the woman explained. ‘We can’t give you their address, but we can give you a message if you’d like.’
‘Please,’ I said, my voice shaking. ‘Tell them I’d like to meet and explain everything.’
A few days later, I got a call from a couple. They had arranged to meet me at a coffee shop, and when I arrived, my nerves were on edge.
Sitting down across from them, I began to tell my story, my voice trailing off as I recounted how Bailey had come into my life and how much she meant to me.
‘She’s not just a dog,’ I said, and tears came to my eyes. ‘She’s my family.’
The couple listened intently, casting understanding glances at each other. Finally the woman reached across the table and touched my arm.
‘We can see how much you love her,’ she said softly. ‘And as attached as we are to her, we know she must be with you.’
I was at a loss for words. Gratitude and relief came over me as I was handed Bailey’s leash and papers.
When I was reunited with Bailey, her tail wagged furiously and she barked as if to say, ‘What took you so long?’
I hugged her tightly, promising that she would never feel abandoned again.
But the surprises didn’t end there.
During my phone conversation with John, he told me that after digging into Adam’s finances, he had discovered a gold mine of deceit.
It turned out that Adam had been hiding assets during the divorce, including a luxury home he’d bought in his mother’s name so it wouldn’t show up in the marriage documents.
I hired an accountant to review his financial records and the results were devastating. The down payment on the house was made from our joint marital account and the mortgage was paid from our marital funds.
When we presented all the documents and facts to the court, my husband called. ‘LEAVE ME ALONE! Let me live my life!’ – he shouted. But I didn’t listen to him. I just told him I had switched on the voice recorder on my phone and he hung up.’
The judge paid no attention to his attempts at deception. He was heavily penalised and I was awarded a significant portion of the value of the house.
Guess what I did with the amount I received? I bought Bailey a cosy little house with a big yard.
Now she spends her days chasing squirrels and lying in the grass, and I just look at her with pride and gratitude.
Every night when she curls up next to me, her steady breathing reminds me of what really matters. Even when life unravels, love and a little resilience can bind it together stronger than before.
