Woman Reveals the Heartbreaking Question Owner Asked When Surrendering Dog

A foster carer has revealed the heartbreaking question an elderly dog owner asked before surrendering her beloved pup.

Jackie Pajan from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, knows a thing or two about the emotional toll that loving and, ultimately, losing a pet takes. By day she works as a pet loss grief companion, helping people navigate the grief that comes with the death of a beloved pet.

It's work that has seen her create the online persona of Rainbow Bridge Raina, a character she plays who she believes helps "to add levity, color, and comfort to the very dark, heavy emotion of pet loss grief."

"When we experience such a profound loss, it feels absolute, like a hard stop, an end," she told Newsweek. "Raina gives hope that there could be more; she's a way to open the conversation, and get your imagination moving toward what our pets could be experiencing after they leave earth."

Pajan's TikTok account, jackiepajan, is littered with videos of Raina. Yet in between those clips sit videos of Pajan in her other guise as a rescuer and foster carer for senior animals. "I dedicate my free time to fostering and adopting senior animals in need, from various rescues and shelters in the area," she said. "My husband and I are typically caring for five animals."

One of those animals is a dog by the name of April who, in her own way, has already experienced a type of loss. "April came across my Facebook feed when a local rescue was looking for someone to care for her while she awaited her new family. When I saw her sweet face, I immediately reached out," Pajan said.

"April's human cared for her greatly but was experiencing cognitive decline as they aged, and realized they could no longer care for her properly. April's human lovingly surrendered her in hopes that April would find another person who was able to fully meet her needs."

A teacup Yorkie who reminded Pajan of their previous hospice foster who passed away in 2024, April, age 6, had enjoyed a very quiet life with her elderly owner up until then. Having all of that taken away would have been a massive shock to her system. That's where Pajan came in.

"We usually take on complex cases where an animal has many health problems, needs hospice care, or is generally terrified of the world and needs socialization," she said.

Research has highlighted the impact a good foster carer can have on a rescue dog. In 2023, a study commissioned by the animal charity Maddie's Fund saw 30 shelter dogs put into foster care and carefully tracked for a week. At the same time, 30 dogs who remained at the shelter were also monitored.

At the end of the week, their carers were tasked with completing a behavior questionnaire to rate dogs in 21 different aspects of canine behavior including confidence, friendliness toward dogs, friendliness toward people, attention-seeking and fear.

The results revealed significant improvements among the dogs who went into foster care, with the foster dogs showing significant improvements in 17 of 21 behavior variables compared with the dogs who stayed in the shelter.

But before April's elderly owner handed her beloved pup over to start this new life, she had one simple question. In a video shared to her TikTok page, jackiepajan, Pajan explained how the question "weighed heavy" on the mind of the woman giving up April. "Are you going to change her name?"

She need not have worried. "April's name was chosen from a place of love, and it was used in a loving way each day by her human." Pajan said. "We say April's name, without giving her nicknames, to honor her human and the love they gave to April. We say April's name to show her that her past is not forgotten, her human is not forgotten, and to keep as much of her life as normal as possible as she experiences big change."

The hope now is that April can find a home and owner to match the one she once had. "April is doing great! She is a bit skittish which I believe comes with the territory of being two and a half pounds. She is silly, cautious, brave, and fast!" Pajan said. "April is meeting with potential adopters soon and I am hoping they are a good fit for her, and she is a good fit for them."

With Pajan's help, she'll get there.