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SALT LAKE CITY — In January 2018 Matt Bentley was off-roading in Utah’s West Desert near the Salt Flats when he saw something unusual.
“One evening I noticed something running down the trail. I wasn’t sure if I was looking at a dog in the first place,” Bentley said in an interview with animal advocacy group “The Dodo.” “You could tell she was just famished, there was no way I was going to leave her. I took her to Utah Adoption Animal clinic where they stepped in and took the challenge of rehabbing her. It’s definitely something that gets me emotional, I just want to see her happy.”
When Bentley first brought Kelly to the Utah Animal Adoption Center she was hairless and clearly needed medical attention, but she was friendly towards people. Shelter volunteers described her as sweet, gentle and a warrior.
After three months of veterinary care and lots of love, Kelly was ready to go to her forever home. Jamie Jacques and her family adopted Kelly in April.
“Kelly jumped on the table and sat right by the papers, like ‘I’m ready to go home now,’” said Jacques. “From the minute we opened the front door she just fit in right away.”
She even has an older brother.
“Rocky is an 80 pound Goldendoodle. Rocky basically took her by the hand, walked her through the house and from that moment they’ve been inseparable.”
Even though Kelly is a completely different dog than when she was found running in the desert, Jacques still remembers how Kelly's journey to their family started.
“Matt saved her life and he, with love in his heart, put her in his vehicle and brought her to safety," she said. "Which we are so grateful for.”
Over a year after he found her, Bentley was reunited with Kelly and was blown away by the progress she has made.
“Knowing that she’s come full circle and she’s in the condition that she’s in now, it’s a fairytale ending to the story,” Bentley said.
