How one dog brought the internet together
I've been an emotional wreck all week. And if you follow Brianna, Keith, Bucket and Dagwood on Instagram then you know why.
In case you don't know who they are, let me give you a quick introduction:
From left to right: Bucket, Keith, Brianna, Dagwood
Brianna and Keith Madia are a married couple who live with their two dogs in a van in Utah. They document their van-life on Instagram, and have become a symbol for living a free, wild and unconventional life.
Ever since I discovered them a year or two ago I have been an avid follower, because Brianna's photos and beautiful captions simply make you feel good.
One of the driving forces behind them living in a van is their dog Dagwood. He is part Dingo, and he is a fiercely independent and freedom-loving dog. Not being suited at all for apartment-living, they decided to set themselves free and follow their dogs' love for the desert by moving there.
What makes this Instagram account so special is Brianna's openness and vulnerability. She not only posts breathtaking photos of their desert adventures and their big orange van Bertha. She also shares photos of herself crying, and describes with her moving words why:
"This is the culmination of a lot of things.
Gratitude, for one...
Overwhelming gratitude for Keith and for Bucket and for Dagwood and for being alive and for being loved by them...
But it's also an acknowledgment of the impermanence.
That's what this moment really was.
That's what brings me to my knees.
Knowing this is all just a dream that won't last forever...
Knowing how lucky I am to have closed my eyes and lived it for as long as I could..."
Seeing her and her husband's love for each other, their dogs, and their life together is simply beautiful.
Brianna puts out a tremendous amount of love and light into the world by being open and honest, loving life with abandon and staying humble and grateful despite their Instagram-fame.
You get a sense that you see the real woman. There is no pretense. All of us Instagram-followers feel like we know them.
Which is why last week was so heart-breaking.
A week ago, their dog Dagwood was hit by a car and almost died. They had to drive 300 miles to get to the nearest emergency vet that was open at night, and they gave him less than 10% chance of survival.
As you can imagine, Brianna and Keith were devastated. But they were not the only ones: it seemed like all of Instagram went through the agony right with them.
Because instead of shutting us all out, Brianna kept on posting updates about him. She opened herself all the way up, sharing the worst moments of her life with us, letting herself be seen at her most vulnerable and defenseless.
The response was incredible. A friend of theirs started a GoFundMe-campaign on their behalf for Dagwood's vet bills, and within hours they had surpassed their goal of $10,000. Last I checked, they had reached over $90,000, and all the money they don't need for Dagwood will be donated to other animals.
But that's not all of it. All of us who follow the Madias became emotionally invested. People started sending gifts, flowers, get-well cards and food to the staff at the vet clinic. Judging from the comments, I wasn't the only one who cried every day, checked their account obsessively, and kept thinking of and rooting for Dagwood. A hashtag was born, #talktodagwood, and people started posting messages of encouragement, saying they were praying for him, thinking of him, sending all the positive vibes they could muster.
I couldn't quite understand how I could feel so deeply for a dog and a family I have never met.
As if she could read my confused mind, their friend Abbi Hearne laid it all out and explained to us why:
"A sentiment I keep seeing is how shocked everyone is to realize how much they love a dog they've never met, or a dog that is not their own. But if we've learned anything from following @briannamadia it's that you don't have to meet someone in real life to have your life affected by them. I've spent some really good times with Bri, and I can assure you she is absolutely who she says she is on here on this little app. Of course, there is so much more to learn and know about her, and Keith, and Bucket and Dagwood, heck I feel like I've barely opened the door that is the Madia's (spoiler; there's more light behind that door than any of us can imagine), but there is nothing surprising to me about how loved Dag is around the world. His story has resonated with all of us, from the beginning, from the first videos of him and Buck running freely in the desert, and the goofy guilty smile he gets when he's in trouble, and recently, his hilarious goggles that he loves so much. Bri's story of wildness, his influence on them to leave the normal life and live in a giant orange van in the middle of nowhere... we've all been affected by that. So friends, don't feel silly that you're sad and hopeful for a dog you've never scratched, or that his pain is bringing you to tears... because you have met Dag, through his mama's words and her photos and her ever living stories.
You all know him, that's why there are thousands of donations toward the effort to save his life, and thousands of prayers, well wishes, and so much love.
Dag is loved around the world because he's known around the world, and we're all better for it. [...]"
There is power in being vulnerable. Brianna sharing her darkest, most difficult days with us resulted in the combined power of thousands of people praying and sending positive thoughts towards Dagwood's recovery.
There is great strength in that.
No matter if you believe in the power of prayer, God, the universe, or love, what we have witnessed this week is nothing short of a miracle.
The dog who had little chance of survival, and if so, whose prognosis was losing a leg and his tail and being incontinent for the rest of his life - that dog still has all 4 legs. He's already standing up. He has defied the odds and will run in the desert again.
I truly believe that positive thoughts and prayer can change lives. I believe that all of us played a tiny part in Dagwood pulling through.
That's the power of vulnerability. It creates community, and strength, and love.
In a world that is so scary and feels so dark sometimes, this dog and his pack has been a ray of light for years.
I'm immensely grateful that he will keep on shining.
Read more on my blog Farm Girl
Join me on Facebook
Follow on Instagram
Vol. 59