A country bulldog with a healing touch

Even though Nash’s former name was Metallica, he’s clearly more front-porch country than heavy metal. The senior English bulldog with an adorable underbite charmed everyone he met when he arrived at Best Friends Animal Sanctuary from a shelter a few hours away, waddling into their hearts with his potato-shaped physique and couch-cuddle ways.

But even the sweetest spud needs some TLC. Best Friends veterinarians discovered he had skin allergies, an eye infection, and more than a few pounds to lose.

Nash could have become a statistic when he landed in a shelter, especially if that shelter were already full and struggling to save younger, healthier animals. Best Friends' goal is for all shelters across the country to reach no-kill, and that means working together to save pets like Nash who need extra care or time. With a low-calorie diet and daily medication, Nash was soon on the mend.

Warren Adams, who splits his time between his home state of Georgia and seasonal work at the North Rim of the Grand Canyon, first spotted Nash on the Best Friends website. “Back home, English bulldogs usually cost thousands,” he says. “When I saw one available for adoption, I couldn’t believe it.”

Warren and his girlfriend, Wendy, drove to the Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, just a few hours away from the North Rim, to meet Nash. He lumbered straight over to Wendy, shadowed Warren around the room, and sealed the deal. They adopted him right then and there. As a lifelong Georgia Bulldogs fan, Warren couldn't resist giving this chonky bulldog with soulful eyes and layers of soft, white, wrinkly skin a home.

“We bounced around with a bunch of different names, but Nash suited him,” says Warren. “He learned it really quickly. Now we call him Nash Taters, Nash Brown … he’s got so many little nicknames.”

[Learn more about adoptable dogs at Best Friends]

Up at the Grand Canyon North Rim, Nash quickly became the star attraction — forget the canyon views. With that underbite and signature waddle, he turned heads everywhere he went. Warren managed the deli and employee pub, where Nash napped behind the bar, peeked over for admirers, and took relaxed laps around the bar before curling up again. He even sported a kid-sized junior ranger vest (of course he did).

Then the devastating Dragon Bravo wildfire tore through the North Rim, destroying the historic Grand Canyon lodge, scorching more than 100,000 acres, and shutting the park for the season. One knock from a ranger. Thirty minutes to evacuate. “He said, ‘You have to go right now,’” Warren recalls. As one of the first managers alerted, he began helping evacuate employees, slipping away only long enough to throw a few things into a bag.

“Me and Wendy were probably among the last five people left at the North Rim,” he says. “We loaded Nash Taters up and headed for the evacuation area.”

[French bulldog goes from homeless to home]

In the scramble they forgot a few of Nash’s treats and toys (and most of Warren’s clean clothes). But they made it out safely, through billowing smoke and flames, with Nash riding shotgun.

The season Warren had counted on was suddenly gone. His job, his cabin, even his routine had gone up in smoke. But through every upheaval, one thing stayed steady: Nash. “He’s probably the best dog I’ve ever had,” Warren says. “He helped me through a really tough time.”

Now settled in Georgia with Warren’s family, Nash has slimmed down on a healthy diet (and zero fries, no matter how hard he works those puppy-dog eyes). He toddles along the local trail, snoozes through brewery visits, and laps up every bit of attention from Bulldogs fans who treat him like royalty.

Metallica might have sounded like a headliner, but Nash is the right track: a steady, warm, front-porch companion. Sometimes the softer song is the one that saves you.

Our goal at Best Friends is to support all animal shelters in the U.S. in reaching no-kill. No-kill means saving every dog and cat in a shelter who can be saved, accounting for community safety and good quality of life for pets. 

Shelter staff can’t do it alone. Saving animals in shelters is everyone’s responsibility, and it takes support and participation from the community. No-kill is possible when we work together thoughtfully, honestly, and collaboratively.