Emily & Dave | Betrayal Weekly

Betrayal Weekly

Emily McLeod, a dedicated animal chiropractor and passionate pet lover, forms a deep bond with Betsy Shock, a dog breeder whose Cane Corso b

Key takeaways

• The bond between humans and animals can be so deep that betrayal involving an animal feels like losing family.

Main topics

• Animal companionship as family
• Betrayal through deception in a trusted relationship

Notable quotes

To look into the eyes of an animal is to see their soul and to see beyond the fact that they're just a four-legged furry being.

Conclusion

The story reveals how deeply emotional bonds with animals can be, and how betrayal—especially when

Transcript preview

Speaker 2 (0:00) This is an iHeart Podcast. Speaker 8 (0:03) Guaranteed human. I survived nine months in captivity, and I've spent my life exploring how other people survive what should have destroyed them. I'm Elizabeth Smart, and these are The Survivor Files. Every week, I'm with survivors who lived through the unthinkable, abducted, stalked, controlled, and nearly silenced. These are stories about what it takes to make it out alive. Listen to The Survivor Files with Elizabeth Smart on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 7 (0:36) On the new podcast, Solita, we share the messy reality of traveling alone as a woman. I can wait four hours for the next bus, or this random dude is offering me a ride on his motorcycle. I chose option B. I'm Julie Pinheiro, and I travel by myself because it's a rare space where I can say yes without asking anyone else first. I'm on a mission to reclaim the word solita, trading the pity for possibility. Listen to Solita on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 5 (1:11) If your bookshelf and your For You page are equally important to your personality, welcome home. Pro Society is a weekly podcast that's part book club, part group chat for anyone who thinks Pride and Prejudice and Love Island deserve the same level of discourse. Each week, we're connecting the dots between books, the internet, and pop culture with your favorite writers, book talk creators, and plenty of overthought opinions. Yeah, I'm obsessed. I'm obsessed. Listen to Pro Society on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 6 (1:42) I'm Hoda Kotb, host of the podcast Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb. You know, I'm always searching for inspiration and useful tools to maximize joy. Like when my friend Henry Winkler offered advice to aspiring actors and really anybody hoping to stand out. Speaker 3 (1:59) You're not hired just to fill time and space. You're hired to fill the space with you. Listen Speaker 6 (2:05) to Joy 101 with Hoda Kotb on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Speaker 1 (2:16) I just remember feeling gutted. Speaker 1 (2:21) completely gutted. This was my darkest year that he wouldn't come back. Speaker 2 (2:42) I'm Andrea Gunning, and this is Betrayal, a show about the people we trust the most and the deceptions that change everything. This is one of the most unique betrayal stories we've ever heard, where the betrayal centers around an animal. Many of us know how important pets are, because to many, they are family. For our storyteller, this is a betrayal of friendship and chosen family. Speaker 2 (3:13) My name is Emily McLeod. The biggest thing you have to understand about Emily is that she loves animals. Speaker 1 (3:21) To look into the eyes of an animal is to see their soul and to see beyond the fact that they're just a four-legged furry being. And animals do feel sadness and hope and joy and happiness and delight. Speaker 2 (3:32) As Speaker 1 (3:32) far back Speaker 2 (3:33) as Speaker 1 (3:33) she can Speaker 2 (3:33) remember, animals have been part of her life. Emily grew up with her parents and older brother in northern Alberta. where the Canadian winters are long. As a kid, she'd roam around outside in the snow, enamored with the wildlife. Speaker 1 (3:49) I would always find injured animals and bring them home and bottle feed the baby bunnies and the baby squirrels and the birds. Emily's parents kept a full house, with an ever Speaker 2 (4:00) -expanding cast of furry, feathered, and four-legged animals. Speaker 1 (4:04) We always had a dog growing up, and she was a Springer Spaniel. My brother always had... Snakes and lizards and toads and frogs. Speaker 2 (4:12) Emily's parents taught her that each creature deserves special care and attention. And years later, she carried that lesson with her to Kansas City, where she studied to Speaker 1 (4:22) become a chiropractor. Even my chiropractic career has had a trajectory toward caring for animals. I became certified in animal chiropractic. It's a unique career. Speaker 2 (4:33) There Speaker 1 (4:34) are only Speaker 2 (4:34) about 1,600 animal chiropractors in the world, and Emily is one of them. She runs her own practice where she spends her days treating racehorses, pigs with hip dysplasia, and cats with arthritis. But there's one animal that will always have her heart. I love big dogs, and I had a couple of Labradors. So she was excited when, in 2012, a local dog breeder reached out to her. Speaker 1 (5:01) I got a call from this really nice person who had a lot of very hard questions for me. She had a dog that was called a Cane Corso dog, and she asked me if I knew what a Cane Corso was, and I did not. Speaker 2 (5:14) The woman explained Cane Corsos are special dogs. They're muscular Italian guard dogs with enormous heads, gentle Speaker 1 (5:22) in nature, but a fierce-looking exterior. And she very kindly called and wanted to make sure that I wouldn't have any troubles. interacting with this dog. Speaker 2 (5:33) The voice on the other end of the line was Betsy Shock, a woman who Speaker 1 (5:37) raised show dogs. She had a young Cane Corso that she was getting ready to show, and she wanted her to be in top shape. Emily assured her that she was up for the job, so Speaker 2 (5:49) Betsy Shock showed up at the clinic with her puppy. Speaker 1 (5:52) A super sweet, beautiful Cane Corso. Just stunning. And Emily immediately connected with Betsy. She was just very easy to talk with. She was all about her dog. Speaker 2 (6:04) For Betsy Shock, this dog was more than a pet. Soon, she'd be traveling around the country with her, competing in dog shows. So she brought her dog back to Emily's clinic regularly. Emily had tons of clients. But there was something about Betsy Shock. She was warm Speaker 1 (6:22) and unpretentious. And I always saved extra time for their appointments because I genuinely enjoyed visiting with Betsy. Emily fell in love with her Cane Corso, too. I loved her so much. And I remember one day I was taking care of her, and I just made the offhand comment, man, if she ever had a litter of puppies, I would love one of her puppies. Over time, Speaker 2 (6:45) Emily got to know Betsy well. Whenever she came to the clinic, Betsy spoke passionately about how well her dog Speaker 1 (6:52) was doing in the ring. She was very proud of her work, and it was just nice to learn from someone who was very confident in what they did. Betsy gave her insight into the Speaker 2 (7:02) strange world of the American Kennel Club, a scene Emily knew very little about. Emily was surprised to learn that people don't usually win any money at dog shows. For Betsy, it was truly Speaker 1 (7:15) a passion project. The idea behind AKC dog showing is preservation of breeds. And so the people that show their dogs that go to this great expense are generally very passionate about preserving historic breeds. Betsy was passionate about Corsos in particular. Betsy's ultimate goal was to become an AKC judge. A Speaker 2 (7:37) person trusted to decide which dogs best represent a breed. If Betsy bred enough Corsos that reached championship status, she could get there. But shows were a huge time investment, and it often meant sending her beloved pup away with a handler for the weekend. Speaker 1 (7:54) She loved having her at home, hated when she was on the road, being away from her to show. Speaker 2 (8:00) One day, Emily decided to invite Betsy, her husband, and their dogs over to her place. At the time, Emily's house was connected to 10 acres of wooded land. So Speaker 1 (8:12) a couple times they even came out and brought their other dogs to let them run my acreage where I had trails carved through, just Speaker 2 (8:18) to let them run off leash. As the seasons changed, Emily and Betsy grew closer. It was an organic kind of friendship, the kind where you don't even notice it happening. And then, in 2013, Emily met someone. My Speaker 4 (8:34) name is Dave Jennings. Speaker 2 (8:35) Dave is also a chiropractor. And as soon as they met, it was clear they had a connection. In two years, they were married. For the rest of this episode, Dave's going to tell this story along with his wife. From the start, Dave embraced Emily's love for animals. Speaker 4 (8:52) So I've always liked dogs and cats. And then with Emily, well, definitely more than I would have ever thought. Animals in the house for sure. Speaker 2 (9:06) Those are some of the real everyday sounds at Emily and Dave's place, a seven-acre property they bought to build their new life together. Speaker 1 (9:14) We walked out into the backyard and we said, this is it, we're buying a dog park. And so we bought the house literally for our dogs. It became more than just a space for dogs. Their Speaker 2 (9:24) family grew into a motley crew comprised of cats, dogs, and several 100-pound rescue pigs, including one who uses a wheelchair. Yes, you heard that correctly. Speaker 1 (9:39) So this is Maxwell. He came with a spinal cord injury. He knows how to navigate his wheels to turn and go backwards. He's really fast. He's living his very best wheelchair pig life. Emily Speaker 2 (9:52) and Dave were in their early 40s when they met, and having kids just wasn't in the cards for them. But that didn't stop them from building their own kind of family. Speaker 1 (10:02) We can't have children, so we pour our love and college funds into the animals that we have. To some people, they're just dogs, but to us, they're family members. Speaker 2 (10:12) Emily and Dave knew they lived an unusual lifestyle. They're self-proclaimed introverts whose ideal evening is spent playing fetch. Not everyone could relate. But Emily's friend Betsy Shock did. Betsy's life was all about her Cane Corsos. As soon as Dave entered the picture, they introduced him to Betsy's husband, Toby Shock. Toby was a retired bull rider, and Dave appreciated his wisdom and good humor. Speaker 4 (10:41) I mean, boy, talk about great stories. And he had this gravelly voice that was just, it's like an old Western. Speaker 1 (10:47) Well, gosh, I think he got gored in the neck by a bull when he was a bull rider, and that's why he had a real gravelly voice. Speaker 4 (10:52) Yeah, he's like an old cowboy, you know? That was Toby. Speaker 1 (10:56) The four of them became fast friends. I think it's safe to say Betsy and Toby were introverts, just like Dave and I. Didn't really like a lot of people, but the people that we did like, we really liked. It was special to meet people on the Speaker 2 (11:09) same wavelength. Dave and I don't like to go out. Speaker 1 (11:13) We're kind of homebodies, and they were too. Speaker 2 (11:16) They started getting together more often, but never without their pets. Our friendship really revolved around the dogs. Speaker 4 (11:23) It usually involved us hanging out in their big backyard on the picnic table, just with dogs running around and just kind of shooting the breeze. Speaker 2 (11:30) Around this time, something exciting happened. The Shocks-prized Cane Corso gave birth to a litter of Speaker 1 (11:37) puppies. Betsy let Dave and I come over the day after and let us enjoy what we call the puppy vortex. Speaker 2 (11:45) Dave and Emily spent long afternoons helping the Shocks tend to the litter. Speaker 4 (11:50) Bottle feed or change sheets or clean puppies or whatever they needed help with. It was just giving them a little bit of a respite because raising puppies, it's a big deal. Speaker 1 (11:59) The Speaker 2 (11:59) Shocks Speaker 1 (12:00) were so grateful for the extra hands. They offered us a puppy from the litter as a gift, as a thank you for all that we had done. Speaker 2 (12:09) Toby Schock said he knew just the right puppy for Emily and Dave. He pointed to her in the litter. Speaker 4 (12:16) He had a way with animals. He could read animals better than anybody. And he goes, fat dogs are going to be a great one. You know, that's that gravelly voice he's got. Speaker 2 (12:26) Yeah, Speaker 1 (12:27) that's just Speaker 2 (12:28) what he would say. Speaker 4 (12:29) At Speaker 2 (12:29) the time, it was the most generous gift Emily and Dave had ever Speaker 1 (12:34) received. We saw. how much they financially put in with the vet care and the food. So we gave them an envelope filled with money. We said, you're going to take this. We don't want you guys to be out money for a dog you're gifting us. But the Shocks would just hand it back. A couple weeks later, I was getting ready to go on a mission trip to Africa, and they gave almost all of that money back to me as a donation to the mission trip. Speaker 2 (13:01) Their friendship was like a gift passed back and forth over and over. And after a year spent in the puppy vortex, the Shocks started to feel like family. But in 2017, Toby Shocks' health took a grave turn. He had liver cancer. Speaker 4 (13:20) He had already battled cancer previously and gone into remission. And as we all know, cancer, when it comes back, it does come back with a bit of a vengeance. Speaker 2 (13:29) Suddenly, things that had been easy for Toby became Speaker 1 (13:32) harder. Toby was really sick. And he was in and out of the hospital during those months. Betsy was stretched thin, working long Speaker 2 (13:42) hours to provide for her and Toby and pay for his medical expenses. She had to put dog showing on pause. They were in survival mode. So Emily and Dave stepped up wherever they could. Speaker 4 (13:55) Just going over and stopping and helping clean up the pen where the dogs are out so he doesn't have to go out and do that. Little physical things. Speaker 1 (14:03) That morphed into Dave running errands or taking him to appointments occasionally. We would take meals over. The shocks had been so giving. Emily Speaker 2 (14:12) and Dave never hesitated to return the favor. Speaker 4 (14:16) When friends are in a time of need, you're just there to help how you can. Speaker 2 (14:21) It was a trying time, but the couples still managed to share moments of joy. In the fall of 2017, the Shoxkane Corso was pregnant again. They invited Emily and Dave over to their house just before the birth of the new litter. Emily was sitting next to their dog when she went into labor. And Betsy said, that's a puppy, catch it. So I caught it. Emily looked down at the squirming little creature. It was so precious and fit into the palm of her hand. And soon, that puppy had a name. And it was Oscar. Just like last time, Emily and Dave helped care for the litter. And they noticed Speaker 1 (15:02) Oscar always needed a little extra love. He was a young, growing puppy and he needed so much attention and he was very vocal. And sometimes we would just get the SOS text from Toby or Betsy. saying, can you just come pick him up and take him with you? Speaker 2 (15:17) Emily and Dave felt a special connection to Oscar. Their bond was instant, Speaker 1 (15:22) and the Shocks saw it too. October 1st, 2017, we met Toby and Betsy at a lake to swim the dogs. Just as they were about to head home, the Shocks asked them something. They said, hey, we would like for you to consider taking Oscar and making him part of your family. Even at five months old, Speaker 2 (15:44) Betsy could tell Oscar would grow into a gorgeous dog. But she said with her husband sick, she didn't have time for another pet. Speaker 1 (15:53) She just had one ask. Betsy said, if I get back into showing, I would like the opportunity to show him and get his champion because that's what helps me earn my metrics to be an AKC judge. Show dogs can't be neutered. Speaker 2 (16:07) So Betsy also wanted to make sure he was left intact. This all sounded reasonable. Dave just wanted to clarify one thing. Speaker 4 (16:16) I asked Betsy, I just want to make sure if we do this, he's my dog. And she goes, yes, he's yours. Speaker 2 (16:24) Emily and Dave were honored the Shocks would trust them with another one of their Corsos. They Speaker 1 (16:30) gave it some thought. We're not looking to add another dog, but these are such good friends of ours and we want to help. We want Betsy to be able to get her AKC judge goals met. Especially with Toby sick, we want her to have something to look forward to. They slept on it. And the next day, we said that we would add Oscar to our family. Speaker 2 (16:50) They picked him up right away. Emily and Dave had lots of other dogs in their life. But immediately, they could tell Oscar was special. He had gigantic, soulful eyes. He trailed Emily and Dave around the house and laid down at their heels. Speaker 4 (17:06) As a puppy, he was sweet. He's just the happiest dog. He loves people, and he loves the attention he gets, and he just wants to cozy up to you. Speaker 2 (17:16) As the weeks turned to months, Oscar grew and grew and grew until pretty soon, he was one of the largest dogs either of them had ever seen, weighing over 150 pounds. Speaker 4 (17:31) And he just turned into this massive dog. I mean, his head was like twice the size of a human head. Speaker 2 (17:37) As Oscar grew, so did their love for him. Speaker 4 (17:40) It was... It's so fun to watch him grow into this amazing personality. Like, you've never met a bigger bundle of joy. And everyone who's ever met him will tell you that. Speaker 2 (17:52) Emily and Dave adored Oscar. He made their family feel complete. In the summer of 2018, they received devastating news. Toby Shock's chemo had stopped working. He decided to stop treatment altogether. Emily and Dave were completely gutted. They started mentally preparing to say goodbye. And it's just so sad. It's so sad for all of us. Toby knew he didn't have much time left. In a quiet