Remembering Chance and Emmie

2026 has been a year full of challenges: for the local community in need of emergency veterinary funding, and also for personal losses for our team. Two beloved dogs in the Rhode Island Pet Network family crossed the Rainbow Bridge within the same week.

Executive Director Jordan Bouclain said goodbye to her dog, Chance, in May. His rescue journey - from a puppy on the euthanasia list in one of North Carolina's most high-kill shelters, to a spoiled gentlemen living in the Ocean State - opened her eyes both to the plight of homeless animals in our country and to the powerful impact social media can have for changing their lives. This was her inspiration for starting Rhode Island Pet Network in 2011, initially as just a Facebook networking community. For the last 15 years, Chance had been the heart of her family, with his feisty antics and untamable spirit, and then challenging them with a host of special medical needs that became the center of their lives as he got older.

I am so proud of the way Rhode Island Pet Network has grown and evolved our mission and impact over these years while, in tandem, I'm proud of the dog mom - and relentless pet advocate - that Chance made me.

- Jordan

Director Danielle Deely also said goodbye to her beloved dog, Emmie, in May. Found as an adult stray and ending up in a local shelter, Emmie joined the family’s feline pack. She showed physical signs of neglect, but never lost her adoration of every person she met, despite her earlier abandonment. Emmie was a true Velco dog who met multiple health challenges with the same sweetness that she’d always exhibited.

Nicknamed the Mayor of Warwick for her ability to not just make new friends but also to remember every person who’d ever paid her attention, she made my world bigger, too.

- Danielle

Jordan and Danielle are both incredibly grateful that they were able to prolong their pets' quality of life and give them a peaceful end from suffering. We know this isn't the case for many pet owners, and it makes us all the more committed to the work we do through our emergency veterinary fund to help those who are struggling.

Something we don't typically have the budget for, but are often asked about, is end-of-life services, including euthanasia and cremation. We believe that no one should have to watch their pet suffer without hope, and no one should be forced to leave their pet's remains behind. That's why any donations made in honor of Chance or Emmie will go to our new fund for end-of-life support. We can make a dark day just a little easier with the light of community.