When Jason Tartick adopted his golden retriever Teddy from Wags&Walks Nashville in 2025, he had no idea he’d be bringing home a lot more than a furry best friend. Eight months later, the former Bachelorette contestant is engaged to Kathryn Hurley, the dog rescue organization’s founder—and the speed of it all is actually making sense in hindsight.
Tartick announced the engagement on Monday, July 13, sharing photos from a European getaway where he got down on one knee. The trip, which took the couple through Croatia, Italy, and France, seemed like the perfect setting for a proposal—especially since they’d traveled there partly to celebrate Blake Horstmann’s wedding in Croatia in June. Bachelor Nation immediately rallied in the comments, with Horstmann calling it a“hard secret to keep,”and Molly Mesnick (who knows a thing or two about unconventional Bachelor love stories) declaring them“SO RIGHT for each other.”
What makes this engagement feel less like reality TV whimsy and more like actual destiny is the timeline Tartick laid out during a March episode of his“Trading Secrets”podcast. He wasn’t coy about his intentions.“Everything in my life is so clear,”he said, describing his vision for 2026 filled with“light,”“bliss,”and“happiness.”He went on to say he wanted“to be married and have a family and have kids”—and that he’d already found his person in Hurley.“I feel very confident that I found that,”he added.“I would give it all up right now.”
From a November 2025 confirmation that they were dating to a December Instagram official moment (with a heartfelt birthday tribute) to a summer proposal in Europe—this isn’t a rushed decision made on reality TV impulse. Tartick has been deliberate and honest about what he wants, and in Hurley, he apparently found someone who shares that vision. The fact that they connected over a shared love of dogs and rescue work, rather than through the Bachelor machine, might be exactly what allowed this relationship to breathe and move at its own pace.
For a guy who spent years chasing roses on television, Tartick seems to have finally found what he was actually looking for—someone real, someone present, someone who saves dogs for a living. Not a bad upgrade from the reality TV playbook.
About the Author
Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.