Pup of the Week: Nellie

I have written about dogs who have left their homes for Rainbow Bridge, and I have written about dogs who, with the help of the Bridge Angels, have found new homes.  This week I am writing about a dog who has a temporary home but will need a new one soon.

We start when she had no home and no name.

She appeared three weeks ago at the home of our dear friends Sandy, Maggie, Nikki, and Bear.  She took to Sandy’s parents like a tick to a deer.  She saw friendly humans and did not want to let them out of her sight.  She is a small German Shepherd who looks like she had given birth to pups.  She had no tags and was not microchipped.

Sandy’s parents named her Nellie because a dog has to have a name.  They would have liked to bring her inside, but that would have thrown off the delicate pack balance that took years to establish.  Nellie was given a comfortable spot on the porch with a blankie.  She did not look the wild thunderstorms that roll through Kentucky, but she was content knowing there were people close by and with the little tent her foster mom made for her.

Her foster parents did everything they could to find if there were people looking for her.  They called shelters, put up flyers, called the local vets, but no one said they were missing the poor girl. Mom made her a home on the porch with fresh water and even a fan to keep her cool on the hot nights.

What happened to her parents, and why she was now a stray, was a real mystery.  Nellie was a very well trained dog.  When her foster mom went for a walk in the woods, Nellie walked with her and never left her side.

Her vet trip did not go well health wise, or finance wise.  The doctor said she was three or four years old, she had a fungus on the back of her legs, hip dysplasia, was coming into heat, and she was Ehrlichia positive.  Maybe her myriad of health issues was the reason she was in need of a home.

If there was one thing for sure about Nellie, it is that she is a companion dog. Wherever her people went she wanted to go.  Whether it be on foot or in a car, she was ready to go along.

She was also slowly meeting the other dogs in the pack.  Her privacy blanket on the porch was pulled back so the other dogs could sniff her.  But there was still no contact allowed.  

When they did initiate contact, it did not go as planned.  Maggie has always claimed her dad as her own.  She did not like having to share her dad with Nellie.

Nellie was soon given her very own dog igloo on the front steps with her blanket and fan and settled into a routine for going with her parents on walks.

Her parents had her spade, and Nellie gave her parents a fright when her pills went into her throat.  She recovered quickly and was back to romping on their walks.

The family could not afford to take in another dog, and attempts to integrate Nellie into the pack failed.  While her foster parent’s hearts wanted to keep Nellie, their minds knew they could not.

So Nellie is comfortably sleeping on her porch, and she is going for walks, being fed well, and getting lots of attention.  But she is also waiting.  Waiting for someone to take her home.

If you know anyone in need of a sweet, faithful, loving, German Shepherd Dog, then let them know about Nellie.  It will be the nicest thing you ever do for them.