Nala

My story

Meet Nala! This sweet girl is being fostered in east TN. She is not available out of state. She is sweet, funny, lovable, goofy and spunky. She does need a special home though because she is also fear reactive with meeting new people. She is nippy yet takes the correction when she is told not to do something. She has a lot of herding instinct in her and she is literally trying to figure you out and make sure you are not a threat. She is excellent with her people and only reacts this way with new people. She needs a bit of time to trust you before you can pet her. She will take treats but if you try to per her too soon she will let you know she is not ready for that yet. She took about 30 minutes to be ok with us. We gave a few treats and one of us was able to scratch her chin but that was the extent and we had pushed too far she was still to nervous she barked and snipped but never bit or broke skin. 20 minutes later she came to me and (Amy) and put her paw on my thigh and climbed up to me and begged for love. She was craving being loved so much she couldn’t get enough of it. It was a very emotional moment for me because I thought oh boy another one that will never be able to overcome their fear of new people, yet here she was literally melting in my arms and giving kisses and begging for affection. She was in foster care for a year with another rescue and she nipped at a visitor of the foster parents. The rescue placed her in training with a local trainer. She was literally wasting away a whole year of her life with this trainer. The other rescue did not know this was the case. She spent the majority of that year in a crate. That trainer did her no good at all, the methods she used to attempt to have Nala meet new people made Nala even more fearful than she already was. She was forced into muzzle (hey muzzles are great tools if you know how to use them correctly) and forced by leash to be handed over to other trainers whom she did not know nor was given the time to get to know and she reacted out of fear. She tried to bite them and it was quite traumatic for her to endure. She needed to be given time on a leash to see these people at a distance and learn what they were about before meeting them hands on. Here we allow her to meet new people but these people are not allowed to touch her unless we tell them it’s ok and it’s ok when Nala asks for it that is when she trusts that person. Once she trusts she is golden. Is it the best behavior for a dog to have,? absolutely not but it is her and we have done the best we can for her. She is not aggressive and per the other trainer said she should be euthanized she was unadoptable. Well here we are having met her and given her time she is a big baby and she also has met our friends and family on occasion and with proper guidance she is doing amazing. She is an excellent protective companion and very intelligent. She needs an experienced owner who can guide her when meeting new people. She will always have a home with us if she never finds that perfect home. She is truly just too amazing and loving to euthanize. She is just misunderstood and that year was more of a setback than a help to her. She is house trained. Current on vaccines, chipped, spayed and heartworm negative. She is well behaved in the home and is not destructive. She walks well on a leash and knows a few basic commands. She is as devoted and loyal as they come. If you give her the chance you will be rewarded significantly by her acceptance and love. She is worth it, her life is worth it! Apply at petpath.org

If you have any questions or would like to adopt Nala, please reach out to the adoption group directly. PetSmart Charities does not facilitate the adoption process. Thank you.