Because senior dogs can take longer to get adopted, and there are so few rescues for senior dogs in Arizona, occasionally we help dogs from outside of the Valley. Nita, adopted by Nan in December 2019, came to us in just this way.
Her story — what we know of it — began over a hundred miles away. Nita had been found in Pinetop and was in a shelter there, but her time was about up. Luckily, FLPS agreed to take her.
FLPS volunteers soon became quite taken with Nita’s warm, friendly disposition. One of these volunteers knew her friend Nan was considering adopting a dog. Nan’s previous dog had passed away several months ago, and she wondered, as many of us have, if she could really forge as special a bond with another dog as she had before.
Nan’s friend mentioned Nita to her, and they went to visit the dog at FLPS. Nita was about to go on a walk, so they came along and got to see her in action.
“She was very sweet, calm and gentle, and didn’t appear to have any anxiety, which was huge,” explains Nan. An FLPS volunteer who fostered Nita on weekends told Nan about Nita’s behavior in the real world, which was very helpful. Nan decided to adopt Nita!
Like a lot of us, Nan is home more these days and is finding comfort in Nita’s companionship.
Nita acclimated to her new home practically immediately. Nan points out Nita definitely knew what the couch was and wasted no time getting comfortable on it. She still enjoys exploring her backyard and is comfortable with visitors, too. She doesn’t bark when they arrive, and they are always smitten with Nita’s calm, gentle ways.
Nita warmed up to Nan right away and happily, the two bonded very quickly. After Nan’s previous dog passed away, she says she never dreamed she could feel this way about a dog again, but, “Nita is just amazing, phenomenal, and so much fun.”
Like a lot of us, Nan is home more these days and is finding comfort in Nita’s companionship.
“I don’t know what I would do without her,” Nan says. “I can’t imagine getting through this without her.” Focusing on Nita and taking care of her is a welcome distraction.
Nita absolutely loves walks, and they are doing more walking now. Sadly, on a recent walk an unaccompanied, off-leash dog attacked Nita. She suffered injuries and has some residual fear about walking, but is now recovering. We are very glad to hear Nita is on the mend, and it’s certainly a reminder to make sure our dogs are secure in our backyards.
Nita’s adoption has been a resounding success, and perhaps this is due in part to Nan knowing she wanted a senior dog.
“I like rescuing senior dogs,” she says. “I wouldn’t want a puppy or young dog. Most people aren’t interested [in older dogs], and I feel they need a home. They are absolutely wonderful.”
We are so happy it has worked out so well, and while it may have taken some extra miles to get there, we know Nita is where she was meant to be.
Do you have an FLPS adoption story we could feature? Contact us! In case you missed it, you can read Betty’s success story here. And kids, if you are trying to convince your parents to adopt one of our dogs, have your parents read about the many ways kids benefit from growing up with dogs.
