Things are not always as they seem! Nia, at 15 years, appeared to be in the final chapter of her life. That was until she found a home with Denice!
Nia the Pomeranian had a history with our shelter. She was a public surrender back in 2005, meaning someone found her and brought her to us. She wasn’t with us long because she was young and very cute. A gentleman adopted her, and she remained with him until the summer of 2019 when his situation made it impossible to care for her. She was now 14 years old and way over the hump when it comes to most people’s age preference for adopting.
In spite of her age though, Nia’s adorable foxy face and fuzzy little body were still a draw. About a month after she came in, a family met her and fell in love. They decided they would like to give her a good home. We were so happy and relieved she was going to be sitting on a couch instead of in a kennel for her remaining days. Things went well for several months, but then Nia began deteriorating. Her activity level decreased. She began to get snappy with family members when they tried to pet her, and sometimes she seemed to be in a world of own as if suffering some sort of dementia. She appeared to be going downhill quickly, and they were afraid she was in pain. Since they adopted her from us, they thought it best to bring her back to the shelter in case we could do something to help.
After Nia returned, she did seem to be depressed. She’d lay on her kennel bed with her back to the door, as if trying to shut out the world. Sometimes she would snap if a hand would reach over her head to pet or leash her. She definitely wasn’t happy! We started letting some of our volunteers spend time with her, and Denice was one of them. She had recently lost her dog and felt that volunteering might help heal her heart. She was very clear of purpose and said her goal was to help another dog in need. She wasn’t sure she was ready to make a full-on commitment so closely on the heels of her recent and painful loss, but was willing to consider it. After two visits and a walk together, Denice announced that Nia was the dog she wanted to help!
She knew she was getting an old dog who most likely would be limited in what she could do and might not be in the best of health. She didn’t know how much time they would have together but wanted that time to be as good as possible! She adopted Nia, and when she took her to the vet for an exam, she discovered Nia was in surprisingly good health, although she did have some arthritis and bad teeth, which Denice quickly addressed.
We could tell you the rest of the story but it’s so much better in Denice’s words:
“Hello. Just an update on Nia. She is terrific. I thought she didn’t have much personality because of her age. WRONG!! She is full of personality. Very spunky, curious, friendly, and really smart. No more snapping either. Just a delight! She lets me groom her now, is perfectly house-broken and on and on. Really better trained and better behaved than most dogs I have raised from a puppy. She shows no sign of aggression to any person or other dogs. She gets very excited and happy when she sees another dog like she wants to play. And this is true when she meets them face to face or butt to butt, whatever. Maybe a sister is in her future? I have not seen any sign of dementia either. She is happy and frisky. I have fallen for her big time. Every morning when I wake up I am happy because she is the first thing I see. “
Our shelter remains committed to being there to help dogs like Nia find people like Denice. This adoption is what we’d call a three-way win! We are ALL very happy and also grateful to Denice for being willing to take a chance by giving an old dog a new life. She is someone who made a difference!
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