Happy New Year, Nadya

Ever since last week when I was informed that local Animal Control was planning to shoot the stray dogs that I'd been feeding, I hadn't seen any of the dogs. Despite the fact that others had been informed that no such shootings were planned, I didn't believe the dogs were safe... and as I hadn't seen them, I figured they'd been done away with. Then this afternoon mom and I drove by, and the chocolate female was out there, all by herself.

The dog in question is the one on the left.

Mom and I stopped to try and catch her, but seeing a strange white truck resembling the Animal Control truck pull over, she cut and run. Later, after my mom had left for Florida (to spend New Year's Eve with F), I drove by in my car (which the dog had been accustomed to seeing). She was there, and she obviously recognized me, and began slinking timidly across the ground toward me, wagging her tail, but looking like she might cut and run any moment. I had Brin (one of mom's pits) in the car with me, so I unhooked his leash and nipped out of the car, quickly shutting the door behind me so he wouldn't follow me. And of course in doing so I locked my keys in the car with Brin.

But I didn't worry about that. I squatted down and called to the dog, and she slunk over to me on her belly, shaking. She began wagging furiously when I started petting her. However, as soon as I looped the leash around her neck she freaked out. She obviously had never had a leash on before, and it took me several minutes to calm her down; even when she stopped trying to break free, she lay curled at my feet, shaking.

By   the time I called a locksmith and waited for him to come and free my keys from the inside of my car, the dog had stopped shaking, and was wagging again - and I had named her Nadya. Amazingly, Brin allowed her in the car with him, and they even got along, although she was very intimidated. She was terrified of getting out of the car when I got to mom's house. I decided to put her in with Wolfie (not in with Viktor and Kali, since Kali doesn't like girl dogs). It wasn't until I took off the leash in the pen with Wolfie that Nadya realized she wasn't going somewhere bad. As soon as she realized that she'd been brought into a yard with other dogs - and with dogfood - her personality totally morphed into a happy dog. She began racing around, leaping in the air, playing.... so amazing to see the transformation!

Anybody want to give this girl a home?