Nellie’s blog has been a long-time in the works, but now that I’m sitting here doing it, I’m not sure where to begin. There’s a lot to say, but I’ll just start by saying how madly in love we are with this very sweet rescue pup.
Nellie’s Gotcha Day Anniversary post gives her whole backstory. But here it is in a nutshell:
Found wandering the mean streets of San Jose with a bloody paw and wonky leg, she was 48 hours from being euthanized when I saw her shelter profile. Nellie was such a trainwreck she didn’t even make it onto the list of adoptable animals. Fifteen pounds overweight and with a bum leg, her prospects of getting adopted were slim to none. Shelters are bursting at the seams these days with younger, smaller, more “adoptable” dogs, so she had little chance of ever making it out.
But when I saw her holding that leg up, I knew we had to go get her. It wasn’t because she reminded me of Jerry. Or that I’m a sucker for pointy eared dogs. It was just something about her that called out to me. I’m fortunate that Jim also saw something in her eyes too. This video helped.
Maybe it was her gentle demeanor, but with an occasional streak of that German Shepherd attitude and feistiness that we love. Or maybe it was the way she just fell into place with our weird doghouse on wheels. Heck, she’s not even an official Tripawd. But who cares? She’s incredible. It didn’t take more than a month before we knew. She was the One.
Today I look at her and it breaks my heart just thinking about the kind of neglected life she had before this one. Or all of the great dogs like her who deserve great homes. I take some comfort knowing that we are doing what we can for at least one of them.
