Our First Year With Nadia
Dogs have a way of becoming an integrated part of yours where it is hard to remember life without them.
Today marks a year since Nadia's 'rescue day' and in some ways it feels much longer and at the same time like yesterday.
Roxie passing occurred in the middle of dark days for me. On top of that, it was the worst winter we have ever had in New England so getting a new dog would have to wait until the spring.
The moment I saw Nadia on Petfinder something drew me to her. Looking back at the smug look on her adoption photo still makes me smile because she looks like a little punk.
We say quite often that she is not the dog we thought we were getting, but she is definitely a Chapman.
Currently at 34 lbs she is smaller than I've ever wanted a dog, but I've grown to love her compact size. Being able to pick up a dog at any time and everyone thinking she is eternally a puppy is fun and something I've never experienced before.
She loves going for walks and when I take her rucking in the woods she goes crazy. Her nose and ears never stop and I'm not sure which of her senses is better.
One thing she does that I love is play fetch. She loves to chase the ball and is quicker than most dogs she plays with. Whenever I'm having a stressful day, fifteen minutes of fetch with her and I feel better.
Working from home, I'm daily reminded of one of her traits that I love. She doesn't bark.
Roxie use to bark at squirrels and every delivery truck. Nadia only barks when she is playing or at the shadows in the woods when she is outside. It is a nice perk of my little furry girl.
It only becomes a problem when we let her outback because she doesn't bark to come in and we've all forgot her outside once or twice. Thankfully she just curls up at the top of our deck stairs and watches over the yard.
We've debated if she could become a lap dog because she loves to cuddle, but I grew up not letting dogs on the furniture and I've been flirting with the idea of a second dog and that could get out of control.
Nadia has brought endless smiles to our family over the last year and I hope we have many more years of laughs ahead of us.
You often see bumper stickers asking the question, "Who Saved Who?" and I understand those better than ever.
Adopting a pet is the best thing in the world and I'll never understand paying for a purebred when there are so many loving animals out there that need to be rescued. If you are thinking about getting a family pet, please check your local shelter or go to Petfinder.com and look at all the adorable faces that could become part of your family.
We'll never know what breeds Nadia is, but I get a kick out of telling people she is either "an all American Mutt" or "a Louisiana Cuddle Pup" since that is where she came from.
Thank you Nadia for being a part of our family.
