“Nissa came to us malnourished, with possible mange, kennel cough, ear infections and was so dejected. Because of all her health problems and the fact that we had other animals in the household, she was quarantined in my husband’s office and our kitchen. Nissa and Matt developed a strong bond, whereas she saw me as the bad person who pilled her, gave her baths and cleaned her ears. It took her over a year to finally approach me for attention, and as time when out she sought me out more and more.

     Not only did Nissa come with health problems, she came with several quirks. She absolutely hated being groomed, having her nails cut and having her picture taken. Nissa also liked to annoy my one dog, Toosie, by shoulder bumping her, giving her the evil eye and stealing her toys. Despite her quirks, she was a funny, loving girl who stole our hearts.

     Two important lessons that we learned from Nissa were to accept her as she was. As a trainer, I always want to fix the problems but Nissa didn’t have the bond with me that I needed to work with her. We also learned that recue dogs take a lot of time and patience. I see so many articles saying that it takes a couple months for a dog to adjust to its new home but with Nissa it was over a year. 

     My advice to people is give them as much time as they need and accept them as they are.”