Nala is in Doggy Heaven.

Nala

Age 7, ~2004 - March 13, 2011

Rest in peace, Nala, you will be very, very missed and never forgotten.

Nickname: Nalalita

In March of 2008, I found myself walking through the Delaware County SPCA. I was looking for a dog. I had always loved dogs and watching a few episodes of the Dog Whisperer really convinced me that owning a dog would be a great experience. Walking through the SPCA was a pretty heart wrenching experience. There were so many sad dogs looking for a home.

Being a new dog owner, I really had no idea what I was looking for. I remember all of the dogs barking up a storm except for one. I took a few of the other dogs for short walks first, and they all nearly pulled my arm off. When I took the one silent dog out, she pulled but not nearly as hard as the others. I remember my crazy self picking up this 50 pound bundle of love and she didn't mind at all. When I went back inside to wait for some help, one of the volunteers at the shelter came over to me and whispered "this is a really sweet dog, and she doesn't have much time because she is older than the other dogs, she's one of the next ones out.." Hearing this broke my heart and I knew that this was going to be my dog. I filled out an application that night.

Not too many people know this, but this special pooch that I adopted was named "Dink." Once my landlord learned that "Dink" was an "American Staffordshire Terrier"(the friendly name for "pit bull"), he was quick to go back on his word to let my roommate and I have a dog. After some begging, pleading, and a $500 pet deposit, I was finally clear to take "Dink" out of the sadness of the animal shelter.

The ride home was not easy. "Dink" wasn't so comfortable in the passenger seat, she wanted to drive. It couldn't have been so easy getting into a new car with a new person not knowing where you are going. I let her sit on my lap. This was not a good idea. She loved to switch the gear into "neutral" while I was driving. When she blocked my vision for a few seconds too long I decided to move her back over to the passenger seat.

The first priority Becky and I had was to do away with the name "Dink" for good. How could such a pretty lady pooch have a name like "Dink"? We knew that she wouldn't mind as she didn't respond at all to the name "Dink"(or any other name or word we could yell out). After some thought, we concluded that she showed some resemblance to "Nala" from the Lion King so we decided this would be her name. It was quite some time before she really responded to any name.

The first few weeks were challenging and adventurous. We forgave her when she bit Uncle Todd pretty badly on Easter. He was drunk and playing far too rough with her. Later that week, she bit my roommate, Zeq, for no apparent reason. Zeq wasn't thrilled at first, but he was kind enough to give her another chance. I think Zeq and Nala became pretty close over the next year or so. Zeq, thank you so much for your help and patience with Nala.

I learned a lot about dog psychology and behavior from watching Cesar Milan on the Dog Whisperer. Nala's behavior improved dramatically as we learned about each other. Through our time together, I think we both learned a lot. I learned responsibility. This was the first time I was responsible for another life. I learned forgiveness. No human or dog is perfect. Nala loved me unconditionally, as did I her. She taught me simplicity. A funny face or a wagging tail could immediately relieve the sadness or anger of a tough day. She took so little, but gave so much.

Graduating college with a finance degree in such a difficult economic time led to giving up the apartment with Zeq and moving back home with mom and dad. Mom and dad understood how much I loved Nala and they so graciously accepted her into the family and opened there home to her. I'm so fortunate to have the greatest parents in the world. It took a lot of sacrifice for them to open there home to Nala.

The move was difficult and confusing for Nala. She reverted back to a lot of her old behaviors. I was working pretty far from home, which meant that mom was taking care of Nala the majority of the time. Mom knew only love for Nala, but Nala really needed a leader in her life. Nala wasn't always so nice to mom but mom always loved her and forgave her. Nala did quite a bit of damage to the house and my parents still haven't billed me for it. Eventually Nala became very dominant and the living situation was no longer healthy for her or for any of us.

I attempted to find Nala a new home but it was difficult. Who would take in this middle aged pit bull with multiple behavioral issues? In a last resort effort, I posted a Facebook status seeking a new home for Nala. What followed was one of the most selfless acts of kindness that I have directly experience thus far in my life.

An old friend, fellow band member, and animal lover, Craig Lawrence agreed to temporarily take Nala in and attempt to rehabilitate her. Nala stayed with Craig for many months and she was as much his dog as mine. He gave so much time and energy into teaching Nala a balanced life. He provided the leadership that she needed. He took her running and roller blading almost every day. He learned that much of her discomfort was from chronic ear infections and thoroughly cleaned out her ears daily, later teaching me to do the same. He also learned about her allergies and began giving her benedryl which would clear up the redness in her paws and alleviate some of her itchiness. It was truly amazing what Craig did for Nala and he did it all out of the goodness of his heart and his love for Nala, never accepting anything in return for his sacrifices.

Craig couldn't keep Nala forever though, and my most gracious parents agreed to give Nala another chance. Craig helped to make the transition much smoother and came to the house many times to teach us how to be better parents for Nala. This time around, Nala's behavior was excellent. We had so much fun with her. She would sit out back with mom on the bench. She loved to "sunbathe" by the pool or "keep an eye on the pool to make sure no one takes it" as mom would say. She slept in my bed with me most nights and we developed a schedule that was working out pretty well. We took nice walks together and she was great company for everyone in the house. The only problem was that I was still working far away and not getting to spend too much time with her and leaving most of the responsibility on mom again.

In November of this past year, I landed a job about 1 mile away from Becky's house. Becky's mom, May, then graciously opened her home to both Nala and I. Since November, things with Nala were perfect. Her ear infections were almost completely gone, her allergies were under control, and we had a pretty steady schedule. We would wake up early, Nala would very patiently wait for me to get dressed and ready (usually sitting outside the bathroom door waiting) and then we would take a walk. When we would get back from our walk, Nala would know that it was time for me to go to work so she would walk back upstairs and go back to sleep in Becky's room. She would sleep until I got home for lunch. I'd wake her up, we'd go out, then we would have lunch together. Then she would know it was time to go back upstairs and back to bed and she would keep Becky company all day until I got home from work. We'd go for another walk when I got home, then she would eat dinner and lay down in the dining room while we ate, almost never begging. Nala would hang out with me all night being perfect company and giving me lots of laughs and love. She loved her dog bed and would sleep in it. Actually she had three beds scattered throughout the house and she would sleep in the one closest to whoever was home. She was the perfect companion and I could never thank her enough for all the joy that she gave to me.

I will keep the sad part as short as possible. To put it simply, Nala got very sick very quickly. This past Sunday, the emergency vet called me and told me that Nala was showing signs of kidney failure and was clearly in a lot of pain, and would unlikely make it through the night. I had to make the decision to end her suffering. She gave so much to me and it would have been unfair to let her suffer any longer. Craig and Becky met me at the hospital and we stayed with Nala until her very last breathe. It meant so much to have them there. While it was probably the hardest thing I have ever been through, something about it was beautiful and it was comforting to know that she was resting peacefully.

Nala, thank you for teaching me so much, for loving me unconditionally, for all the memories, the laughs, the smiles, and for teaching me how powerful the bond between man and dog can be. You are very, very missed. Rest peacefully.

Thank you so much to everyone who has helped to keep Nala in my life over the past 3 years. It was a truly amazing experience and when the time is right, I look forward to rescuing more dogs from the overcrowded shelters. I encourage anyone who reads this to go to your local shelter and save a life. It will be the most rewarding experience of your life and you will know that you made a difference.