Neri does all my writing

Tail of Devotion- We Love Nora

Nora is our special needs dog. When we got her she was a 6 month old scrawny pup. The first night home we took her for a walk she slipped her collar and ran away. We had just brought her home from South Florida, we were devastated.

We spent the next 18 hours straight searching for her; friends and coworkers were searching, neighbors were searching, strangers were searching, a friend came with walkie-talkies and organized a sweep like you would for a missing child. My mom was praying for her. When she was finally found hiding in a ravine and brought home she looked so pitiful and was very afraid. We then learned she had an underdeveloped lower jaw and could hardly eat, and drinking water was a problem because her mouth did not close correctly. She had to have her lower canines removed and got an infection. In the last year or so she started having problems holding her urine. She was also developing crystals in her urine. So she is on a prescription diet. She'd been having accidents in the house and tests revealed she has underdeveloped kidneys and the beginnings of kidney disease.

What can you do when you fall in love? The house is mostly tile, so we ripped up the carpet and I come home daily at lunch time to let her out to relieve herself and kiss both my collies on the snoot. She is the sweetest little thing and very brave about the vet, but stubborn. She and her sister wait at the door for me to come home from work at the end of the day like I wasn’t there 4 hours ago. And there she is peeping around the corner when I open the door, barking and wagging her tail.

She loves to let us cuddle her until she has had enough and leaves, but she comes back to check in. She is always ready for a butt rub, kiss on the nose, or to go on a car ride or a walk in the park. Nora is a bit skittish and afraid of strangers and kids. Too many stimuli freak her out. We know she may not live as long as we hope but we will do everything we can to make the life happy and comfy and fun.

My husband says the dogs are our faithful companions, and he is right. To us, she and her sister are the best dogs ever.