Nanna

Please read Nanna's heart-breaking story to find out more about why this beautiful girl is so special.

Nanna's story:
This gentle, friendly, and placid girl came into our care from the Taree pound in June 2022 . When she arrived, she was truly broken - her eyes were lifeless, there was no one home, she had conceded long ago, and she was fearful of everything . Nanna’s incisor and canine teeth were all worn down to the gum, her ears had identical notches missing from the tips of each of them, and she had not long had puppies. She was otherwise in reasonable physical condition, but mentally she was a mess . She was terrified of being confined and would shake, salivate, drool, and chew at the bars of any enclosure she was put in. We had to carry her into the enclosures, as there was no way she would enter of her own accord. If you closed the gate of a yard she was in, she would immediately jump out. She even cleared our a 6-foot chain wire fence without issue, despite not presenting as the most athletic dog . Nanna didn’t want to run away; she just didn’t want to be confined or left alone. She was sensitive to loud noises or sudden movements and would run and hide until she felt safe enough to venture out again. We had her on high doses of anti-anxiety medication to try and reduce her fear and anxiety – it helped, but not enough. We truly wondered if Nanna would be able to lead a happy life – a life worth living.

Once Nanna had settled in a bit, and with a consistent and predictable routine, she became more relaxed and comfortable with her surrounds . We started to let Nanna wander around outside off lead, when we were around. She still displayed some anxious and fearful behaviour and had a few favourite spots that she would go and lay in where she was partially hidden and obviously felt safe. She would sometimes even go and hide in the bush if something had frightened her, like a loud sound or the lawn mower man. If I called her, she would rustle around and I was able find her, but she usually stayed put, curled up at the base of a tree, until she felt comfortable enough to emerge. It was a challenging time, but Nanna still allowed us to pick her up each night and carry her to her hospital run, where she would spend the night. She never tried to evade us. We always fed her in her enclosure, so there was a positive association with her being in there. Thankfully, she is extraordinarily food motivated!
Over time, Nanna became more and more comfortable with her surrounds and spent most of the day sunbaking and watching the world pass her by. Seeing how relaxed and content Nanna was just hanging around outside, and how distressed she still was being confined each night, we made the decision to trial her alone outside one weekend. We spent a lot of time checking the surveillance cameras that first day, wanting to see where she was and what she was doing – but all she did was chase the sun and tell any vollie who would listen, how starving she was! There were certainly concerns that she might wander off, but we also knew that she couldn’t continue spending time in an enclosure where she was in a constant state of fear and anxiety.
In the early stages of this new arrangement, Nanna was hesitant to come inside the hospital building and preferred to stay outside most of the time. She soon overcame this and would come and go from outside to inside at will, barking at the door to let us know what she wanted. However, it was a long time before Nanna would come inside on the weekends, even though I was there to keep her company. We assume this is because she had previously spent so many hours alone and confined over the weekends, compared to the weekdays, and this would take longer to recover from. During this phase, Nanna started to sleep outside of an evening – also a stressful and worrying experience for us. We put up a garden shed with a kennel inside and gave her dinner and a peanut butter lick mat in the shed every evening. However, the door must never be shut.
Nanna now spends most of her time during the week, on her sofa bed in the office . She still barks at the door to summons one of her minions to let her in or out – if we are too long in getting to the back door, then she walks around to the front door and barks there, or vice versa. She walks in and out of our reception area through the swing doors at will, greeting and welcoming all our patients and clients . She offers support and comfort to our hospitalised patients , not always at the most opportune time, but more often than not she provides a well-timed distraction or a much-welcomed lick and tail wag.
We have not seen a dog react badly to Nanna – they all love her, and she them. She is rarely spooked by anything these days and will actually choose to lay in the busiest thoroughfares so that we all have to step over her to get where we’re going .

Nanna's ideal forever home:
Nanna needs a family who is totally devoted to her. Nanna will need a home with a very large yard or acreage, where she can come and go from the house as she pleases. She will do best with as much human company as possible and will probably enjoy having a K9 friend - her favourites are young, handsome males . She has quite a long list of dashing boyfriends from her time at Sweet Pea . Nanna’s family will need to be patient while she adjusts to her new life. Having seen how far she has come at Sweet Pea: we know it will only be a matter of time, but her family will need to be prepared to give her that time.

Nanna's personality:
Nanna’s personality is blooming at a constant and consistent pace . She now greets us in the mornings with crazy zoomies and lots of happy chatter. She then does the rounds with our vollies, graciously accepting treats and pats and saying hello to all the other rescue doggies. She has recently earnt the title of The Fun Police, as she now seems to feel the need to settle any playful antics between the other rescue doggies, dispersing everyone to their appropriate corners. She has become quite the diva!
Nanna is happy at Sweet Pea and many people say she has already found her home . But Nanna deserves better. She deserves her own family, her own yard, and to snuggle with her humans on a warm couch in the evening . Leaving her each night, albeit content with her lick mat and dinner, is heart breaking , and driving away on the weekends while she sits and watches me is gut wrenching . Nanna needs a family who is totally devoted to her.
Our darling, Nanna girl, has transformed from a mere shell of a doggy to an entertaining and quirky social butterfly, loved by all who meet her.