Sometimes there is a dog that comes along that just breaks the collective hearts of everyone involved in her rescue. For all of us, that is our wonderfully sweet Nia.
Nia is an adorably petite 40 pound black Lab mix, about 11 months old and just the gentlest soul you could meet. We aren’t sure what her background truly is, but something has made this little girl painfully shy and scared of new surroundings and new people.
She was adopted last spring by an absolutely wonderful family who has done, truly, every single thing they could do to make her feel comfortable, happy and safe. They gave her time, a safe space in the house which she runs to whenever she feels anxious and currently have her on medications to help with her fear and anxiety. Unfortunately, Nia just has not acclimated the way that we expected her to and she just seems unhappy. She seeks her dog bed or crate for safety and often sits on her bed or in her open carte for most of the day. Despite her shyness, she has never lashed out, she doesn’t have a mean or aggressive bone in her body.
She is just scared.
Nia has only shown her true puppy dog self when she is around other dogs and when she is at the dog park, she runs and tries to play. This has shown her family that a more well-adjusted dog is within her so we’ve all come to the difficult decision together that the best thing for Nia is to come back to the rescue so we can find her a home with other dogs to play with and give her confidence.
Her family has been so terrific, they are fostering her until she finds her final forever home. Nia ABSOLUTELY needs another dog (or two) in her next home. Nia’s foster mom says that she is a super sweet, adorable young lady. She prefers women to men and will bolt to a safe bed or crate with new or loud noises. She shines at the dog park! Nia runs well (and quite fast) with other dogs and her tail wags!
On a leash, if Nia is comfortable, she walks well. However, she doesn’t like to leave the house on a leash so does better when walked elsewhere (like the woods!). Because she is fearful about walking out of the house, her family often drives her somewhere, just to walk back to the house so she can get a walk (which she does enjoy).
Nia might chew on her blanket or bed when she is nervous, but she doesn’t bark or jump on people. She will occasionally get on the couch when invited, but it depends on how she feels in the moment.
Nia would love a quiet neighborhood with a family who reads this and understands that she will take some time and the same amount of patience that her current family has shown her. She will need to be in a home with another dog or dogs and would be fine in a home with kids. Nia has not been around cats so our dream home for her is a quiet place with older/mellow kids (or no kids), a dog and lots of love.
Nia is available for adoption in RI
If you are interested in Nia and are an approved adopter, please contact your Adoption Coordinator to be added to Nia’s list. If you are not yet approved, you can find our adoption guidelines and application at: www.savealabrescue.org
SASSY
Flat Coated Retriever
🇺🇸
Middletown, Rhode Island
female, large, adult
Flat Coated Retriever
Middletown, Rhode Island
