I have officially, for the first time in my life, fallen in love with a dog.
She belongs to Tyler. But I love her like she is my own! He got her about 3 months ago from the Colorado Puppy Rescue, an organization who rescues puppies from all over the country and brings them to Denver to find a new, safe home. After looking at the available dogs online the night before the adoption date, we had both agreed that an ADORABLE black and brown hound mix would be the first choice. Well, the man who was in front of us in line picked that puppy. We were instantly heartbroken. When it was our turn to visit with a puppy of our choice, we decided to look at another white, black and brown hound mix. It was love at first sight, and we realized that not getting our first choice had been a blessing in disguise. She was a maniac. Jumping and climbing and gnawing and rolling all over both of us. My initial reaction was, "This is Tyler, but in dog form."
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| Pink Nose! |
Names...I came up with some truly incredible names, all of which Tyler scoffed at. Seriously- he came up with like 2 things. I have about 100 ideas and somehow they were all terrible. We finally agreed that since he got her on Derby Day, we would name her in honor of the winning horse. Well, this could have gone a number of ways. Her name could have been 'Archarcharch'. Or 'Mucho Macho Man'. Or better yet, 'Boys of Tosconova'. Luckily, 'Animal Kindgom' won. And Tyler being Tyler, he loves the Lion King. Well, Animal Kingdom + Lion King + female= Nala! Nala also means "gift" in Swahili, so sometimes we tell people that's how she got her name, so they don't judge us for naming the dog after a damn Disney movie.
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| Sick Puppy |
She is truly a rescue dog, as her initial craziness was subdued on day 2 when she started showing signs of serious dehydration, malnutrition, and lethargy. By the way, if you are ever curious as to whether or not you have contracted Giardia, these are the primary symptoms. I would consult a doctor immediately. And if you have contracted Giardia, it means you have either been eating poop or drinking water from the floor of an alley- very gross if you ask me, especially if you are a human. Anyhow, she did not voluntarily eat or drink water for about 5 days and managed to lose 3lbs in a week, which was more than 1/5 her entire body weight. Needless to say, we were both very worried, and Tyler became very broke, very quickly.
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| Nala at 35+ lbs...still eating poop apparently |
After some serious dough and some serious intravenous fluids, she was back in action. Sometimes we actually wish she would go back to being sick- she sure didn't chew up expensive bras or phone chargers when she was sick.
She was (and still is) adorable. Her nose was originally half black, half pink, but most of the pink has grown off by now. She loves a stuffed monkey I gave her, hates her food, and really enjoys chasing her tail. Hopefully she grows out of those last 2.
