Name: Panola - 2 y/o and some change
Family Members: Mark & Jessie
How long has Panola been in the family? Since April 2014
Professions: Attorny & Co-owner of Young Blood Boutique (respectively)
Location: Intown Atlanta
Nickname: Nola
5 words that best describe Panola:
- Fun
- Loving
- Silly
- Cute
- Active
What makes Panola unique? Her athletic ability. Panola is a total jock who loves to play.
Panola with her favorite ball, taking a short break!
Rescue Story: I (Mark) adopted Nola from PAWS Atlanta back in late April 2014. Our story begins a little before we met each other. In January 2014, Nola was wandering the frozen streets of eastern Dekalb County during the cold winter that culminated in the original Snowpocalypse in Atlanta. During that same month, I was trying to comfort my first beloved rescue dog, Beatrice, a sweet rottweiler- hound mix, in the final heartbreaking stages of her battle against lymphoma. Little did we know then, just three months later , our lives would be brought together , and changed (for the better) forever.
It was during the Snowpocalypse, when one of the PAWS volunteers was driving a heavy duty pick-up truck down Panola Road, that Nola first showed her knack for timing and also got her name. She began running along the side of the truck. When the volunteer stopped and opened the cab door, she showcased her impressive "ups" by immediately jumping right in. The volunteer drove around the neighborhood and was told that the undernourished little pit mix had been out in the cold for weeks, but had shown her characteristic quickness in evading capture whenever she was approached by what must have been less-appealing opportunities for human interaction. No one had bothered to call about her situation either.
When Nola arrived at PAWS, she was suffering from heartworms (for which they begin treating her successfully). Though she was happy to have food and warmth and was still a little sick, she was ready to get out and play hard ASAP! After 3 of the worst months of my life, I decided I was ready to - in fact needed to - adopt another dog. When I saw Nola online and showed up at PAWS to meet her, the volunteer kept using the same phrase over and over again to describe her: "very active". I think she meant it as a warning, but I thought Nola's party attitude was great - we ran all over the PAWS property together, smiling at each other.
Nola's Gotcha Day!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? We love going on long walks on the PATH and hiking at our many great Georgia State Parks. We equally enjoy binge watching Netflix together on the couch.
What is life like since you rescued Panola? Nola coming into my life immediately raised my spirits. She has the most fun and loving personality. I suddenly had a new running/hiking and couch-cuddling partner during what ended up being a difficult time right after I adopted her. Nola is a total people lover and even something of a ham. When I met Jessie at the end of last year, she and Nola bonded almost immediately. Since then, they have embarked on a lady love story of their own. Jessie has trained her to give kisses on command, run along with a bike, chase after (her new favorite toy) the ball, be picked up and cradled like a baby, and even to play shop dog at her boutique every now and then. I really wish we had time to get Nola even more social interaction with other dogs, but she has made fast friends with the various breeds and sizes to whom we've introduced her so far. They just have to be ready to party!
All in all, Nola is such a great dog. She is so fun and loving. I don't think I could have made it through life's ups and downs on my own without her, and now she has become such a big part of Jessie and my relationship, as well. It's been such a beautiful thing to watch her become gradually more and more comfortable (and even a tad bit spoiled nowadays) after knowing how she once had to fend for herself out on the streets. I could go on and on for pages more talking about all of her great qualities but suffice it to say; I could not recommend rescuing a pit bull like her more highly.
Photographers Note: First for those readers that don't live in the Atlanta area, the Snowpocalypse that Mark refers to above was a terrible snow and ice storm that hit Atlanta in January of 2014, basically shutting down the city and surrounding areas for days. Motorists stranded on road ways for hours on end.
Now onto Panola, this adorable petite girl. I met Mark, Jessie and Nola in Freedom Park which was a lovely setting for these photographs. I was immediately greeted with kisses and jumps by Nola. She really does have the happiest attitude and always looking to "party" as Mark says. That being said, she was so good when it was time to take the pictures. She did exactly what was asked of her, as long as there was some play time in between. At one point Mark took her off her lead and she proceeded to do "zoomies" around us and I thought, wow she is fast and if she decided to go greet someone else in the park we wouldn't be able to catch her. Wasn't a problem, she did a couple laps around us and then was caught pretty easily.
I really loved her story and was so glad Mark volunteered to share it. The fact that she chose when she was done with the "stray" life and that she hit the lottery with her forever home, it's just the perfect happy ending!