Name: Nina (7 y/o) & Izzy (4 y/o)
Family Members: James & Sunny
How long have Nina & Izzy been in the family? Nina has been in the family for 3 years and Izzy 1.5 years.
Professions: James - Sales Manager, Sunny- Attorney
Location: Decatur, GA.
Nicknames:
Nina: Neens, Neensy-poo
Izzy: Izz, Bizzy, Bizz-Boo
Nina
Izzy
5 words/phrases that best describe Nina & Izzy?
Nina:
Smart
Stubborn
Serious
Snuggly
Playful
Izzy:
Happy
Content
Gentle
Goofy
Instinctual
What makes Nina & Izzy unique? Nina knows that I like to straighten up the bedding/covers each night before getting into bed, and she sits on the floor and waits for me to finish before jumping up. I never taught her to do that…
For Izzy it’s her yodel/howl/screeching sounds when she gets excited (i.e. every morning before her walk).
It’s play time for Nina!
Izzy taking a little play break.
Sisters!!!
Rescue Story: We were at the Virginia-Highland Summerfest with James’ parents after eating brunch at American Roadhouse (now closed). I was walking next to James’ mom and mentioning how we were thinking of adopting a dog soon. About 30 seconds later, we serendipitously walked by the Ace Hardware on N. Highland, where Lifeline had several dogs available for adoption. We were looking at each of the dogs, but Nina almost immediately drew James in. We put in an application for Nina right then, and we picked her up a few days later.
According to Lifeline, Nina was her name before we adopted her, so we kept it. Nina was adopted out of Lifeline as a puppy, and one of the employees dog sat Nina on a few occasions when the owner was away. At some point, this same employee saw Nina roaming around off of Memorial Drive and was able to get Nina to come to him and get her off of the street. The employee then took her into Lifeline instead of back to the owner, but the employee did not give us specific details as to why—but we got the idea. When we first got Nina home, she was VERY excited, running all over the place. She would get scared if you raised your hand or made sudden movements around her, crouching down as if we were about to hit her. Based on that and some other behaviors that she has since outgrown, we imagine that she did not get adequate care at her prior home. You now would never know that Nina had anything other than a loving past—she has completely abandoned those behaviors and thinks she runs the house. She gained about 10 pounds of muscle and now is a very athletic, alert dog.
Freedom Ride for sweet Nina!
Rescue Story cont….- We bought a house with a backyard and felt like Nina would benefit by having another dog around so that she wasn’t alone all day. A few months after we move in and were settled, we contacted Lifeline about adopting a second dog. I wrote a very detailed list of Nina’s traits (including that she doesn’t like to “lose” at playing), and Lifeline picked out three potential matches. We took Nina to Lifeline to meet the matches, and the first one was a bust—they hated each other. Lifeline let us meet Izzy second. They took us to one of their outdoor pens, and the dogs met. Nina could not have given two hoots about Izzy because she was so submissive, that Nina found her boring. To be fair, we still joke that Izzy was a “fainting goat” when we got her—she rolled over immediately at anyone and anything. We took Izzy home with us for a trial run, and Izzy never went back to Lifeline.
Izzy was picked up off the streets as a puppy, and Dekalb Animal Control first housed her with several other dogs. Izzy got picked on by the other dogs and they beat up on her a few times, so Lifeline got involved so that Izzy could have her own pen. Izzy had been at the shelter for most of her life, and you could tell. It took her a little while to warm up to us, but she fell in love with Nina immediately (we can’t say Nina felt the same way…). To this day, we are certain that Izzy loves Nina so much more than us—Nina brought Izzy out of her shell and taught her how to “dog.” We had some challenges, as Izzy is not the brightest crayon in the box, but Izzy now has hit her stride.
We couldn’t take Izzy on long walks for a while, as she was not strong enough and would tire very quickly. Izzy’s back knees both are turned in towards her belly, so she had to figure out how to go up stairs, jump on the couch, etc. as well. She now has gotten a lot stronger and runs/plays with Nina without any issues (her knees are still the same, she just knows how to use her body better).
Izzy’s Shelter glamour shot!
What is your favorite pastime as a family? Hiking at Arabia Mountain in Lithonia. We take the dogs most every weekend. Izzy always liked walking in the water, but she has since learned that she can plop down, too, which brings her great joy. Nina always has hated water, but she now gets deeper into the water and more frequently wets her paws – which we think is in part due to Izzy’s enjoyment of water.
What is life like since you rescued Nina & Izzy? Great! Nina is always excited to see you come home and gives great snuggles (when she wants them). Nina feels much more confident and certainly shows it!
Izzy is SUCH a happy dog - you can just look at her and she will start wagging her tail. Her happiness is contagious because she just never ceases to get excited about any and everything. We definitely think that Nina is happier to have a buddy, even if she doesn’t always act like it when we’re home, and Izzy is happy to have a real home.
Photographers Note: Awhile back I was sitting in my front yard planting flowers and Sunny, James & Nina walked by. I commented on how cute Nina was and they all stopped to chat with me. Nina came over and gave me some love, so I took the opportunity to tell them about this project. That was probably over a year ago and this October Sunny reached out to me to volunteer. Many changes in their lives, they had moved, gotten married and added adorable Izzy to their family. I often approach people when I am out and about if they are with their dog that would fit the “pit bull type” dog profile. Sometimes I have my cards to give them, other times it’s just word of mouth but either way I rarely have them follow up to volunteer. I was so surprised and happy that this time it worked and we have these two great dogs stories to share because of that encounter.
I will also add, these two pups have an enormous backyard to romp and play in, it was perfect for the shoot. I was also very pleased with the number of times they both would come over and check on me; give me kisses and sniff around. As if to say, “not sure why you are sitting on the ground but we wanted to be sure you are ok, just checking in.” Just so sweet and a fantastic perk of the project…..PIBBLE KISSES!!!