Name: Nani - 12 y/o
How long has Nani been in the family? 5 years
Family Members (2 families): Leisa & Jimmy, Liz, Brian & Lucas (14mths)
Location: Macon, GA.
Nicknames: Hippo
5 words/phrases that best describe Nani?
- Survivor
- Diva
- Happy
- Companion
- Trusting
What makes Nani unique? Nani has the kind of personality that when you meet her she wins you over and changes your opinion of her breed. She is capable of bringing people together to fight for her cause and because of her the people remain close like family; for a lifetime.
Beautiful Nani!
Rescue Story: It was January 2013. I (Leisa) own a business in Macon, GA on San Carlos Blvd. The housing area near where my business is located is called “The Peach Orchard”. This area is a dumping ground for unwanted dogs most of them pregnant females. I feed several feral strays so they would not starve. Nani showed up one day and waited until all the others had eaten and left. Then with her tail between her legs she walked up to the bowl to see if anything was left. I never let any of the strays go hungry so when I saw her I refilled the bowl. You could tell she was pregnant because her belly hung low but her ribs still showed. At that time she did not have a name but the first picture we took of her she looked like a baby hippo. On January 21, 2013 she dragged her overly pregnant body onto our sidewalk to eat along with the other strays. She literally sucked her food down like a Hoover vacuum. Little did we know at the time, she had no teeth. She was so heavy with babies that she could just barely hold herself up. My friend (Chad) walked up to her and began to pet her, the look in her eyes told us her whole story. She had obviously been beaten, abused, overbred, underfed, neglected, forgotten, and abandoned. In those few seconds her eyes said, "Please help me" and "Please don't hurt me" all at the same time. Not knowing how she would react, Chad picked her up and carried her to a pen to await transport to the vet. She trusted him not to hurt her. To gain the trust of a stray animal (especially a pregnant stray animal that has been abused) is absolutely special. She was transported immediately to our vet in Perry, GA. They told us that she was at least 7 years old, heavily heartworm positive and that she had mastitis and a severe infection. The vet started her on antibiotics immediately and told us it would be a miracle if she made it thru the birth of her puppies. We needed to be prepared because if they had to do an emergency “C” section they would and all the puppies that survived would have to be bottle fed. Three days later on January 25, 2013, she gave birth to 13 puppies. If I remember correctly 10 survived and surprisingly so did she. A rescue stepped up and found a foster for her and the puppies. Thankfully she was able to nurse her puppies. The puppies were only a few days old when a heartworm exploded and Nani had to be rushed back to the vet. The puppies had to be bottle fed by the foster. The puppies were all put up for adoption by the rescue and they went quickly. Nani did not get adopted. When she had puppies she was very protective of them and she was leery of most people. The rescue decided she was un-adoptable and recommended putting her down. I was not about to let that happen so I decided to foster her myself until I could find her a home. So, I picked her up from the vet and she has been with me ever since. I was told she would not survive the heartworm treatment, she did. She had hip surgery, I was told she would not survive it, but she did. She had to have one of her eyes removed because it was dying; the vet said it looked like someone had poked a stick in her eye. I was told she would not survive, but she did. Her original foster (Liz) was very fond of her. She contacted me and we actually share Nani now. Sometimes Nani stays with me and sometimes she stays with Liz. Nani has brought both of our families together and we are very close. Nani was looked upon as a broken, un-adoptable, scary pit pull, but she is not. Nani is a survivor. She is a survivor from abuse, neglect, being over bred and under fed, with an unknown future. Then when she was old, sick and used up she was tossed out like garbage.
Nani before her life changed.
What is your favorite pastime as a family? Nani loves to chase tennis balls, but it has to be yellow.
What is life like since you rescued Nani? Life for Nani has never been better. She is loved, she is happy and she has two families that love her. Our lives are enriched beyond what I can explain. She has shown the world what love can do. She is much loved and returns it every day.
Photographers Note: Dogs like Nani amaze me. A dog that has been let down, abused and neglected by humans but yet still finds it in their hearts to forgive. Leisa mentioned Nani might take a little time to get use to me and trust me. (who can blame her). Pretty quickly, she was lumbering up to me while I sat on the ground and even gave me a sweet kiss. Whenever a dog with a history like Nani's allows me this sort of attention and trust, I am always honored. This is not a reflection on me, but a reflection on Nani and the type of resilient, good and trusting dog that she is. All she wants is to be loved.
To add to Nani's story, she was also asked to be in an Apoquel national infomercial. (as Leisa said to me, how often do you hear of a one-eyed fat pit bull being chosen for a national commerical) https://www.apoqueldogs.com/dog-owner-testimonials.aspx She also has some pretty loyal fans out there following her journey on her Facebook page (Nani Nelson-Hartley- if you would like to follow her). This girls celebrity status continues to grow. She definitely has another huge fan in me!