The Story of Nori

In the Beginning, there was a dog.

Nori was born in January 2018. When she was less than 10 days old, she was brought to an animal shelter in Austin, Texas after someone found her in a trash can.

(Sounds like a tragic start but she loves trash to this day!)

A few weeks later, a couple came to the shelter looking for a puppy as a birthday gift for their daughter. One little multi-colored, big-eyed Plott Hound mix caught their attention.

The family decided to name her Nori because her pattern looked almost like she was covered in seaweed. They trained her and took care of her for a few years, but when they had to move they couldn’t take her with them.

Nori ended up back at the shelter for months, abandoned and surrounded by anxious, barking dogs. She lived with a “foster” family temporarily, but after an incident with a confrontational pug she returned to her life in the equivalent of dog jail.

Where was I?

In January 2018, I lived in Nashville, Tennessee. I had a little three-legged dog named Flip and a tuxedo kitten who is still scared of everyone but me. (I found her outside… The Story of Beatrix is coming soon.)

The three of us moved to Texas in 2021, and Flip passed away in his sleep at the end of a very full life the next year.

(The Story of Flip also coming soon? I’m realizing this could be a series)

1/23/23

In January of this year, I met Nori at the shelter she’d spent far too much time at. I walked around the enclosures where dozens of dogs are constantly barking and howling, they’re clearly miserable and confused.

(I know shelters do everything they can to keep dogs safe and taken care of, but they are very sad places.)

There was only one dog I walked by who didn’t bark at me, which is not the only reason I chose her, but “when you know, you know” as they say.

Nori immediately came up to her fence and jumped up, wagging her tail as if she was expecting me. Maybe she was just hoping I had food, but I like to think dogs are more intuitive than a lot of animals.

After talking with the adoption counselor, I was standing alone in a sad little yard waiting for them to bring Nori out. My heart hurts for all the dogs that live like this; of course anyone who loves dogs would want to help all of them, but I was listening to the constant yelping and all I could think about was getting my dog out of this situation.

On our way home, Nori had lots of treats and chewed none of them. She eats like she’s starving, always. We’re working on it.

She seemed somewhat disoriented for the first few days, which is to be expected, but she was friendly, respectful, and generally peaceful from day one. Just an all around good dog. I couldn’t understand why anyone would give her up.

Six Months Later…

My dog was abducted by aliens.

Just kidding, there’s no twist in the story. I just have a fantastic dog who found her forever home. She even made friends with Beatrix, which is hard to do! The two of them sleep next to each other, play together, and try to eat each other’s food which is not ideal but they’re adorable.

I don’t know about you, but I’m a better person when I have a dog. Going outside first thing in the morning every day has been life changing, and knowing there’s a sweet dog who deserves a good life relying on me for everything is a responsibility that I needed.

Now Nori follows me around like she’s afraid to lose me whether we’re hiking or I’m walking around at home. She may have slight separation anxiety but she does just fine on her own with a peanut butter kong.

My Soapbox

There’s no doubt in my mind that we are capable of bonding with dogs in a way that’s comparable to family. We all know dogs are “man’s best friend,” and they’ve been known as a loyal companion for centuries.

There’s also a reason that temporary, fleeting love is referred to as “puppy love.” There are so many dogs, especially larger breeds, who make adorable family pets when they’re tiny and helpless, but many people don’t think about the commitment required to take care of a dog long term, or the excitement of a new puppy goes away. Millions end up in shelters.

We as a society should be taking better care of dogs in my opinion. I understand there are always bigger priorities, and progress has been made, but awareness is so important. I’m not pretending to be a hero because I have a “rescue” dog. But if you are adopting, I’d strongly suggest considering opening your home to an adult dog as opposed to a puppy from a breeder.

When I brought Nori home she was already leash and house trained, knew how to ‘sit,’ ‘lay down,’ ‘stay,’ etc., didn’t bark at other dogs, and she has never chewed anything she’s not supposed to.

Of course, I got lucky. It’s not easy to adopt a dog with a history you don’t know much about and the transition is not always as smooth as Nori’s, but as someone who has had a dog with a lot of challenges, I can tell you it’s all worth it and incredibly rewarding.

I don’t know any actual details about the first 5 years of Nori’s life, the main thing I was told about her past is that she had an “incident with a pug” at some point, and she had been back and forth from the shelter several times.

What I do know is that dogs live in the present. They remind us to be present. All Nori ever wants to do is chase her tennis ball and now she gets to do that every day. I know she feels safe and at home, she’s loyal to me, and she’ll never see a shelter again in her life.

Here is a compilation of my sweet pup ❤

Thank you for reading! I wanted to practice storytelling a bit and provide some variety from the more intense topics I’ve been writing about, this is very much experimental :)