Meet Nola. A Good Samaritan rescued this sweet Bully girl in 2019 after seeing her being walked in 102° heat by a local homeless man and was clearly struggling to survive. She was emaciated, weak, and suffering from heat exhaustion. The man said he found her in a field and did not have any supplies, water, or food to give her. Initially, he didn’t want to let Nola go, but the Good Samaritan convinced him to let Nola get the medical help she needed and reached out to WDR for help.



Nola was a recipient of our Community Vet Care Fund that supports dogs who need emergency medical care. She was still just a young pup (9-12 months old) when we met her and was severely underweight at 27lbs, anemic, dehydrated, full of parasites, and had a broken tail. Her medical bills were significant, but she fully recovered and emerged a very sweet, submissive girl. We hoped to help Nola find her new family, but the Good Samaritan wanted to keep her, and she’s been with her for almost two years now. Sadly her owner’s health has taken a turn, and she contacted us to help Nola find a good home.



Over the past year, with Covid restrictions and her owner in poor health, Nola didn’t get much exposure outside her home or any regular exercise. She put on weight and became used to a very quiet and limited rural existence. She arrived in N. VA on 6/5 and was very anxious and fearful of all the new things in her life. She needed a patient and savvy foster mom to work through her issues, and we were lucky to have a savvy foster mom, Shaleia, ready to work with her and help get her more comfortable with the outside world.



Shaleia gave Nola a few days to settle in and get her bearings and gradually introduced her to the pack. She started taking Nola on daily walks in her neighborhood, then graduated to walking through town. Initially, Nola was very timid of noises and sudden movements, but she loves walks now and adores it when people stop and say Hi to her and give her pets. She's done well meeting dogs on leash, too (though she is still not socially graceful — she goes straight for sniffing their face). They recently did their first Home Depot outing, and she was a little scared but did ok. This will become a regular outing. They also did a trial run at the dog park, but that proved a little too much for her. Nola is great with other dogs and loves to play but needs time to process and trust a new dog.
 
Nola is living in a foster home with a mom and dad, a 9-year-old girl, two dogs, and a visiting grandma. She's found a playmate in the family dog, Doc, and his presence makes her more confident. She's also done wonderfully with everyone she's met and is very affectionate with her humans. She follows Shaleia around the house but loves to go up to everyone to make sure they get their turn at giving her attention. She is kid-friendly and hasn't been jumpy or timid around the daughter. While Nola needs a slower intro with new dogs, with people, it's instant love.
 
Nola is housetrained, and Shaleia is doing a gradual introduction to the crate to get her comfortable. She’s learning that being left alone is OK, and that someone is coming back for her.  She’s never destructive but can be a little vocal when stressed, so NO CONDOS. She needs a patient owner to help her acclimate to her new home. We feel Nola would benefit from a social, confident dog in her new home. Accordingly, preference will be given to families with another pup and some Bully breed or large-dog experience.   



We’ve learned that Nola is an affectionate love bug who just wants to be near her people and loves love. If you give this sweet girl a home, in return you will see a loving, happy, playful pup who will make a great family member. She is still a young dog, and with continued exposure to new things, she’s going to blossom in her new home.



If you think you are a fit for this sweet brindle girl, please apply today!



BREED ESTIMATE: Boxer/Bully mix
GENDER: Female
APPROXIMATE WEIGHT: 63 lbs (5+ lbs overweight)
APPROXIMATE AGE: ~ 2.5 to 3 years old
COAT TYPE:  Short 
ADOPTION FEE: $400
OTHER INFO: utd on shots/spayed/microchipped/
LOCATION: Falls Church, VA



FOR MORE INFO OR TO ADOPT: Please go to https://adopt.worthydog.org and complete the application.



You can also help save dogs like this one by becoming a foster, providing a rescue dog with a temporary home and giving them the love and care they need until they are permanently adopted. Every person who fosters is directly responsible for saving the life of a dog, because we can only save as many dogs as we have foster families available to welcome them into their homes. If you think you might be interested in becoming a foster and want to learn more, please go to https://foster.worthydog.org and fill out an application.



Worthy Dog Rescue is an all-volunteer, foster-based rescue that primarily adopts to families in the DC Metro area.