6-year-old Nala loves doing tricks, splashing around in kiddie pools
Every year, approximately 6.5 million companion animals enter shelters nationwide, according to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. Of those, about 3.3 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats.
Each week, The Arizona Republic highlights a handful of the many pets up for adoption at Valley shelters. To check the status of a specific animal, please contact the shelter directly.
Nala: A loving, playful dog
With one look at this sweet girl’s squishy face and adorable ears, you know she is a unique pup who is sure to bring a lot of joy to anyone’s heart. While Nala is very unique herself, her story unfortunately is not. Nala is a gorgeous 6-year-old American Staffordshire Terrier mix who was surrendered to the Arizona Humane Society in mid-June after her owner unfortunately was no longer able to care for her due to health complications. A reminder that situations out of our control can come unexpectedly and it is important to have a plan in place that also includes our pets.
Nala is an extremely loving and playful girl who never says no to a new adventure. She absolutely loves playing in water and has given a new meaning to doggy paddle while splashing around in the little kiddie pools at AHS. When she is not making waves, this cute girl loves to play fetch, go for walks and will even show off her trick skills of sit, down and paw — especially if treats are involved. This absolute sweetheart has also lived with young kids before and has never met a two-legged stranger but would probably do best in the home as an only dog.
As with quite a few all-white animals, Nala has been found to be deaf but has not let that stop her from living her best life. Because of this however, there are a few things that her future forever family can do to better communicate with her including physical signals for commands, using visual cues such as putting on the lights to signal it is time for her to come inside and making sure she knows your presence prior to waking her up.
A great example of this is stomping on the floor to let her know someone is around and to reduce the chance of startling her. AHS offers many great suggestions for special needs pets and will help Nala’s future family with tips to make sure it is a perfect fit for everyone.
How to adopt: The Arizona Humane Society’s adoption locations remain closed as the shelter continues to heal and rehabilitate pets coming in but its Virtual Matchmaking Adoptions by appointment is available to place pets with their forever families. Interested adopters can view available pets, like Nala, and schedule an appointment online at azhumane.org/adopt.