Nala is a black-and-white English pointer who was rescued from the mountains in Greece in 2020 when she was about three years old. Nala was then adopted by Clare and her husband Simon who already had Duke, an orange-and-white rescue pointer from Turkey that they had adopted through the Pointer Rescue Service. They got to know Claire who supported them during the adoption process so decided to go to Pointers In Need to help find a companion for Duke.
“We adopted Nala during one of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns but despite this, the process was relatively straightforward,” says Clare. “We dealt with Karin Ringrose, who was brilliant. As an experienced Pointer owner I was disappointed at first when we were told us that our garden wasn’t sufficiently secure to allow the adoption to proceed. However we took the appropriate action and created a totally secure space. Once Nala arrived at our house, we fully understood why a totally secure garden had been a must and that Karin had been totally correct in her original assessment. We were completely happy with the rehoming process and with Pointers In Need overall.
“We were very excited to meet Nala but she was so distressed that she didn’t stop panting during the two-hour journey home from Peterborough. We felt so sorry for her.
“When Nala arrived home, she settled into the crate that we had put for her in a corner of the living room and basically stayed there for two weeks, coming out only for the toilet. When she eventually emerged from the crate, she cautiously explored the living room, then the kitchen and the other downstairs rooms. She clearly hadn’t encountered stairs before and these took her another month or two to negotiate.
“Nala wasn’t too keen on Duke at first (she had been bullied by other dogs in the shelter in Greece) and we had to put him outside the secure area as she growled at him whenever he went near her. Eventually, though, there was a nerve-wracking moment when they shared the same couch for the first time – but no fighting or growling ensued and they have got on with each other ever since. She and Duke are now brilliant companions.
“Since then, Nala has completely adjusted to her new life with us. We feel her bond to us and vice versa. Nala is a joy in the house and the garden and has earned the nickname Slider because she runs everywhere, often sliding along floors and decking before coming to a stop. We suspect though that we will never be able to let her run off-lead in woodland or moorland, which is why are lucky to have acquired a secure field just outside our garden which Nala can access any time she likes. But as she doesn’t like to be on her own, she much prefers us to go outside with her.”
Adopter: Clare Smallwood