Nadia "Brown"

Nadia was the oldest of the Lucky 13 rescued in 2024. She was my fourth Borzoi. Nadia was my companion from day one who enjoyed having the freedom to go with me everywhere from the moment I picked her up as a Foster. She quickly became a convincing foster fail due to her overwhelming love she wanted to share with all. Quickly, she learned that going to the office each day to meet and greet all the clients who came into the office gave her a mission. She made sure that everyone left with a smile on their face. Nadia also made it her mission to inspect anyone who came into the office to be sure they were trustworthy. There was not a human that did not bond with Nadia. When not at the office we spent hours each day on long walks around our neighborhood every morning and evening to ensure we both got plenty of exercise each day. Nadia lived each day to the fullest and enjoyed her most relaxed position of sleeping on the couch. When I was not available she accepted Jason as the appointed human to fill in and they quickly bonded as well.

However in life and when you are least expecting things can drastically take a turn. In April, Nadia and I took a short walk to the corner that would tragically change both of our lives forever. We passed another neighbor walking their rottweiler and spoke briefly as we passed. Then in a split second the rottweiler broke free from the owner and charged both Nadia and myself from behind. Knocking me to the ground and grabbing Nadia's head between his jaws and whipping her back and forth like a toy. Finally, after the owner pried the jaws open I was able to help Nadia get away and stand up. Once I was able to get her cleaned up there were not as many wounds as I suspected. She healed physically from the cuts, however she remained afraid to leave the yard now. As a result we began to work with a behaviorist to help her deal with the post traumatic syndrome as a result of her attack. Within the week we took a visit to the vet for her annual visit. We learned that all the muscles and soft tissue below her spine were severely inflamed and noted the amount of pain she was also dealing with. What followed for us was many appointments for chiropractic adjustments, acupuncture and laser treatments all of which provided relief for several days at first and then only hours towards the end. Over the eight months, I watched Nadia age tremendously fast and then in the end I watched when she began to knuckle at first and then eventually lose the use of her back legs. It became obvious that Nadia was in a tremendous amount of pain despite the medications being used when she began to whine and howl as she moved or slept. Putting your best friend down is never an easy decision, however ultimately it comes down to what is and was best for Nadia. So when I was assured by the chiropractor that it was becoming obvious that she was no longer responding to the treatments and surgery was considered, however at her age it was not given the highest percentage of success. It became obvious what Nadia wanted when she stopped taking the meds and began eating around them. Then there were the two nights Nadia whined at 3 am so she could go lay in the snow drift to numb her pain. At the same time, Nadia stopped eating to help her human understand what the decision needed to be. Nadia crossed over Rainbow Bridge on December 5, 2025 two weeks short of her ninth birthday and she will long be remembered for her loving friendliness to all humans.

My simple advice to everyone after this --- is never consider another dog to be friendly despite what the owner may indicate. Dog parks, dog gatherings and neighbor's pets are presented to be nice, fun and a happy place for the dogs and can be, however in a flash everything could change. Be sure to always keep a watchful eye on your surroundings as well as your dog's surroundings. I would never want to have another dog endure what Nadia experienced without everyone taking note to learn a lesson now before it's too late.

Cheryl Brown