“She would go up and scratch on the door like, ‘Let me in!’”
Suzette Hall immediately understood the dog’s feelings when she heard about a stray bichon mix yearning for shelter on porch after porch. The dog rescuer had been evicted from her home due to recent flooding in Hall’s Southern California neighborhood, and like the white, fluffy puppy, she was in a desperate search for a new place to live.
The day in question, Logan’s Legacy dog rescue founder Hall said to The Dodo, “I had been feeling so displaced, like I didn’t have anywhere to go.” “And after that, I received the dog’s message.”
The dog was originally spotted by neighbors a few days earlier, possibly after her family abandoned her in a local park. At the time, Southern California was dealing with terrible storms, and as the rain poured down, the fearful dog approached every nearby home in the hopes of being saved.
She would approach the entrance and pounce, saying, “Let me in!” said Hall. When no one responded, she would simply sit and tremble.
Hall posted about her online before heading over to the dog’s location. Like she always did with white, fluffy pups, she expected messages to flood in from people claiming to be the dog’s owners, but this time was different.
“We didn’t even get one,” Hall claimed. No one was searching for her.
As soon as Hall arrived in the area, she started using all of her standard dog-catching strategies. She lured the dog with treats, set up a humane trap, and then snuck away. She had hoped that the dog’s hunger would draw her right into the trap, but her fear kept her from entering it.
Having failed, Hall tried a more intimate strategy.
She was too terrified to fall for the trap, so I sat with her and talked to her, according to Hall. “I was letting her know that I recognized her feelings. I was declaring, “I currently don’t have a house either.
Unexpectedly, the pup warmed up to Hall as soon as she began conversing with her. As she spoke, the rescuer approached the dog in small steps until she was able to touch her.
She allowed me to start stroking her once I gradually drew nearer, according to Hall. “I was shocked by that.”
After giving the dog a few tender strokes, Hall carefully draped a slip lead over her neck and placed her in the trap to carry her safely to the truck. The dog dozed off as they departed in their car.
Hall brought the pup straight to the vet, who soon gave her a clean bill of health. The only thing that seemed to be bothering the pup was her matted fur, so they made a last-minute grooming appointment.
As she shaved away the pup’s knotted clumps, the groomer felt as though the dog looked like a Nicole, so she named her Nikki for short.
Before long, Nikki had a refreshing new haircut and was ready to go to her foster home, where she still is today.
The sweet pup is currently waiting for a forever family, but Hall has a feeling it won’t take long for someone to fall in love with her.
“She’s one of those dogs who everyone just loves instantly,” Hall said. “She’s so kind, and she doesn’t even bark!”
Hall hopes that the perfect family will find Nikki soon, but, until then, the rescuer and her team will continue to soak up all the love Nikki has to give.
“She is just the sweetest little dog,” Hall said. “Seriously, she is perfection.”
