| NISSA STATE: ME AGE: 5 years WEIGHT: 60 lbs SEX: Female NEUTERED/UTD: Yes/Yes COAT COLOR: Fawn DOCKED TAIL NATURAL EARS CHILDREN UNDER 4: No (too jumpy & rough) CHILDREN OVER 4: Maybe SEPARATION ANXIETY: No OTHER DOGS: Yes, but would prefer to be only dog CATS: No CRATE TRAINED: Yes HOUSE TRAINED: Yes OBEDIENCE TRAINED: Yes, will need more ATTENDING OBEDIENCE: No LEASH TRAINED: No MICRO CHIPPED: No ADOPTION DONATION $300 UPDATE 4/14/08 - I sent her 2-year update in on March 25, and it has not appeared yet...please do put that up as soon as you can...but unfortunately I have some very sad news to share with you about our beloved baby girl, Nissa. We had to send Nissa to the bridge last night. She was everything we could have asked for - especially in our very first dog. She was certainly the best running partner I could have had! She didn't care how warm or cold it was, rain or snow or shine, how fast or slow we went, or what time of day it was. She just wanted to go and be out with us, running like she was meant to run. It was so fast...she had slowed down when we were running just last Wed (a week and half ago) and started coughing, which was such a weird thing...but she always has allergies this time of year. But then she did the same thing the next day, and we noticed her energy level was a little lower, too. But she never said no to her walks or runs...she just went and went and went...and her appetite was just as big as it always was, too. Which was why it was such a shock. Thursday night (4 days ago?) we took her to the vet to find out if she had a cold or allergies or something. The vet listened to her heart to make sure it wasn't her heart that was having problems and it wasn't, and on a whim she decided to x-ray her lungs to make sure she didn't have congestion there...and she didn't have congestion, but her lungs were probably 75% covered with cancer...it was just unbelievable. They sent us to Angell medical center for a second opinion, although it was already clear...but we went anyway and our worst fears were confirmed. The specialist said she could not believe that Nissa was so tough - still running 3-5 miles daily, when most dogs would not even be able to stand at that stage. She said her body must have been very strong, but shockingly, she had *days to weeks* to live. They could open her up and do all kinds of tests and chemo...but it would prolong her life "maybe by 2 months". And for what? She would only be sick and sleeping the whole time, and that is not my dog at all. So we took her home, and gave her the very best weekend of her life. Treats and walks and love and up on the couch and bed (which we usually don't allow) and cried into her fur and laughed with her and her silly antics...Saturday we took her on a Nissa tour and let her see family and friends - everyone who loved her, and people gave her turkey meat and steak tips...it was just perfect. And then, sadly, last night as we had planned, we took her in. The very last thing she did before she went down for good was reach up and kiss my face. She was ok...we were not, but she was, and that was what mattered. So it has been an awful 4 days, but we are ok. Our overwhelming sorrow comes in waves; thankfully, our happy memories of her far outweigh ANY of our sorrow. She was a very sweet, very smart, perfect dog for us. We will have a little down time, but then we will come right back to SCBR, because I know there's another little girl who needs us, and is waiting for us. Thanks for everything, Nissa. You will never be forgotten... UPDATE 3/25/08 - Hello, SCBR friends! We adopted Nissa 2 years ago today (03/25/2006) and she is doing great! I thought I would give you a few highlights of the last year with her. She continues to train in both her regular obedience classes and her "doggie defense" classes, where she has learned model behavior and more commands than I can name, and is on her way to getting her Canine Good Citizen (CGC) certification. We have her scheduled for her CGC test in June, and will be sure to let you know how she does! We have no doubt she will do well. She also won an award at her obedience school as "Dog of the Month" for this past January. We have worked very hard with her and it shows. I took her for her first train ride here in Boston just a few weeks ago, and was complimented many times on how well-behaved she was. Everyone always mentions how beautiful she is (of course!!) but it makes us beam with pride when people are impressed with her behavior! We walked around the Boston Common and public garden that day, and returned home on the train. She was so good! Her health is very good, despite having to have two small tumors removed this year. One was cancer, but we found it very early and our vet was able to remove it all so Nissa did not need additional treatment. Nissa continues to be my running (and my husband's walking/jogging) partner. Nissa averages about 30-35 miles a week. She LOVES to run, and loves to ride in the car, as well! She has learned to stay calm around the children in our lives (nieces, nephews, neighbors, etc) and gentle around our older, wiser loved ones, like our parents. Nissa has brought a lot of love, joy, and company to us, to our friends, and to our families. We are so grateful to SCBR for giving us the chance to love and nurture Nissa. Attached are a few pictures - enjoy! UPDATE 3/25/07 - Here we are: ONE YEAR! It has been one year since we adopted and brought Nissa home to live with us in Boston. I can't believe it has been a year already! We are all doing just great, and Nissa is one happy boxer girl. She runs with me during the early mornings and gets in 20-30 miles a week with me. Dave also takes her walking around some of the trails we have in the area, and she also loves tearing around the large back yard we have. We stil have her in obedience classes, mostly because she really loves to go to school! Sometimes we will take her to doggie daycare for the day, where she works on her commands, and also has a chance to play and socialize with other dogs, which she is SLOWLY learning to do. She was very dog aggressive when we fist got her, but has made HUGE strides over the last 3 months especially. We absolutely adore her. She has been happy and healthy, and is definitely all boxer! Here are two links to videos for her - the first one is of her playing with Dave in the back yard, and the other of her getting her "birthday" bone yesterday afternoon. Enjoy!! http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2014145044 and http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=2017297222 UPDATE 9/25/06 - Today is our 6-month anniversary since adopting Nissa! YAY NISSA! She continues to be a super dog and we love her more than ever. Our final class for her basic obedience class will be next Monday, Oct 3. From there, we will probably go to an intermediate class, frankly, because she LOVES going to class! We also drop her off in doggie day school one day about every two weeks, while we are at work. She gets SO excited on those mornings when she gets in the car with us, because she knows where she is going, and she literally jumps for joy! We should also mention that she is one of two of our dog walker's favorite clients! We continue to work on her dog aggression, but she has come leaps and bounds from where she was, even a month ago. We hope to keep desensitizing her to other dogs, and hopefully there will come a day where she will realize she doesn't need to worry about them, and trust we are in charge at all times. She still runs with me 5 days a week; she averages about 25-30 miles a week with me, and walks/runs an additional 8-9 with Dave each week. She LOVES to run, and we love that she sleeps all day when we are at work. Finally, we have changed her food from Science Diet over to Timberwolf (high protein, higher fat) because of all the exercise she gets; she needed more protein. We also add a tablespoon of raw chopped veggies, or sometimes some chopped sardines or salmon to her kibble, and boy does she LOVE that. Sometimes we add a little (low sodium) chicken or beef broth, too. She loves all these new tastes, and her tummy problems continue to be nonexistent. As you can see, she is one happy, healthy (and certainly NOT spoiled) dog!! We absolutely adore her - she has brought us so many laughs, so much joy, and taught us a lot of lessons about dogs, people, and life. Thank you for bringing us together! UPDATE 6/27/06 - Hi everyone - just a 3-month update on our girl Nissa, adopted 03/25/06. She is doing just great. She is running a full 5 miles with me these days, and in the mornings when it is hot, we stop about halfway through our run at the neighborhood diner for a quick drink of water. They're open at 6am, and she is becoming a little bit of a celebrity with those early risers (we're there by 7am or so). I swear the waitresses and customers wait for her... We're still working with our terrific trainer, Scott, and it won't be long before we attempt to put her into a class with other dogs to help her not freak out when other dogs are around. The only way to get her used to it is by doing it, and we have the name of another great person to try it with. She has turned around dogs that are much more dog-aggressive than Nissa, so there is hope! :-) She continues to be great around people - in fact Dave's father stayed with us for about a week, and after that initial meeting (5-10 mins), she settled right down, and let him come and go in the house as he pleased. In fact, we noticed she was moping around the day he left! She is great around kids now, too - less excitable, and the neighborhood kids now come right up to her when we have her out on the long leash in the front yard. And I am happy to report that her tummy troubles are (still) nonexistant. YAY! So much to celebrate - we absolutely adore her, and we can't thank you all enough for giving us a chance to love her this way. You know those crazy people that talk nonstop about their dog, like their dog is God's gift to the world, and they rush home from work, not so much to see each other, but to see the dog? UPDATE 5/25/06 - Hi everyone! Just a quick note to let you know Nissa is doing great! In my update a month ago, I believe I told you she was up to running 3 miles with me (from barely even being able to walk half a mile when we first got her!). The biggest news this week is that she ran her first 5-miler with me on Tuesday morning! YAY Nissa! Granted, we are not running fast (and sometimes we walk part of it) but she did it! And she loves it! Nissa's tummy troubles seemed to have virtually disappeared - we just make sure she has quiet time before and after she eats, not too much water at once, and we do sprinkle that little tiny bit of Digest-All (digestive enzyme stuff) in her food, and (KNOCK ON WOOD!!) she hasn't barfed in weeks. She is doing much better on the lead these days - we switched trainers and we are now working with an absolute God-send of a trainer named Scott Dunmore. He is absolutely terrific - easy to understand, quick results, and he clearly loves Nissa, too! She is learning not to pull - even when she is running with me. She is well on her way. All in all, the last two months have been some of the happiest in our lives. She brings us great joy and we are so thrilled that she loves us, too! UPDATE 4/17/06 - We adopted Nissa from SCBR just over 3 weeks ago and all of us are so happy! She is doing just great. When we got her, walking a half mile with us was about all she could do, and now she is up to running 3 miles with me in the morning! YAY! A dog-walker comes mid-day for about 20 minutes, and Dave takes her out again for a short walk at night. She adjusted almost immediately (thanks to her foster family before us!), and she is such a joy! We absolutely adore her :-) Thanks for having us - we look forward to starting and/or continuing our relationship with all of you. 3/25/06 - Nissa has been adopted! 2/22/06 Nissa continues to do very well at our house. Right now I have no other dogs for her to play with, and she misses that. She has a lot of energy and loves playing with a young male dog! She does require a lot of human attention, but it was less so when I had a playmate for her. I do play with her quite a lot, and she is quite a rough-houser! It's like playing with a cement block on legs, but then she is a boxer, so there you go!! 1/17/06 Finally! Some much better photos of my happy pretty girl! She was wrestling and playing with me tonite as I took the photos. Nissa is a blocky strong girl, so playing with her is not for the faint at heart, lol. She is just such a Boxer. Nissa plays like she is still a pup, she paws hard, boxes hard, climbs up on you and gums your hands. She knows not to be to hard, she just uses the edge of her teeth like she should when she nibbles. She runs in circles and does great kidney bean dancing. She's really quite hilarious to watch. Sometimes she just looks so sad! I try to give her as much attention as I can, but she really needs a home of her own and her own special person. I think she would share with a submissive male dog that likes to play, but she will always be a bossy boots. There isn't anyone here for her to play with...she is too rough for our dominant male, my old male, or my male with bum legs. We love Nissa a lot. She reminds us of a younger version of my in-laws last old SCBR boxer girl. I'm still thinking a couple with no children or a retired couple or single person who can devote some time to her and work on training would be just perfect for her. 1/8/05 Nissa is doing well. She is not a young dog, but she is really quite a nice gal. I like her a lot. I think with all the changes she's been thru, she would enjoy all the attention for herself in her new home. She is a pushy old broad and kind of mouthy, but she has a heart of gold, and she is every inch a boxer, that's for sure. She likes to play hard, but in short spurts. She is very needy for attention and wants to climb onto your lap.. She will bark at strangers, especially men, and especially when she is in a crate. She did not do well with anyone here at first (except me), especially when she was in her crate. I think she will be fine meeting new people once she settles into a home, but not while she is crated. If I had to guess what Nissa's life has been like, I would say someone got her as a cute little puppy, got tired of her when she was 1-2 years old, and gave her to someone who bred the daylights out of her and kept her crated 24/7. She probably started giving them grief and they dumped her at a shelter, or just turned her loose. She is a loving dog, but all the changes have been hard for her. In many ways she still acts puppy-ish, probably because that was the last time she was really happy and cared for as a pet. Someone has worked with her some, she sits (briefly) to go in her crate,when I have her dish, and to go out. She is fine in the fenced yard by herself. Very strong on a leash. She is great company once she is out of her crate and has gotten her ya-yas all out. She follows me or will lay on the rug nearby, but also will go off and do her own thing. She likes to go out into the garage with my husband, and I know she would love to go for rides. I think Nissa would be best in a no-cat, no-kid home. She may be ok with another submissive dog, but she pays no attention to my dogs and I think she would be happier not having to deal with other dogs or kids at all. I think the ideal home is out there...she needs a boxer-experienced home who will be patient while she settles and won't let her pull too much crap. I'm thinking a strong single woman or an maybe a retired couple would be great. A fenced yard would be great. A quieter home without many people in and out would be great. I can honestly say I would enjoy having her as my own pet, she is sweet and has lots of personality. :) 11/23/05 - Nissa was surrendered tonight to find a new home. She was just too active for her last family & much younger acting then the 5 years old we originally guessed her to be, since she was a stray with no information. She has put on a lot of weight so she looks nothing like her pictures when she first came into rescue 6 months ago. I will try to get some new ones of her soon. We are updating Nissa to a guess of 2 years old now as she does have endless energy, her teeth are too clean & she has no grey on her face (that is just white fur). I really think now that Nissa needs another doggie playmate and a fenced yard so she can play non-stop for a long time! She has so much energy to burn & needs to get it out or she is wild & crazy. Nissa would also be a great jogging or hiking partner, I do not see her wearing out first! She also needs obedience training to get her under better control. She is very friendly & just gets soooo excited that she cannot control herself & she will tap dance even! LOL I did find out tonight that Nissa needs a home without cats as she tried to eat mine. Even Dude, my big kitty who doesn't back down, found she was very intimidating to him & he did not like her trying to taste his tail! :) More updates soon as I get to know this wild girl! June 2005 - Nissa was adopted! 6/7/05 - Woff! Woff! Guess Who! It’s me!!! Nissa!! I’m having just a wonderful time here in my foster home. Last weekend, me and Bailey and my foster mom took a ride to the vets office. I got to wiggle at all the people and meet all the other dogs there. I wish I could have stayed longer because the other dogs there didn’t know how to box. Can you imagine that?? I could have taught them. I got a few really good lefts in and they just looked at me. Guess they don’t have any boxer friends. That’s okay, I’m happy to box with my brother Bailey here and there are plenty of other boxer games to play. Anyways, at the vets office there was a really nice vet there and I got to stand up on the table. She looked at me and gave me a little pinch and was able to tell I was Heartworm negative. Just amazing, it was. My foster mom was very happy about that. The vet said I was “fixed”. I could have told them that. The vet also was very pleased with my new fuller boxer girl figure. It is really nice when people folk notice all the hard work you do. I had to eat a lot of kibble and peanut butter and run around a lot to get just perfect. The vet said I should not gain any more than maybe 1 pound. So I guess I passed, with flying colors according to my foster mom. Then we got to go for another ride in the car to go visiting. I like to go for car rides and I just love people so visiting was very fun. After that we went home and me and Bailey decided to go play in the backyard. I get along very well with other dogs. I loooovvvvve to play. I also just love to get and give hugs and really wet sloppy kisses. I love all people. I have been practicing getting pet among other things. My foster mom thinks it is good that I have learned so much so quickly. She says I’m a smart girl. I now fully understand that I must “sit” “off” “stay” and then I get pet. I never realized how relaxing that could be. After traveling and visiting and playing outside I sometimes like to go in and play with stuffed toys. I like to chew on them and make them squeak, and wrestle with them and usually I win. Sometimes my foster mom will let me keep some in my crate. They make good pillows for my tired little head in the evenings when everyone is trying to settle down for a boxer and foster mom snooze. Then it is up in the morning for another round of fun in the backyard with Bailey and in for breakfast. Although I am having a really great time here, I am missing that special feeling a boxer girl like me would get from having her own family to love. Not that my foster mom and Bailey don’t love me or anything, but there are a lot of families out there that really need a boxer girl like me to love and I want to help families like that. I think it is a boxer calling. So, just give me a call and I will pack up my kibble and toys and move to your house. Forever. J I am very much looking forward to giving my new family lots of hugs and kisses. I am a very good little girl and think it is time for me to move on to where I’m needed more — your house. Please call soon. I can get ready in a flash. I will surely keep a smile on your face with my always smiling little face. Oh and as an added plus, my foster mom says I’m just a really pretty boxer girl. I eat very well and like to sleep at night in my crate or on a dog bed or if you really want I guess I could share yours if you twist my boxer nub. I’m just full of all the love anyone could possibly want. I just need to find someone to give all my love to. So please call me soon and and give this little happy go lucky boxer girl the opportunity to make your days as happy as mine always are. I’m really a very happy little girl who’s Kong is always half full!!! 06/02/05 - Hello, it is me again, Nissa. I have been very busy at my new foster home. I have found there are lots of things to learn and it is fun to explore every nook and cranny here. My foster mom says I’m very quick. I now know what “Crate” means. It is when I go in my little den to find peanut butter Kongs. Sometimes I catch my foster mom making them. She is a good Kong cook. I have gained a little more weight to fill in around the edges, but my foster mom says I have just a little more filling in to do. I have earned something called priviledges here at my new foster home. My foster mom says there are more I can earn as I get more and more adjusted here. I love to go outside with my new brother Bailey to run around and play. We both can run very very fast and every once in a while my foster mom will call us and we go see her for hugs or if she thinks we should take a water break. It is a really fun game, and it is nice to have a friend to share boxer games with. I am pretty easy going and get along with other dogs very well. I do still get very excited, but I’m trying to control my wiggle. It is very hard but I am getting much better at it. You see I have a very big wiggle button and I keep accidently pushing it. There are a lot of toys here and I love to play with them if my brother is busy taking a boxer nap. My foster mom keeps them in a basket for us and she says we shouldn’t eat the basket. I am getting much much better at calming down so I can get lots of hugs and kisses. I now know that my foster mom likes it when I “sit” and keep my paws “off” so she can pay better attention to me. I really really like attention even if it is just talking. My foster mom says this weekend we get to go to the vet. She says she wants to make sure I’m all up-to-date on everything so I can remain a healthy and happy little girl. I’m quite excited about the trip. I think Bailey my new brother might also go and he said it will be a piece of kibble and I have nothing to worry about. I’m not shy at all so I’m looking forward to meeting all the new people and see if they smile at me too. Although I am quite content here at my new foster home, I am still looking forward to finding my own forever home like my brother has. I will miss everyone here, but I want a family of my own. Please keep me in mind while you are searching for just the perfect boxer bum to bring home with you. Maybe it is me. 5-26-05 Hello everybody out there! I’m Nissa one of SCBR’s newer little girl wiggle butts and I definitely know how to wiggle. My new foster mom says I’m just one of the happiest little girls she has ever met. I am just delighted to join the SCBR family and my name describes my philosphy on boxer life to the tee (A happy little girl). I came into my new foster home very very excited. Now that I have been here a few days, I’ve been able to settle down just a little bit. My foster mom says it is easier to give me hugs and kisses that way. I know the word “Sit”. Sometimes it is hard to sit and wiggle at the same time, but I do give it my best. Everything is just so wonderful and there is just so much to wiggle about. So far I have met a new brother who I am very anxious to go outside and run around with and I think there is a white blurr called a cat that also lives here. I haven’t formally met him yet. There is also really good kibble here. Yesterday I had some dessert called Yogurt. That was really yummy. I also enjoy Kongs with a little peanut butter on the top. They are just great because after you eat everything that comes out they are still fun to play with. I also discovered there is a basket just full of toys here. Well, I went right over there and I could see at the bottom there was a little lime green bear squeaky toy. That is my favorite. I thought he would look better with just 3 legs so I helped remove one. I like to toss my new green friend around outside in the yard and sometimes I just like to sit down and chew on him a bit. I’m very anxious to find a family of my own. I really really just love people. Girl people, Boy people, big people, medium sized people they are all just great. I am a bit excitable so my foster mom isn’t sure yet how I would be with really really little people yet because I’m so happy go lucky. My new foster mom says I should hang out here for just a little bit before deciding what kind of family I would like to call my own. She says I bring a smile to her face. I’ve noticed that seems to be catchy. Everyone I meet seems to smile at me!! Well, my new little green friend is waiting for me so I’ll let you go. 5-23-05 Nissa (kneeeee sahh), Scandinavian meaning “A Happy Little Girl”. This happy bundle arrived yesterday just full of wiggles and kisses. She definitely likes people. She is up-to-date on all her shots and I have made an appointment to have her heartworm tested. She remains a little skinny, but has a great appetite. She is a VERY pretty little girl and will be even more striking after gaining just a few more pounds. She is very excited to get a start in her new life with a family who will return all the love she obviously is going to give them. I will get to know her a little better and send in another update on her soon. Already I know she is a special girl and won’t be here long. She will have no problems keeping a smile on her new families faces. 5/19/05 - We had the pleasure of springing Nissa from a very nice shelter in central NJ, who took very good care of her. Thank you to everyone at the shelter, and to George who took time off from work to get her sooner rather than later. Nissa is a medium size fawn female with a black mask, she is estimated at 5 years old. She is very thin, and is a little smelly. We will take care of that before she is transported to her foster home on Sunday. Right now she is resting in her crate on a nice soft dog bed. She spent a few weeks in a shelter after being picked up as a stray and she seems happy to just chill in her crate. Little does she know that her life is about to change for the better!!! She is housebroken and crate trained. She is very sweet, enthusiastic and energetic. Her appetite is great! She appears to have had a litter of pups in her lifetime. We have not done any formal introductions with the resident boxers, since she is moving on to another foster home this weekend. She has met Zoe through the crate and there were no issues with that. There will be more to come when Nissa-girl moves to her foster home. |
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