Meet Nala! She was found as a stray and taken to the Nogales/Santa Cruz County Shelter and e-listed in August 2024. She’s a middle-aged girl who seemed quite a bit older when we got her because she really needed some medical attention. It took a few months to get her healthy, but this sweet girl has been ready and look for her forever home for the last few months and is now in great shape. She takes meds for her thyroid and will need these in the longterm, but outside of this we have no longterm concerns.

Nala initially took her time to warm up to a new environment, so there may be an adjustment when she moves to her forever home.  Once comfortable, she really proved to be a very sweet girl who just wants to be loved. She loves to cuddle and is overall a low to medium energy dog, depending on the day – she loves her humans! Her foster has a dog door and has noted how much Nala loves to be outside – she comes in to check in with her people, but loves to hang around outside. Nala ranges from playful to indifferent when it comes to other dogs in the home. She could be with other energetic dogs if they are more submissive and listen when she lets them know she’s done playing. She loves to play with the 1.5yr old husky mix in her foster home, but when she’s done she tells her, and that works great for them! She would not do well with high energy dogs that don’t take no for an answer and pester her too much – she can get grumpy when she’s done.

Her foster feeds her separately since Nala does grumble at the other dogs when they get too close to her while she’s eating, though she hasn’t progressed beyond this as far as guarding. She has no problem with humans being in her space while she’s eating. She definitely wants to be in your space while you’re eating though – Nala is a professional beggar and will help herself to your food if it looks tasty enough and she has the opportunity! These are all things that Nala and her foster are working on, but she will need continued reinforcement and patience from her future adopter in order to succeed.

Nala doesn’t like loud noises – loud cars and even the sound of a sneeze have made her nervous in the past. A more calm home would be most ideal for her. She would do well as an only dog, but would also be good with other dogs that understand her boundaries when she’s done playing. She has shown prey drive, so very small dogs and cats are not recommended. We think older children are best since she does need her space and can get startled by sudden noises. If you are looking for a calm, sweet girl, Nala may be the one for you!