Nina has had a good hundred nights of loneliness during our visit. During the day she often lies a bit depressed in her pen, says animal caretaker Tessa Winkelman of the shelter in Enschede. “Being alone is a big problem for her. She has now accepted that there are not always people around her, but with the previous owner she cried and barked a lot. It really is a people dog.”
Nina, ex-street dog, crossing German Shepherd with “something, just say it”, immediately demonstrates what Winkelman means: she cannot believe her happiness when she meets a person with open arms upon entering. It’s on right away. When there is enough hugging, she calmly follows Winkelman to the place where she has to pose. “She listens well.” Other Assets: She likes long walks, toys, and water, water, water. “If possible, she is in our dog pool. And she steps in every puddle she sees.”
This is, says Winkelman, a dog that “despite what she has already been through, is still full of trust towards people. A cuddly butt”. She was taken from Romania by the Dutch, who could not keep her themselves and found an address for her. “That didn’t go well, she barked and howled as soon as she was alone. She also lunged at other dogs. She doesn’t do that here.” That is how she ended up from the street in an asylum.
And there she has competition for adoptions from “sweet little home-garden-and-kitchen dogs, they always go like hot cakes”. You have to love shepherds, and those who love them go to a breeder rather than a shelter, Winkelman knows. “These are animals with a backpack.” A new owner must spend a lot of time at home and take the time to let Nina get used to being alone. “There are different methods for this. Every dog can learn that.”
This was the last episode for now.