Nala

My wife and I were surprised and a little concerned when, in the spring of 2003,  our daughter Lindsay adopted a small, brown,  six week old puppy.  She named her Nala, after the young lioness in the movie The Lion King.  Lindsay was living in St. Paul and attending Law School at the time so we didn’t think it was a real good idea for her to have the added expense of a dog to care for. However it wasn’t just worry over expenses that had us concerned. It was that the puppy was a pit bull!  I don’t remember how old Nala would have been when Lindsay first told us that she was a pit bull. I do know that I had some serious pangs of doubt and trepidation when she told us.  After all, I had heard the horror stories just like everyone else.  I guess I had been programmed by the media and the rumor mill to believe that pit bulls are mean and vicious dogs who will attack people randomly and without provocation.  No one is safe around a pit bull, least of all children, seemed to be the prevailing assumption.  How in the world could Lindsay use such bad judgment?

It was months before Lindsay brought Nala home to meet us.  Over that first summer Lindsay came home several times but always had Nala stay back in St. Paul with a friend.  She knew that Mom & Dad weren’t too thrilled about the idea of having a dog messing up the house over a weekend so Nala would get left behind.  Obviously we were going to have to give in and let her bring the dog along eventually, but it wasn’t until Nala was about a year old and grown to her adult size before Lindsay brought her home to meet “Grandpa and Grandma” for the first time.

I came home from work late that afternoon and saw that Lindsay’s car was parked in the driveway which meant, ready or not,  I was about to have my first encounter with this ferocious beast.  As I drove into the garage I remember wondering just how long Lindsay and the dog had been there and what kind of damage might already have been done inside.  I opened the door slowly and stepped into the foyer. Almost instantly from the family room downstairs came a series of booming woofs and barks that, at once, brought images of “the Beast” from the movie Sandlot racing through my mind.  Before I took another breath I heard a “snort” and glimpsed a large brown streak bounding up the steps heading straight for me.  For a second I was like an African kudu, frozen in fear with the king of the jungle bearing down upon it.  Unable to run or even scream, I braced myself while my life began to flash before me.  The “beast” leaped toward me with enough force to knock me back against the door, which I had stupidly closed behind me.  Pinned against the door, all I could do was accept my fate, and my fate was to be treated with wet slobbery kiss after wet slobbery kiss.   Nala certainly was happy to finally be meeting her “Grandpa”!  Grandpa was just happy to still have all of his limbs intact.

I had to admit that the initial meeting between this pit bull and me had gone better than I had hoped for, but that didn’t mean that I was over being wary around her.  So, it unnerved me more than just a little when Lindsay said that she would like to go out for awhile to meet some friends that evening.  She wouldn’t be able to take Nala with her so would we be willing to dog sit?   Though we both were pretty apprehensive about this, we agreed to give it our best shot. 

Nala whined a bit when Lindsay walked out the door and then she sadly walked over and laid down on the rug in front of the kitchen stove.  She looked and acted just like a small child would when left for an evening by her parent in a strange house with two strange babysitters.  It was at that moment that I realized that Nala was just as leery of us as we were of her.  “Grandma” must have sensed this too, because she went to the refrigerator and retrieved a few scraps of meat.  Nala perked up almost instantly as she wolfed down the meat and then began following Grandma around the house.  This seemed to make Grandma a bit uneasy, so I decided to look for one of the doggie toys that Lindsay had brought along.  

I found Nala’s tug of war rope, a large, sturdy rope with a huge knot tied on each end.  Seeing me with the rope made Nala instantly excited and she starting barking and growling with a fervor that had me thinking that this might not have been such a great idea.   Nala grabbed a hold of one end of the rope with determination and I held tightly to mine while she jerked and pulled me all around the room.  There was no way that she was letting go.  After a few minutes of this I relaxed a bit too much and she yanked the rope from my grip,   snorting with pride at her accomplishment.  She had a triumphant look on her face that was both amusing and irresistible. 

We played tug of war until “Grandpa” got tired and then we tried a game of fetch.  Eventually I tired of that too and I took a seat on the couch.  Nala sat on the floor at my feet and chewed on her ball, glancing up every so often to give me a look that clearly meant “come on, old man, let’s play some more”.  At last she realized that I’d completely run out of gas so she jumped on the couch beside me and climbed over on to my lap.  Here I was with this rather large dog, a pit bull, that just hours before had made me feel so uncomfortable, sitting on my lap, gazing into my eyes.  What was she thinking?  I stroked her head and back for a minute or two and then she rolled over on to her back.  Not knowing what else to do I began rubbing her stomach and, before long, she fell asleep.  For a long time she slept there in my lap and by the time Lindsay returned home Nala and I had bonded completely.  In those few hours I had grown to love this dog.  This scourge of the canine family, this pit bull.

Over the next few years we looked forward to Lindsay’s visits home as before, but now with the extra anticipation of Nala coming along with her.  With each visit we gained more comfort and familiarity with Nala, and she with us.  She had become a part of the family.

I had been around dogs most of my life.  Growing up on a farm we had numerous farm dogs.  Some I liked, some not so much.  None came close, however,  to matching the charm and personality of this exuberant and affectionate pit bull.  I have never known a smarter, more fun-loving, more engaging dog.  She’s been a loyal and faithful friend and companion to Lindsay for eleven years now.  Lindsay feels safer at night with a pit bull there to protect her and who, after a hard, stressful day at work, could ever provide as much unconditional love and support for her as Nala can.  Nala has had two cancer scares in recent years.  Most of her tail was amputated a few years ago due to a cancerous tumor and then this past summer another tumor was found in her thigh.  Another surgery removed that and so far it hasn’t returned.  Lindsay, of course, was there for her throughout both ordeals, nursing her along with boundless love. They are committed to each other and they take care of each other.

Lindsay and Nala moved to Arizona about seven years ago so we don’t see Nala as much these days.  Lindsay flies home for holidays and special occasions but she isn’t able to bring Nala along on those flights.  We fly down to Arizona for a few days each winter, however, and when we get to Lindsay’s condo, there’s Nala greeting us at the door with that familiar snort, wagging her stumpy tail, beside herself with the excitement at having “Grandpa and Grandma” come to visit.  Before long she’ll go and sit in front of the refrigerator, with her eyes glued on Grandma, knowing that once Grandma sees her there she’s going to get a treat. When I sit down to rest after supper, it’s a sure thing that soon Nala will climb onto my lap for a tummy rub and a short siesta.  She never forgets us and, most assuredly,  we will never forget her.

Read the following for more information regarding pit bulls:

A well-bred, well-socialized and well-trained pit bull is one of the most delightful, intelligent and gentle dogs imaginable. It is truly a shame that the media continues to portray such a warped image of this beautiful, loyal and affectionate breed. Pit bulls once enjoyed a wonderful reputation. Some of the most famous dogs in American history were pit bulls. A pit bull named Stubby, a decorated hero during World War One, earned several medals and was even honored at the White House. During duty, he warned soldiers of gas attacks, found wounded men in need of help and listened for oncoming artillery rounds. Pit bulls have been featured in well-known advertising campaigns for companies such as Levis, Buster Brown Shoes and Wells Fargo. The image of a pit bull, which was considered a symbol of unflagging bravery and reliability, represented the United States on recruiting and propaganda posters during World War One. Many famous figures, including Helen Keller, President Theodore Roosevelt, General George Patton, President Woodrow Wilson, Fred Astaire and Humphrey Bogart, shared their lives and homes with pit bulls.  ~ ASPCA 

The American Pit Bull Terrier (APBT) has a strong desire to please. The APBT has evoked more human emotional, rational and irrational response than any other breed that exists today. By no means are these dogs people-haters or people-eaters. Their natural aggressive tendencies are toward other dogs and animals, not people. However if they are properly socialized by a firm, but calm, confident owner, they will not even be aggressive with them. The American Pit Bull Terrier is a good-natured, amusing, extremely loyal and affectionate family pet that is good with children and adults. Almost always obedient, it is always eager to please its master. It is an extremely courageous and intelligent guard dog that is very full of vitality. It is usually very friendly, but has an uncanny ability to know when it needs to protect and when everything is okay. Excellent with children in the family, they have a high pain tolerance and will happily put up with rough child play.  ~ Dog Breed Info Center