Nora the Explorer

by Becky
(Ohio)

Nora the Explorer, the missing link

Our story starts two years ago......

I have a wonderful family, a loving husband of fourteen years, a brilliant thirteen year old son, and a beautiful nine year old daughter. All four of us were born in Ohio (the fantastic four) however we moved to Florida when my daughter was a baby. My children considered Florida their home and the friends we had there as their family.

When my husband received a job offer that had numerous pros verses cons we accepted and made the decision to relocate our family to Ohio. Since we all are native to Ohio and our family is here we thought it would be a somewhat smooth transition. It was not. My children missed their friends and those who had become our family and my son began to remove himself from his peers. I was at a loss as to what to do. I thought he would make new friends once the school year started and he did however, his grades started to drop. I found out he was being bullied at school and had lost his confidence in himself. He is a brilliant young man and this type of behavior was so unexpected. I knew he needed a friend he could count on to always be there and who could cheer him up. That's when it hit me, a dog is a man's best friend!

I believe there are plenty of animals that need good homes so I started looking into adoption rather than breeders. I was fortunate enough to have a cousin loan us one of their dogs for a one week trial period. It was a rather large dog and I'm happy we did a trial run. We learned that yes, a dog was a good choice, but no, a large dog was not for us. With that in mind I started researching smaller breed dogs and came across mini schnauzers. Since this was a huge commitment for our family, especially my son I also had him do research. When he completed his research he also agreed that a mini schnauzer was the perfect choice. So the next step was the hunt.

I thought it would be easy to find a mini schnauzer but it was not. Particularly because I was looking for a dog that needed a home, not a puppy. One day while doing a random search online I found a picture of the most precious dog ever! I read the description, a three year old female mini schnauzer needs a good home. It was perfect! I set up a meeting that same day and when my son met Nora for the first time I knew that was it. We played with her and got to know her owners who were moving out of country. Luckily Nora had been well loved but was soon to be rehomed.

After a afternoon with Nora we went home a discussed as a family what we thought. I can't stress how much work a dog requires and since Nora was for my son I had to make sure he was willing to put in the effort and attention Nora deserved. We all agreed that Nora was the one and went back the following day to bring her to her forever home.

She's lived with us for a year now. I'm not going to lie and say it's been a walk in the park but we have loved everyday with her. My son has blossomed since getting "Nora the Explorer" which is a fitting name.

Mini schnauzers are very curious dogs and hunters so when Nora catches the scent of something she wants she will chase it down! We learned quickly that Nora needed to be watched closely when outdoors. Mini schnauzers are also very loyal, Nora waits by the door every single day at the time my son returns from school. She even does a happy little dance when he walks in. First thing he does? Picks up Nora and asks her if she wants to play.

Mini schnauzers are protective, Nora watches the house like a hawk! I know whenever anything or person enters our yard. She will bark until I acknowledge what ever she is seeing then quiets down.

Mini schnauzers are playful. Nora has plenty of toys and she can even pick them out specifically when we ask her to get each toy by name. Mini schnauzers are loving. Nora will plop down next to whom ever is available and bat at them until she gets a good rub.

Mini schnauzers are smart. Nora has learned to "talk" to let us know when she needs to be let out. Her talking is more effective than barking and she caught on to that quickly.

Mini schnauzers are worth it, if you are looking to adopt a dog this breed is worth the effort. Nora has made a huge impact in our lives especially my sons and it's been for the best. After all a dog is a man's best friend.

Search Schnauzers-Rule.com

Custom Search