A year ago, Flora and Max adopted Nevil from LAW. So when they were looking for a playmate for their best boy, they knew exactly where to go.
And happily they didn’t have to look too far, or think too hard, before opting to reunite Nevil with his brother, Sirius.
Here, in Flora’s own words, is the story of their 12 months with Nevil, and what life has been like for the new family of four since Sirius joined them in Vienna a few weeks ago…
“During our backpacking tour through Thailand, my boyfriend and I saw so many animals suffering on the streets.
“As we headed to Koh Lanta, we heard about an animal welfare centre that’s mission is to end animal suffering. We completely changed our schedule and visited Lanta Animal Welfare the next day. Our plan was to make a donation, go for some walks and socialise with the dogs. But not everything went as planned.
“After we completed the tour a volunteer asked us if we were thinking about adoption. To be honest, until that day, we had never seriously talked about it. But in that moment, we looked each other in the eyes and both thought: “Are we thinking about adoption?”
“Shortly afterwards we went socialising with some of the dogs. There was this one dog called Nevil, who immediately came to us and showed us his very best side. He trusted us, gave us the feeling of love and just stole our hearts. As one of the volunteers came by she told us Nevil was one of the ‘Potter Puppies’ (six siblings) and was normally very shy, unlike how he was while with us.
Nevil and Sirius as pups at LAW
“All the dogs we met at LAW deserve a forever home, every one of them is unique and very handsome in their own way. Honestly, we could have picked one blindfolded. But Nevil really was OUR perfect match.
“Nevil has now been living with us for exactly one year and we couldn´t be happier with him. It has been a year full of outdoor adventures, cuddle-sessions and learnings for all of us.
“Nevil always enjoyed the presence of other dogs, those who love playing and chasing around as much as he does are his favourite buds.
“Every time we heard that another ‘Potter Pup’ had been adopted, we followed their stories and also chatted with their new ‘pawrents’. After a while, we saw that Sirius was the only one who hadn’t found a home. We knew he probably would be more nervous and even more shy than Nevil was, but he also wasn’t a puppy anymore so the chances of getting a new home were lower than for younger ones.
“When the dangers surrounding Covid-19 forced the centre to close to visitors, the chances got even lower and we knew: we had to act!
“Sirius never had the chance to show us what a good boy he is, because at the time we visited LAW, he was in quarantine because of ringworm.
“But we knew Nevil was the kind of dog who always wanted a doggie brother in his life, with whom he can play around all the time. And the second, and way more relevant factor, was we had the space and love to adopt Sirius, so we decided to reunite those two cuties.
“The day before Sirius arrived in Vienna we took Nevil to my parents’ place, so Sirius had time to rest and recover from his long journey.
“Unfortunately, he had a really hard time adjusting to his new life.
“Sirius was very anxious: he refused to go on walks, he lay in bed all day and only stood up when he wanted to switch places to go to the couch. We knew we just had to be patient. He definitely needed more time to adjust and we had to wait to see his wonderful personality.
“After five days we got in the car and drove to my parents, so Nevil and Sirius could finally meet again.
“Nevil was soooo excited when he first saw Sirius, but Sirius was really scared and just growled at Nevil. After a few minutes just watching him play, Sirius finally began to romp and play around with Nevil and they had both a lot of fun. We saw his tail wagging for the first time and we couldn’t have been happier.
“After they played for a while, the sun was about to fade, so we started heading home. Sirius went with us and you could tell in Nevil’s eyes that, somehow, he knew he will stay forever.
“Since the two met, Sirius has changed completely. He is so adventurous and wants to explore everything, with Nevil by his side. They have known each other for just a few weeks, but they are already inseparable!
“Yes, the two may be more nervous than other dogs, but they just needed their special someone to show them how beautiful life can be.
“Nevil has changed this year from a shy dog who wouldn’t want anybody to touch him to a wonderful dog everybody loves.
“With Sirius, we see the big steps Nevil made, because he shows the same behavior Nevil did a year ago. But with a bunch of love and training, everything is possible.
“If you have a nervous dog, I would consider adopting a second one. Not only Sirius is an adventure-boy around Nevil, but Nevil has also stopped being afraid of cars, because Sirius taught him so.
“After this journey, there is one thing we definitely know: this was all meant to be.
If you’re thinking of adopting a rescue dog or cat from LAW, click here
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