Nutmeg & Nora

In September of 2011, my husband and I welcomed a pair of Cairn terrier rescues, named Nutmeg and Nora, into our home. We knew little of their background, except their owner had died, they had been in a kennel for two months, and they were no longer house-trained. It seemed like this would be a good experience to blog about, and after several posts, a few people who knew the pups contacted me.

Nutmeg and Nora’s story is one of heartbreak, but also of hope, because after multiple acts of compassion, these dogs made it into our arms.

Their story begins in Kansas, daughters of sire “Sable’s Little Boy” aka “Bear.” Their names were originally Nutmeg and Olivia, and they were adopted by a couple in Ohio, who changed Olivia’s name to Nora.

Nutmeg & Nora as pups. (photo credit upon request)

Just two years later, on an 80-degree day, the wife collapsed in the garage, and the dogs spent four hours by her side until her husband came home. Then, as soon as the ambulance pulled away, they were sent to a kennel. After the wife died a week later, the husband decided that the dogs should be put down. A note in the veterinarian’s record states, “We will not euthanize healthy young dogs.”

Upon hearing that the dogs might be euthanized, a friend helped the husband place Nutmeg and Nora with a rescue organization. So, after two months at a boarding facility, Nutmeg and Nora became available for adoption, at the very same time I was searching Petfinder.com for two Cairn terriers. It was meant to be, don’t you think?

When we brought Nutmeg and Nora home, as you’ll see in the posts below, things did not go smoothly. They were no longer house trained, and they needed to learn to trust us. Many times over the next year, I wondered if we were capable of dealing with their issues, and several times, I considered sending them away. But each time I thought, “If we give up on them, what will be their fate?”