It has been (1-1/2) week since Nena and I became family.  She has learned so much in this one and a half week.  She now knows how to calm, sit, stay, come, stay with me, no bark, and even more.  She use to go into barking tiraids barking at eery little move of something outside.  Now she bars once and looks at me for approval.  When we are walking, she has learned to sit when we come to a street corner, waiting to see if we are going left, right or crossing over.  Nena is so smart, all she needed was lots of love 💕❤️💕

I have gained her trust and she has gained mine.

When I was in prayer the other morning, the Eternal Father told me to look up the Name Nena.  Nena is a Hebrew name Magdalena, meaning “of Magdala”.  Mary Magdalene (mother of the Messiah) was named Magalene because she was from Magala.  Magdala, a city on the sea of Galalee whose name means “Flower”.

My dog Elijah died last November.  Five months later Brother Kent told me Father said it was time for me to get another dog.  

I decided to start my adventure in search of my forever friend.  I drove up Highway 87 to Payson Humane Society, she wasn’t there, I went on to Flagstaff Humane Society, she wasn’t there.  I drove through the mountains to Sedona Animal Shelter, She wasn’t there,  I Drive to Cottonwood to the Verde Valley Humane Society.  She wasn’t there.  I drove to Prescott Yavapia Humane Society and sadly, it was closed.  That day I did not find my forever friend but I didn’t give up.  I went all over the Phoenix metropolitan, then down towards Tucson but my forever friend was not there.  I looked in the local paper, called places out of state, but my forever friend was not there.

For the next month I looked at purebred dogs with a cost of $1,800 to $2,500, there was no way I could come up with that kind of money.  I continued my search, week after week, looking for my forever friend.

I stopped in the Sunny Slope Humane Society and they told me about the Arizona Small Animal Rescue.  For a couple of weeks I would go and look.  They had lots of small dogs looking for their forever friend, but it wasn’t me.

One week and a half ago today, I visited the Arizona Small Animal Rescue as I had many times before.  This day began the beginning of the end of my search for my forever friend, when I first saw Nena.  She was a 10 lb 2 year old Maltese mix puppy, a very beautiful puppy.

The first time I met Nena she had an “act” of vicious.  She was in a glass cage and would try to scare you off.  I said you are really cute but too crazy for me, and I walked on past her glass cage.  I thought about Nena all week long.  I went back a week later to see if she was still there. Her glass cage had another dog in it.  I found her, She had been moved to a large room with other dogs and had a doggie door to go outside.  Everyone that came through through the door of Arizona Small Dog Rescue, passed up Nena because of her “act” of vicious.  This time she was much calmer, but barked excessively, I didn’t want a barking dog, but I decided to meet her.  I wanted to see if she would warm up to me.  I went to the front desk and asked if I could see Nena in a private meeting.  They said they would arrange the meeting for me to go to the patio and wait.    I went to the patio sat down on the bench and waited quietly.  When Nena came in, she hesitated, then leaped up on my lap and gave me kisses.  We immediately bonded, I knew she was the girl for me!  Now I had to convince the head staff, my home would be the right placement for Nena.  For the next 30 minutes I was interrogated about my life style, my home, everything that Nena would be going to. I showed photographs of my home to the staff member, the front, the backyard with grass... the block wall, a safe environment for Nena.  You see she had been adopted out then rejected and brought back 2 different times.  I knew Nena was not rejected, I was convinced my Eternal Father set her apart just for me.  I finally passed the scrutiny and and the rest is history.

As you can see, Nena is a gift to me from my Eternal Father.  Thank you Father for answering my prayers, what a blessing she is.

Thank you Arizona Small Animal Rescue for holding on to Nena for me until I could find her.

Sincerely grateful.

Donna Carey and Nena Carey