Personal Injury Blog

Tobey’s story began in the same shelter where Nikki found Zoie, Nino, and Buck. When Nikki saw his photo, she saw a sadness in his eyes that drove her to rescue him. Nikki knew that as a brown, mixed- breed dog, Tobey would likely have been euthanized, as brown dogs, along with black ones, are some of the last to get adopted from shelters.

Tobey was close to two years old when Nikki rescued him in May 2012. Heartworm positive, Tobey lived with a foster for three months so he could undergo treatment before joining the rest of the pack. When he first arrived at Nikki’s home, Tobey was still underweight and not yet fully developed. He didn’t know commands nor did he respond to his name for many months.

Since living with Nikki the past three years, Tobey’s gained almost forty pounds and has blossomed into an incredibly handsome dog, who gallops like a horse through the courtyard in search of one of his brothers or sisters to play with. Initially shy and withdrawn, Tobey has found his confidence these days, plopping himself down next to Nikki on the recreation room couch, seeking love and attention. Fortunately for Tobey, Nikki saw his photo and rescued him, sparing him a deadly fate that tens of thousands of dogs and cats face each and every day in the United States alone.

Like her brothers, Buck and Nino, Zoie’s story began a little closer to home, as she also came from the animal shelter in Chipley, Florida. When Nikki saw Zoie’s photo posted on the shelter’s Facebook page in July 2011, she knew she had to adopt her, as there was simply something about her sweet, endearing face. Plus, Nikki couldn‘t stand the thought of Zoie being all alone at the shelter at just three months old.

“Zoie” means life, and Zoie definitely lives up to her name. As the most spirited dog in the pack, Zoie is a joyful, loving soul who lights up the room. She’s also the fastest dog of the pack, who keeps not only Nikki on her toes, but the rest of the pack as well.

Zoie is the smallest dog of Nikki’s extended doggie family, but that doesn’t stop her. Zoie seems to have what Nikki calls “size distortion disorder,” which makes her think she’s the biggest dog in the pack despite the fact some of her brothers and sisters are twice her weight. Nevertheless, Zoie still likes to act like a baby sometimes, lying in Nikki’s arms and looking up at her with her soulful eyes. One of her favorite things to do is to lick her big brother, Picasso, relentlessly in the face; Picasso takes her “annoying” habit in stride. Like all of her dogs, Nikki feels blessed to have little Zoie as part of my heart and home and can’t imagine a day without her lively spirit filling the room.

Zaida’s journey began on the other side of the globe in Didim, Turkey, the same place where Tanzi was found being abused as a young puppy. Discovered chained inside a hole as a young puppy, Zaida lived a life devoid of hope, love, and affection as she was being trained for dog fighting. Thankfully, a rescue woman learned of Zaida’s plight and moved her to the same rescue where Tanzi, Mattie, Maxine, and Joy ended up. Although Zaida was not one of the dogs Nikki helped rescue, she agreed to bring Zaida back to the States to live with her.

When Zaida first arrived at Nikki’s home in September 2011, she was shy and would run the other way if approached too quickly. Over time, with love and affirmation, Zaida has come out of her shell and is one of the sweetest dogs of Nikki’s pack. Her favorite activity is to lie on the couch like Cleopatra with her paws up in the air waiting for someone to come and scratch her belly.

Zaida is such a peaceful soul who doesn’t have a mean bone in her body; you wouldn’t believe she’d ever endured the tortures of her early life. Although originally named “Chilli” by the rescue woman, Nikki changed her name to “Zaida,” meaning “fortunate one.” Not only is Zaida fortunate to have found her way to the States when so many other dogs don’t get such a second chance, but Nikki also feels fortunate to have Zaida as part of her heart and home.

Bambi’s journey to her forever home began in June 2012, when she was rescued, along with her son, Snoopy, and daughter, Lucy, by Max Mensur Kahrimanovic from the outskirts of Turkey. When Max found Bambi and her pups, she was fairly young herself, estimated to be about one and a half years old.

At the time, it seemed like an impossibility to get Bambi and her pups to safety; however, when Max first shared Bambi’s photo on Facebook, one of his friends commented, “Nothing is impossible.” When Nikki read these words, she knew she was destined to help coordinate this challenging rescue, as her father always used to say that, in life, “nothing is impossible.”

Somehow, despite logistical challenges, Bambi, Snoopy, and Lucy were brought to safety and driven to Didim, Turkey, where Nikki boarded them with a wonderful woman, T.C. Gilly Foreman, who cared for them until they departed for the States in October 2013. When Bambi arrived at Nikki’s home, it was love at first sight. Nikki felt like Bambi and her pups had been with her forever. Bambi immediately bonded with Nikki, giving lavish kisses, as though thanking Nikki for saving her and her pups.

Bambi is a sweet, loving dog who is appreciative of her safe, comfortable forever home. She and her children now live the kind of life every dog deserves to live: one in which they feel safe, loved, and appreciated for the unique souls that they are.

Mattie’s journey began in November 2010 when she was found by rescuer Max Mensur Kahrimanovic living in a junkyard near Cannakale, Turkey. At the time, Mattie was only eight to ten weeks old, starving and alone, without a mother or father to care for or defend her. Mattie was the first of the Turkish dogs Nikki adopted after seeing her photo posted on Facebook and instantly falling in her love with her sweet, innocent face.

Like her siblings, Maxine, Joy, Zaida and Tanzi, Mattie lived at the rescue near Didim until making the long journey across Turkey to Istanbul, where they flew to Germany and then on to Orlando, where Nikki finally met them and brought them home. Once home, it took Mattie nearly two years to overcome the separation anxiety she suffered due to the stressful environment at the Turkish rescue.

Mattie has blossomed into a kind, sweet soul who loves her family, canine and human alike. Her favorite thing is to lie in the corner of the recreation room couch, staring with adoring eyes at Jonmichael , who is in the vet program at the local high school and helps to care for her. Mattie is thriving in her forever home and is living proof of an abandoned dog whose “fairytail” story did, in fact, come true.

Tanzi hails from Turkey, where she was rescued off the streets of Didim at around three months old after attracting the attention of a rescuer who saw her being abused by a group of young girls. Like her siblings, Maxine, Mattie, Joy and Zaida, Tanzi spent time in the rescue located near Didim before flying from Istanbul to Frankfurt then on to Orlando in September 2011.

Tanzi’s first year in Florida was a bit of an adjustment for her. Living in a home environment was strange for a dog who had only known the streets and life in a crowded rescue where she could do whatever she wanted to do. In fact, on one occasion, Nikki had to call the fire department to help rescue Tanzi from the roof of her home; she had climbed up and couldn’t get back down.

Today, Tanzi is an energetic dog who loves her home and pack of canine friends. Her favorite activity is to climb up on the back of the recreation room couch, put her paws on Nikki’s shoulders, and give her kisses. She also likes to let out the funniest barks, alerting everyone that she’s in the room. Almost three years after leaving her abusive past behind, Tanzi is flourishing in her new life as a pampered, rescued pooch.

Like Buck, Nino also came from the animal shelter in Chipley, Florida. When Nikki first saw Nino’s photo on the shelter’s Facebook page, she knew he wasn’t going to find an adopter or rescue very easily, as his size, breed, and tough- guy looks were all strikes against him. Given that Nino most likely faced being euthanized, Nikki trusted her instincts and adopted him, making him number nine of her pack.

When Nino first arrived at Nikki’s home in March 2012, he was timid and showed heartbreaking signs of abuse: when someone would approach him, he would cower on the ground and urinate out of fear. After realizing he was in a safe place and no longer had anything to fear, however, Nino began to flourish and thrive.

Today, Nino is an outgoing, energetic dog who loves to cuddle on the couch and give huge wet kisses. He is a testament to the old saying “you can’t judge a book by its cover.” Despite his tough guy looks, he’s a kind, loving soul who just needed someone to give him a chance.

Buck’s story began a little closer to home than many of his other siblings. In September 2012, Nikki discovered Buck listed as “urgent” on the Facebook page for the animal shelter in Chipley, Florida. This meant, if Buck wasn’t placed with a rescue or adopter as soon as possible, he would be euthanized. Nikki knew she had to do what she could to get Buck out of that situation, as there was something about his face that indicated he was a very special dog.

Initially, Nikki brought Buck into her home as a foster, with the intention of finding an adoptive family for him. When Buck arrived, however, she noticed he was limping on his back right leg. After visiting her vet, Nikki was informed that Buck had recently suffered a fracture caused by most likely by a car accident, requiring hip surgery and a three-month recovery. As fate would have it, during his rehab, Buck bonded with Izzie, and from that moment on, Nikki knew he had found his forever home.

Today, Buck enjoys running like the wind and playing with his friends as much as he does curling up in Nikki’s lap, forgetting he’s not a tiny lap dog at seventy pounds plus. Buck is also the resident comedian of the pack, always making the funniest faces for the camera. He is a loving, sweet dog, and Nikki feels blessed he is part of her heart and home.

Maxine was about seven months old when she found by Max Mensur Kahrimanovic in November 2010 living on a construction site near Cannakale, Turkey. In his usual kind-hearted manner, Max fed Maxine and several other strays, one of whom now lives with him and wife, Neli, in Sweden. As fate would have it, Max and Nikki connected through Facebook, thanks to a mutual friend, and, together, they coordinated getting Maxine to a rescue near Didim, despite being an ocean apart.

Maxine spent about a year at the rescue, along with her siblings, Mattie, Joy, Zaida and Tanzi, where she healed from demodectic mange and slowly learned to trust humans. Finally, after months and months of delay, Maxine and her sibling boarded a van in Didim and headed to Istanbul, where they boarded their Lufthansa flight bound for Frankfurt, Germany, then onto the States.

When Maxine and her siblings first arrived in Florida in September 2011, she was shy, quiet, and kept mostly to herself. Over the years, though, Maxine has found her voice with the help of her packmates, Buck and Izzie. She now runs up to Nikki and rolls over for belly rubs, showing her trust for Nikki and the comfort she takes in knowing she is finally safe and sound in her forever home.