If you are interested in Nicki, please apply via chesterfield-rspca.org.uk/nicki

Shepherds are supposed to find kennels a hard place to adapt to. Shepherds are supposed to be prone to anxieties. Shepherds are supposed to take time to settle in. Niki, however, isn't one to waste time with supposed to’s. Not when there’s joy to be had - and if there isn't any, she will create it. Craft it. Share it.

Arms with nothing held within them are hers to wrap herself into. Laps with nothing resting upon them are hers to sit down upon. Hearts which are, at present, unattached must be bound to her own. Must be. Dogs are natural joy-bringers, innate smile-creators, born laughter-inducers, Niki is proof of it. She knows no other way of being. 

Niki is one of those rare animals whose entry into our care was not a result of cruelty or neglect, but unfortunate circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Perhaps this background is why she trusts so readily, having never had reason to doubt the intent of people: she only knows them as kindly and altruistic. She bounds up to strangers and playbows towards the unfamiliar, her smile is shared without prejudice. 

The only way I can think to convey her nature accurately is to say that it’s as if there’s a series of pixies or sprites that live upon her person and animate her, compelling her always towards jollity. One peeks playfully from inside one of her ears, while another waves from behind her eyes; a third sleeps, wrapped in the curl of her tongue, rolling in and out with the rhythm of her panting. If I strain my ears, I can just about hear a choir of them singing along as Niki cavorts and capers, frolics and hops. Their silliness is Niki's. Their whimsy is Niki's. Their sweetness is hers too. Her spirit has such an endearing lightness to it that only mythical explanations make sense.

Written by Richard Grainger | Animal Care Assistant