Written by Leandre Wilson, who also supplied the photographs
Photo credit: Melissa Pohl
The nine-month-old Border Collie had been brought in to be put to sleep. The veterinary eye specialist had diagnosed detached retinas, which meant she’d be blind for the rest of her life. She was also emaciated, weighing a mere 6kg.
This was the heart-breaking story I heard from my friend Toka, a vet nurse, when she called me on the 27th of April 2012. The vet had already drawn up the syringe when he got called to reception to take a phone call. That call saved the puppy’s life!
While my friend was sitting with Nina (then called Pippa) on her lap, crying away at the thought of this beauty being put to sleep, she thought of calling me; we were the only ones she could think of as we’d already had another “special needs” fur kid (who’d sadly passed away due to her severe heart condition).
Finding a diamond in the rough
We decided to give her a fair chance to see if it would work out. I have my own doggy parlour and she’d go with me to work every day. At first, she walked into everything at home, so, the next day at work, I made her a special “safe space” bed away from all the other doggies. As the day progressed, it seemed like she could see a bit of movement, but I also struggled to get her to eat – and keep it down.
By the following day, I was really beginning to doubt that she was actually blind, so I took out an old tennis ball… and it was like magic. It was as if a new soul evolved from those dull eyes and body, and just started blooming into a fun-loving little dog.
That whole day we just played ball and had such fun; suddenly she was a different dog. There and then I decided I was going to do Flyball and Agility with Nina. We joined a club and started training her in obedience and then Flyball and Agility. She just loved it and excelled in training as if she was born to it. I registered her with the South African Dog Agility Association (SADAA) and the Kennel Union of South Africa (KUSA) so we could get started doing local shows.
Unfortunately, I was still struggling with her eating habits and health. She wouldn’t eat for days, and I couldn’t get her to gain any weight. We were constantly in and out of different vets doing all sorts of tests, desperate to find the problem. No vet could tell me what was wrong, so on we struggled.
She was fading away
In August 2013 she ended up in hospital, at death’s door once again. She spent a week there with vet specialists who even sent blood work to the UK – still they couldn’t find the solution to Nina’s problem. By then most of the people I spoke to suggested that I should rather put her to sleep, but that was no option for me as she loved life too much and really excelled in her sports.
I kept going, cooking meals for her until late at night, adding supplements to help her cope – but my question was still, “What was making her stop eating?” I joined loads of internet forums and did extensive research until I finally came across something that might be the answer.
Since there were no more paths to take, I asked my vet if he could do one last test for me. If this didn’t give any answers, then we were doomed. They tested her Vitamin B12 levels. Lo and behold, the results came back showing that Nina had a severe Vitamin B12 deficiency. That was why she didn’t have an appetite: she wasn’t absorbing any vitamins from her food! This also led me to believe that a vitamin deficiency might have been a reason for her initial blindness (lack of vitamin A).
Ecstatic that, at long last, I now knew what we were dealing with and that it’s easy to manage with a simple weekly Vitamin B Complex injection, this was, in a sense, the best news ever. Since April 2014, when she had her first injection, Nina hasn’t stopped eating. She’s at her ideal weight of 14kgs, and her coat is thick and glossy – she looks stunning! We’ve never looked back.
A shining jewel
Nina has a zest for life that I’ve never seen before. She enjoys not only Agility and Flyball, but she loves to go on outings to the forest and adores long beach walks where she can sprint and chase the ball to her heart’s content or even run after the water and sea gulls. She loves the water; swimming in the pool is also a great treat. We even have fun at bath time catching the water out of the shower head. It’s so easy to keep her happy as it’s all about having fun. Her ultimate game is fetching the ball or any other toy.
Everyone who meets her is enriched by her bubbly personality, and she’s just a joy to be around.
Her Agility career is fantastic. She’s achieved several qualifications, moving up several grades in Dog Jumping in SADAA, and is doing well at KUSA shows. Earlier this year, Nina received the Thandile Trophy for Top Dog in Grade 6 Dog Jumping and, in August, she was chosen for the Western Province Flyball Team to compete in the KUSA Nationals. Her team – Cape Phoenix Flyers – came second and were the reserved team in nationals. She’s also one of the fastest dogs in Cape Town, running at 4.40 seconds. All that for a dog who was pronounced to be blind for life.
We’re so blessed to have found Nina or, I should say, that she found us. I’ve made so many new friends and gained so much knowledge. And she just keeps on giving as there’s just no end to her love that she has. I’m extremely proud of my “Nina Bean” when I look at where she was in April 2012 and where we stand today – together. We’ve grown, we’ve shed tears, we’ve laughed, and we’ve achieved. I’m so happy that I never gave up on Nina. She’s my little star that shines so brightly that there’s always light, no matter what.
Fast forward to 2023
It’s been just over 10 years since our miracle Nina came into our lives as a blind little malnourished cast-away. There have been so many highlights, from becoming a class-3 obedience star and achieving all three Canine Good Citizen awards, to attaining great heights as a Flyball and Agility dog.
I’m proud to say that our little girl has achieved so much. She’s become a class-3 obedience star, achieved Canine Good Citizen Awards in bronze, silver and gold, was reserved South African Flyball champ for 2015, received a Flyball dog excellence title, and is 2015 Dog Jumping Top Dog. She was awarded best novice games dog at the South African Dog Agility Association (SADAA) in 2014, and KUSA Agility “novice dog” in 2015. And those are just the highlights. Not bad for a dog who was “supposed” to be blind for life.
Nina’s story proves that a sad face can be turned into a joyous one with a little love and care. She was thrown away, but she became my treasure. I cannot imagine my life without my Nina Bean. We conquered every challenge that was thrown at us and came out strong every time.
She’s turning 12 in August 2023 and is still a bright spark who’s happy to engage in any and every activity and game. Last year she gained two trick dog titles at KUSA, and the saying became true that a dog is never too old to learn new tricks... she had to learn a few new tricks and happily complied in the training and was overjoyed when she got them right.
This little girl is a true ambassador for her breed and a good example that you can make something work if you really want to. She’s a true inspiration.
I hope to share my life with this amazing girl for many years to come.
