Twelve Years of Devotion: A Small Dog, a Big Heart, and Nicole’s Story

Some dogs are found, but some choose you first. In a quiet shelter room in 2014, Panda was tiny, sick, and labeled “not available,” yet he sat up straight and called out just as Nicole and her family began to walk away. Their eyes met, something clicked, and a bond began that would follow them across twelve years, two coasts, and every chapter of life. Panda has been her protector, her comfort, and her shadow ever since.

 

Hi Nicole, thanks for sharing your story with us. Could you please introduce yourself and your pup a bit to our audience?

I work as an Art Director for a cosmetic company, and my dog Panda is a Chihuahua and Miniature Pinscher mix. I never did a DNA test, but this is what everyone believes and it fits him perfectly. He is small, expressive, and full of character.

How did you and Panda first meet?

We met Panda in 2014. My sister and I wanted to surprise our mom with a dog for her birthday, so we drove to the local shelter. A social worker walked us into a room with dogs behind the bars. It was heartbreaking, even though the people who volunteered there were clearly doing their best to help every dog find a forever home, it was very sad. 

At first glance, my mom didn’t like any dog. Then we walked by Panda’s cage. He had a little sign taped to the front that said, 

“I’m sick - I have a cold. Not available for adoption today.” 

So we kept going. When we finished the room and were just about to leave, Panda suddenly let out this sharp scream, like he was calling to us. We turned around. He immediately sat up straight, as if he were trying to look like the world’s best-behaved dog.

In that moment our eyes locked, and I just knew - he was the one.

 

How long have you been together?

12 years. He’s been with me through everything, across the country from California to New York, through every move, every stage of my life.

(Panda joining Nicole and her husband on their wedding day in Portland, Oregon)

 

If Panda could speak, what’s the first thing you’d ask them?

Honestly, I think I’d just listen for two hours straight. Chihuahuas have opinions, and I know Panda has plenty to say.

If I could ask - I want to know if panda would choice to live with my mom in a big house back in California, or spend time waiting for Kevin (my husband) and I to come home to in a tiny apt in NYC. I wonder about this often what’s the best for my dog, I feel like panda would pick me, but I’m not confident about the answer. 

(Panda in Cave Canem's Ventus Windbreaker)

 

What's the most human thing Panda does?

Dogs are natural therapists, they just understand their owners emotion better than anyone else. Panda reads me so easily. He notices the smallest shift in my voice, the tiniest change in my body language. His whole world is watching me, trying to understand.

In the toughest moments, dealing with work arguments with family, losing my grandmother, he’s the one who sat with me and literally licked my tears away.

During the pandemic, I almost got attacked in the subway station at 6 train Lafayette. A huge guy came toward me screaming and throwing his arms around, and for a second I thought he was going to hit me. And then my tiny Chihuahua stepped in front of me and barked at him with everything he had. He didn’t care how small he was - he just wanted to protect me. To protect us.

 

Thank you, Nicole, for sharing Panda’s impressive story with us. It is easy to forget how much quiet wisdom and fierce devotion lives inside a small dog, but Panda reminds us every step of the way. His loyalty, his instincts, his gentle understanding of emotion, and his courage in moments big and small show just how deep the bond between a dog and their person can be.

 

If you would like to follow along with his everyday adventures, you can find him on Instagram at @pandabearrr__.