"My gut tells me that wherever she has come from, there was a child there who made her feel safe," van der Plas said.
Who could say no to a child?
When Nala the Pitbull was rescued from the streets in New Zealand, she refused to respond to anyone.
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"She had been wandering the streets for some time and was extremely shut down and terrified," said Abbie van der Plas, founder of the Christchurch Bull Breed Rescue, where the Pitbull was housed. "I spent her entire first & second day sitting on the floor trying to gain her trust. She wasn't having a bar of me, just sat at the back of the run trembling and growling.
"It was clear she was expecting a beating from me," van der Plas told IE.com.
She went through hours of footage with no luck, until finally, van der Plas enlisted the help of her 7-year-old son.
In the video, van der Plas can be seen coaxing Nala to come to her from the back of the cage unsuccessfully, but when her son approached, the Pitbull immediately walks up to the boy, stretches, and even gives van der Plas a gentle kiss.
"My gut tells me that where ever she has come from, there was a child there who made her feel safe," van der Plas said.
Since the video was taken, van der Plas said Nala has been "settling in really well."
But her love for children continues. She told IE.com that the rescue Pitbull gained quite an attraction to her two sons.
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"She spends the night snuffling between my two sons beds, making sure they are both okay. If they go outside, she goes outside. If they cry or get upset, she's the first on the scene to lick away tears, or have a cuddle," van der Plas said. "She adores the kids, and prefers their company to any adult."
The caretaker said that Nala continues to have "anxiety issues" and "major separation distress," but she has a place with the family until she is ready to be moved to a forever home.
To donate to Nala's care, visit her fundraising page.
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