Rescued dog Nora (Nola) may have lost an eye, but she possesses an astonishing talent: climbing trees.
This 6-year-old German Shepherd and Treeing Walker Coonhound mix live with their owners Vanessa and Ryan Marquette in Syracuse, New York. Nola’s favorite pastime is climbing up and down trees in their backyard.
Nora is a search and rescue dog from North Carolina who has been living with the Marquette family since 2018. When this couple realized Nora’s amazing ability to leap over high chain-link fences and escape, they were surprised.
“When neighbors mentioned seeing her jump the fence, we were bewildered, ‘We had no clue,'” Mrs. Marquette, 35, told Epoch Times.
After that, the couple started observing Nora more closely. Mrs. Marquette was initially incredulous when she saw Nora climb a tree for the first time.
“When I saw her climb the tree, I couldn’t believe it. Ryan wasn’t home, so by the time I ran to grab my phone to take a picture or video, I was late,” she said.
When Mrs. Marquette informed her husband, he was quite skeptical. But over the weekend, Mr. Marquette saw their dog gleefully climb a tree, striking her favorite goofy poses.
“After that, climbing trees became a normal thing,” Mrs. Marquette said.
Once the couple installed a new, sturdier fence, Nora became a sensation. Mrs. Marquette shared a video of Nora’s antics on social media, which she said “blew up.”
“Some people thought it was a one-time thing, but I told them, ‘No, this is what she does daily,'” she said.
Watch Nora’s funny antics in the video below:
(Provided by @NoseyNola)
People began speculating that Nora must be a Treeing Walker Coonhound. Intrigued, the couple had her DNA tested, confirming she is indeed about 26% Coonhound.
Each morning, Nora and the other dogs (besides Nora, the Marquettes also have three other pets) would run out the back door together and head straight to explore the two trees, happily climbing up and down.
Undoubtedly, Nora is popular among the neighbors.
“Our neighbors find it amusing, they think it’s hilarious,” Mrs. Marquette said. “When their kids bring their dogs over, they always want to play with Nora. When they go on vacation, they say, ‘Make sure Nora watches our house.’ She’s a celebrity in the neighborhood, many can see her from their yards.”
However, the couple has also faced criticism on social media. Some commenters speculate that Nora must be trying to escape the yard to go for a walk.
“People can’t imagine the dog would still want to climb a tree after running 5 kilometers,” Mrs. Marquette said, noting that she’s sometimes asked if Nora would climb in a different way.
“I don’t think she would do it because her one eye is blind,” she said. “So the side she climbs up is with her good eye. I don’t think she would do it in another way due to her eye not being good.”
Described as “very curious, quick learner, loving and caring,” Nora also enjoys playing with slippers, sleeping with her humans like any other dog. About 10 months ago, when Mr. Marquette, a military veteran, returned home from a mission, Nora “got so emotional, crying as if going mad.”
“We always take her for runs, like the Veterans Day 5K. We always take her, and she’s always happy to be with people, meet other dogs,” Mrs. Marquette said.
An animal rescue advocate, Mrs. Marquette believes Nora serves as an important reminder that adopting abandoned dogs can bring unexpected joys to their owners’ lives.
“When we got her, she was about 6 months old,” she said. “People didn’t want her because she was blind in one eye. Her siblings were adopted. Now she’s a celebrity. You never know what you’ll get when you adopt an animal, and I think that’s a great message because there are so many animals dying in shelters every day.”
“She’s from one of the five states that kill the most dogs. Being able to save one dog from a shelter and make room for another one is important to us. Adopt, don’t shop for ‘pets,’ that’s the message I want to convey to others.”