Nola, the dog, is well-known in her New York neighborhood.
The dog has a weird (and charming) habit of ascending the trees and fences in her yard, giving neighbors a wonderful view of her gorgeous face as they drive by Vanessa and Ryan Marquette’s house.
After many months of fostering, the couple got Nola as a puppy from North Country Pet Adoptions in New York in 2018.
“She was fully house-trained and everything, but her sibling was adopted, so she was alone. We believe that because she is blind in one eye, others neglect her. So we fostered her and eventually adopted her three months later,” Vanessa tells PEOPLE.
“We could tell right away she felt so at home, and she quickly became part of the family,” Mr. Ryan says.
Shortly after adopting Nola, the couple learned of the dog’s unusual behavior. First, their pet caretaker said that Nola had jumped the huge fence around their property.
The couple was skeptical that Nola could scale a fence in a single bound, owing to the dog’s infrequent jumps inside the home. The Marquette then relocated to Syracuse, New York, where they lived in a larger yard with a towering fence and several trees. Shortly after the transfer, a neighbor informed the family that they had spotted their dog “jumping” on top of the fence.
“I couldn’t believe she was jumping the barrier.” That is a four-foot leap. That is significant. She isn’t the largest dog in the world. I recall walking the entire perimeter of the fence, searching for holes, as I believed there was no other way out. She’s sliding out beneath someplace doing something, and that’s how she escapes. “Then I found nothing,” Ryan recalls.
Ryan and Vanessa discovered Nola’s leaping skills after scanning the Syracuse house’s fence. Vanessa noticed Nola ascending the home’s 6-foot-tall fence first and, after numerous failed tries, captured a snapshot to show Ryan what the dog was up to.
Fortunately, Nola isn’t fleeing when she performs her remarkable pooch parkour atop the fence, typically using a tree to assist her in reaching the top; instead, she simply wants to take in the view and occasionally strike a pose. So Nola’s odd skill has become a part of her everyday routine and the focus of her Instagram account (@noseynola).
“She has a small morning ritual. She wakes up and immediately feels energized. We let her out the back. She normally races to the rear left corner of our shed, climbs there, surveys the area, and ensures everyone’s safety. Then she hops down and onto the fence and tree on the side of our house. Then, depending on her curiosity, she’ll repeat the action a few times,” Ryan explains.
Now, everyone in the neighborhood is able to see her. “It’s hilarious,” Vanessa remarks.
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Nola’s reputation as an internet and local celebrity assisted her pet owners in learning more about their rescue puppy.
“When she first went viral, everyone assumed she must be a Treeing Walker.” I thought, ‘What are they talking about?'” Vanessa recalls. “Then I Googled it, and I thought, ‘Oh, maybe.'” So we tested her DNA, and sure enough, she was around 26% Treeing Walker Coonhound.”
Orvis states that they developed the Treeing Walker Coonhound as a canine breed specifically to hunt raccoons. As the breed’s name indicates, these high-energy canines excel at climbing trees.
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Ryan and Vanessa’s second rescue dog, Toby, lacks Nola’s talents but remains close to her to observe and occasionally try Nola’s high-flying maneuvers.
“He follows her about, step by step, all day long,” Ryan explains that he has normal dog abilities, as he can only place his front two paws on the fence when he tries.
When Nola is not galloping around the yard with Toby, she is inside resting, soaking up the attention, and eating “bell peppers and carrots,” according to Vanessa.
The entire Marquette team is ready for Halloween. Nola dressed herself as Olivia Benson, Taylor Swift’s cat, to meet her admirers.
“A lot of the kids come up as trick-or-treaters, and the parents are like, ‘Oh, this is Nola!'” Ryan says.
Nola’s owners take pleasure in their pets, including their quirks, and aspire to inspire others to adopt rescued dogs by sharing their stories.
“She was on the death list at a shelter in North Carolina before coming here, and many people missed her because she had an eye handicap, which seems stupid given what she can do.” But it’s simply a reminder of how wonderful rescues are. “They may surprise you!” Vanessa says.