Much Publicized Missing Smyrna Dog Found

Score one for determination.

The Smyrna twitter world has been filled with countless tweets and retweets since last week concerning a missing brown Rhodesian Ridgeback named ‘Nala.’ A Navy SEAL had given Nala to his fiancé three months prior to his death more than two years ago.

Chief Special Warfare Operator Eric F. Shellenberger, who had survived seven tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, was killed during a diving training exercise in May 2009. His fiancé, Krissy Rankin, told 11Alive News that Nala is an “everyday reminder of Eric. I think of him everyday I look at Nala.’’

And she was determined to bring her back home. The dog went missing near Atlanta Road and Collier Drive on Oct. 15. Over the course of the next week, Rankin posted “about 400’’ signs around Smyrna in search of Nala. If you live in the Jonquil City, you no doubt may have seen one.

Then this past Saturday, a week after Nala went missing from her Forest Hills neighborhood home, a woman near the Market Village called Rankin to say she had spotted a dog that fit Nala’s description entering the nearby woods.

Rankin rushed over and after a brief search, found her 95-pound canine love; her special link to her fallen true love.

“She’s home!’’ Rankin cheerfully exclaimed Tuesday. “I think she had been hunkered down there for a week,’’ Rankin said. “No one had seen her all week.’’

Rankin said the woman, having seen the posts online about Nala, had been on the lookout for the dog and lo and behold spotted her while peering out the kitchen window.

“I just want to thank everyone for helping bring her back home,’’ Rankin said. “People were so overwhelmingly supportive and helpful. I can’t thank everyone enough.’’