I had decided to get a puppy, I knew what type of dog I wanted, and I was doing online research in dog breeds to find the perfect match. I had never heard of Black Russian Terriers before and when I saw their picture online, I fell in love instantly. After reading more about them, I discovered that it was also the perfect breed for me as it seemed to have all the characteristics I had wanted and needed in a dog. I first searched through rescues to find my BRT puppy, but the breed is rare and there were none. I followed my next step and I found a breeder.  Finally, I was notified that June 30, 2007, Niki's mom had a litter of 10 (6 boys and 4 girls).  I got their first picture through email when they were 19 days old. The breeder told me I could pick one from the pictures (they all wore different color ribbons and were numbered), or I could let her pick one for me according to what characteristics and temperament I had told her I needed my puppy to have. After looking at pictures of similar looking puppies in similar poses, I knew my heart was set on #3, red ribbon girl. Nevertheless, I emailed her to pick one for me because she would know better which puppy would be a better match for me. Less than 10 min. later, I could not stand it; I emailed her back telling her to not pick a puppy for me -- I wanted the #3 girl no matter what the temperament is. Somehow, my heart was set on that puppy, and I was willing to risk it. Niki has been the best dog I have ever had and she has proven to be the best match possible. She is extremely intelligent, almost human like, gorgeous, affectionate, but also has a mind of her own (intelligent disobedience skills), she loves people, adores kids, and she is playful with all kinds of dogs, she likes cats (though we have only met one so far), and she wags her tail outside the glass to the parokeets and to the guinea pigs at Petsmart. She has excellent temperament (although somewhat stubborn at times), and she is VERY loyal to me. I could not talk enough about her -- she is my perferct puppy! 

Niki finally came to me from Latvia on Wednesday August 22, 2007. She was 8 weeks old, almost 11 pounds, and sooo playful and smart. :)

She is now 81/2 months old, and she is getting trained as a medical assistance dog for me to help me with one of my two medical conditions -- she will be my puppy and my working partner for life. 

My puppy's full name is Femida Nadezhda Niki and it means: Justice, Hope, Victory.

Femida: Russian word for the Greek Godess of Justice

Nadezhda: Russian word meaning Hope

Nadezhda Nochi: Russian meaning Hope in the Night

Niki: Greek word meaning Victory

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