As her last big act, Nelly played the role of cupid for owner Adri Pendleton, 29, and her now partner, Niklas Stoeterau, 26.
Adri, a native of California, was living in Amsterdam with an old boyfriend, whom she had been with for six years, and their dogs Nelly and Loki, when the relationship came to an end — forcing her to return to the United States.
But Nelly, the border collie who had been part of the Pendleton family since Adri was a teenager, was too big to travel in the cabin on an international flight, and her owner didn’t have the heart to “dispatch” her best friend.
So, the American created an account on a platform of kitties and asked for help from her more than 25 followers on TikTok. The videos struck a chord with German pilot Niklas Stoeterau, who left a comment on one of the posts offering to help.
The two exchanged messages for nearly two months before meeting at the airport. In the 15 hours of travel, including a stopover, the future couple was able to get to know a little more about each other.
After landing in the U.S. in January, they couldn’t get each other out of their heads. The girl was the one who made the first move: “A few days after the flight, I said, ‘You’re very impressive. If you keep this up, I’m going to invite you to California and take you on a date,'” Adri said.
In March, Stoeterau met his beloved’s family , and the two have been together ever since, despite the distance.
Unfortunately, Nelly is no longer around to keep up with the love of the couple for whom she acted as cupid. The dog, who had epilepsy and a slight heart murmur, died just over a month after the trip.
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