“I thought I was seeing things.”
A few years ago, Vanessa Marquette was relaxing at home with her beloved dog, Nola, when she witnessed something that seemed to defy logic—and gravity. In the blink of an eye, while Marquette wasn’t looking, Nola somehow managed to scale the 6-foot-tall fence surrounding their yard.
Perplexed and a little stunned, Marquette called her husband to describe what she’d just seen—though it sounded more like something out of a cartoon than real life.
“I thought I was seeing things,” Marquette told The Dodo.
The Marquettes had adopted Nola as a puppy after she’d spent months in a shelter. Because she was blind in one eye, many people had overlooked her—but Vanessa and her husband saw something special in her.
Shortly after they brought her home, their dogsitter began reporting something unusual: Nola had a habit of climbing the fence in their yard. At first, the family was skeptical. Climbing isn’t exactly a skill most dogs are known for, and it seemed too far-fetched to be true.
But that changed not long after they relocated to New York. Their new home came with a taller fence and more curious neighbors—neighbors who soon began telling the Marquettes that they’d spotted a dog’s head peeking over the fence.
It didn’t take long before Vanessa and her husband finally witnessed it with their own eyes—Nola was scaling the fence with agility and precision, balancing herself with practiced ease.
Over time, Nola perfected her climbing routine. She wedges her body between a sturdy tree and the fence, uses her powerful legs to shimmy up, and then perches right on top of the wall, keeping one back leg pressed against the tree for support. It’s a sight that still amazes Marquette, no matter how many times she sees it.
“She does this about five times a day,” Marquette said, laughing.
But Nola’s daredevil act isn’t just for show. She climbs for the sweetest reason: to connect with her community.
“Sometimes, she says hi to the neighbor’s dog,” Marquette said.
Other times, she’s just enjoying the view—or doing a bit of friendly neighborhood surveillance. Her curiosity has earned her the nickname “Nosey Nola” among the neighbors, who have embraced her antics with amusement and affection.
“The first thing Nola does every morning is run outside,” Marquette said. “She literally can’t wait to do it.”
Every day, without fail, Nola scales her fence to greet her neighbors and take in the sights. It’s a joyful reminder of how love, curiosity, and a little bit of mischief can make a neighborhood feel like home—and how even a one-eyed pup can rise above expectations, one fence climb at a time.