Despite her smiling face, Nala was fearful of others when she was a pup. (Nisha Ramachandran pic)KUALA LUMPUR: She wouldn鈥檛 let them touch her. Not at first. She came close 鈥 just enough to sniff the food in their hands. Always alert, always cautious. Some days, she disappeared. Other days, she lingered at the edge of the parking lot, quiet and watchful.To most, she was just another stray outside a Johor Bahru apartment block. But to Nisha Ramachandran and her husband, this one felt different. They weren鈥檛 planning to take her home. They were just helping 鈥 feeding, caring, like many in the community.鈥淪he was also being bullied. The existing pack of stray dogs didn鈥檛 like her. One day, when we saw it, my husband went and stood between them.For Nala, Nisha Ramachandran is her spare human. The dog鈥檚 first love is Nisha鈥檚 husband. (Nisha Ramachandran pic)鈥淎fter that, every time the other dogs came to disturb her, she鈥檇 go and stand behind him. But she still wouldn鈥檛 let us touch her,鈥 Nisha, a marketing consultant, shared with FMT Lifestyle.Smart and sensitive, Nala (as she鈥檚 called now) kept her distance. New to the area and without her brother, she didn鈥檛 quite fit in. Then one Sunday, everything changed.On their way to church, Nisha and her husband saw guards chasing dogs with mopeds and sticks. Most fled. Nala and another smaller puppy froze. They managed to carry the trembling puppy away but it took longer with Nala as she was curled under a car, refusing to move at first.Nala refused to be rehomed when she was a puppy as she only wanted to be with Nisha and her husband. (Nisha Ramachandran pic)With nowhere else to go, they snuck both dogs into their apartment. Lily, the smaller one, was quickly fostered. But Nala refused to be rehomed. She climbed gates at the fosterer鈥檚 house, escaped crates, but never left for long. Always nearby. Always waiting.鈥淪he鈥檚 waiting for you,鈥 the fosterer finally told Nisha. 鈥淪he doesn鈥檛 want to be anywhere else.鈥 And that was it. Nala had chosen them. They hadn鈥檛 planned to keep her. But Nala had already made up her mind.鈥淪he鈥檚 now obsessed with my husband,鈥 Nisha, who had since moved to Kuala Lumpur, said, laughing. 鈥淚鈥檓 the spare human. I feed her, train her, prep her meals 鈥 but he鈥檚 her entire world.鈥滷rom the beginning, Nala made her allegiance clear. She cuddled with him, waited for him, followed him everywhere. 鈥淪he鈥檚 basically his child now,鈥 Nisha said.Nala loves to cuddle not just with her pawrents, but with her feline siblings as well. (Nisha Ramachandran pic)Full of personality and strong opinions, Nala is reactive around other dogs 鈥 scars from her past 鈥 but deeply expressive. And intuitive.鈥淪he鈥檚 not usually cuddly with me, but during that time of the month, she is very, very obedient. She is very sweet 鈥 she鈥檒l come and lie down next to me, and be all cuddly,鈥 Nisha mentioned.Nala is also a picky eater. Fresh carrots only, no broccoli. Mangoes and bananas are her favourites. Raw chicken? Still a work in progress. And the attitude? Plenty.鈥淥ne time she stole a bone from the garbage. I scolded her. Later, I found her sitting beside the bone, refusing to eat until I said it was okay,鈥 Nisha recounted.Nala catching forty winks with her feline buddy. (Nisha Ramachandran pic)Even travel plans don鈥檛 escape her notice. When Nisha visits family in Penang, and her husband鈥檚 in Taiping, Nala knows she won鈥檛 see him for a week.鈥淭he days before we leave, she won鈥檛 let him out of her sight. Even if he鈥檚 just taking out the trash, she sits by the door and whines.鈥漊ltimately, Nisha values her relationship with Nala, despite being the spare human.鈥淣ala is a little bit of everything. A companion. A friend. And definitely a child. We go for walks together, we sit in silence, we do a lot of random nothings together. So 鈥 very much a balance between a child and a friend.鈥