It was love on first flight! This dog was not only a woman’s best friend, but also the ultimate wingman, introducing her to her pilot boyfriend in his dying days.
Adri Pendleton, 29, had been living in Amsterdam with her two dogs for six years when her relationship ended and decided to move back to the United States late last year.
While the TikTok creator was ready to move back to Redding, California, she realized the hardest part would be getting her 15-year-old border collie Nelly back as well.
Nelly, who has since died, had developed epilepsy and was diagnosed with a mild heart murmur.
Adri Pendleton, 29, had been living in Amsterdam with her two dogs, Loki and Nelly, for six years when her relationship ended. She decided to move back to the United States
She quickly realized that the hardest part would be getting her 15-year-old border collie Nelly (pictured) back to the US as well
Due to Nelly’s health problems, Adri was hesitant to put the dog in the overhead bin for the plane home, and she couldn’t find an airline that would let a dog her size travel with her in the cabin on an international flight.
Adri realized that the only option to get her beloved dog back was a private plane – so she immediately started raising money to get her home back, posting videos to the TikTok account of her other dog, Loki, who quickly went viral.
‘People like [Loki] a lot of. He has a half-paralyzed face, so he looks funny,” Adri said People.
Fortunately, people also looked kindly at Nelly and her fate: her videos were viewed tens of thousands of times and her GoFundMe received worldwide attention.
Her videos were also noticed by German pilot Niklas Stoeterau, 26, who said he was “touched” by her story and contacted her via TikTok with a proposal to bring the couple back to the US.
Niklas, who lived in Hamburg at the time, said he was able to take Adri and her canine companion as far as New Jersey as he was allowed to bring a guest for a greatly reduced price.
“I thought, maybe it’s not California, but at least it’s on the right side of the Atlantic Ocean, and it could bring Adri and Nelly closer to home,” Niklas noted.
“I called it my plus and a half.”
Despite it being a plan that would solve her transcontinental problems, Adri admitted that she was unsure at first.
Niklas, who lived in Hamburg at the time, reached out via TikTok saying he could bring Adri and her canine companion to New Jersey, which she accepted
The traveling companions initially said goodbye in Newark, New Jersey, and continued to think of each other
Sadly, Nelly passed away about a month after they returned to California, but Adri was grateful for the extra time she got to spend with Nelly.
“I’ve had men take advantage of me before in vulnerable situations,” she explained, adding that she and her family did background checks on Niklas.
The pair were in constant contact leading up to the flight, messaging for almost two months.
However, Niklas admitted he was ‘a bit nervous’ when the day arrived, and went to meet Adri and Nelly at an airport in Milan in January.
As it turns out, he had nothing to be nervous about, as the pair talked non-stop throughout the 15-hour flight – including two layovers.
Niklas said he felt an immediate connection with the dog owner, including similar interests like photography and country music.
“It was just something about her,” he said. “We can talk about the most random things and it just feels easy.”
Another indication that Niklas was someone special was Nelly’s immediate affection for him.
“You’d think she’d be a little shy or not very fond of strangers, but we got along really well the entire flight,” the pilot said.
Adri started posting videos on the TikTok she had for her other dog, Loki (pictured), which quickly went viral
Although the traveling companions said goodbye in Newark, New Jersey, they continued to think of each other.
‘A few days after the flight I said, ‘You are very impressive. If you keep this up, I’ll invite you to California and take you on a date,” Adri recalled.
“I mean, it was obvious that we were both interested in each other,” she added.
“I was happy that she took that first step,” Niklas confirmed.
Sadly, Nelly passed away about a month after they returned to California, but Adri is grateful for the extra time she got to spend with Nelly.
“Definitely the ultimate wingman,” she said.
The boisterous flyer returned to visit Adri in California in March and met her family, but they have no concrete plans to move or get married yet – as much as their TikTok followers would love to.
Currently, Niklas has accepted a new job in Switzerland while Adri is taking classes, hoping to become a dog behaviorist.
‘Neither of us really feel pressured. We like that TikTok is so supportive and enthusiastic about us, but we just do our thing,” Adri explains.
‘Were happy. So that’s what it’s all about.’