COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL JUNE 21, 2017
7A
All American dog adventures
N
avi is a four year old, beautiful Belgian Shep-
ard/Golden Retriever mutt-mix named after
the Navajo Reservation in Arizona where he
was born. He has an amazing "tail", errr "tale" with a
rough beginning before his transfer to a shelter in the
Rocky Mountains.
"When my husband, Rob, and I met Navi," said
Lucy, "it was love at fi rst sight. We learned that reser-
vation dogs have a tough life and Navi was no excep-
tion. He has a BB lodged in his back right hip and one
of his ear drums is burst."
As a result of his experiences, Navi lashes out by
nibbling on peoples' hands or feet when he is scared.
So their vet recommended the Colorado Correctional
Prison Inmate Program where inmates train rescue
dogs, giving both dogs and inmates a second chance.
Lucy enrolled Navi, and four weeks later he was a well
behaved dog! He understood what was expected and,
after a short human training session, Lucy and Rob also
knew how to communicate with him.
Going from a feral dog to a family dog was a stunner
for Navi. The fi rst month he joined them for a three
day backpacking trip. At night, after all day hiking, he
crashed out exhausted but happy. He faithfully stayed
right beside his pet parents the entire time.
Not to say that the dog did not have a few left over
quirks from his earlier life! "When we fi rst got him, he
was a hoarder," confesses Lucy. "He'd fi nd and col-
lect sticks, shoes, and balls from our neighbors' yards.
When our neighbor couldn't fi nd one of the boy's shoes,
she came over and asked if Navi had it--he did! You
should have seen how crestfallen his face was when we
gave ‘his' shoe back to them. It was like he was losing
a very valuable treasure."
The dog is also paw-ticular who he plays with at
the dog park. When he fi nds a dog he likes, he dances,
pounces and nudges them with his head, for them to
chase him, and then he excitedly runs around like a
chicken with its head cut off. When he doesn't have
anyone to play with, he sits down and howls.
Lucy and Rob are outdoor enthusiasts, who after
selling their home, became nomads traveling in a 23-
foot camper, looking for their perfect sailboat. Their
furry companion sleeps during the long drives, but
when they pull off of a freeway, Navi insists on his
window being rolled down to sniff his new surround-
ings. So far she has sniffed 17 states and Canada.
The family is soon off onto a new adventure. They
recently bought a sailboat and life jackets for everyone,
even their dog.
"We are currently out-
fi tting the boat," said
Lucy, "to make it more
dog-friendly before we ex-
plore the Pacifi c Northwest
coast. I often think how
extraordinary Navi's life is
starting in a desert, going
to the high Rocky Moun-
tains, where it is winter
eight months of the year, a
stint in prison and now to
the ocean. If he could only
talk!"
We can look forward to hearing more about life with
Navi as Lucy has promised to keep us informed of their
feather-furry tailed troubadour's trips aboard ship.
Humor
"My parents had Dachshunds," emailed Pat in Cheha-
lis, Washington, "who were always making us laugh for
one reason or another. One of their dogs loved vegeta-
bles and he'd go out into their garden, lay on his tum-
my, pull up carrots, and snarf 'em all down. He was a
cute little guy who loved everybody. Especially when
they were picking carrots!"
Tell us your fun/amazing/crazing pet tips and tales.
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Humane Society for Neuter/Spay Assistance Program.
(541) 942-2789
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