This year, Navi turns 7! Our sweet dog's name is Navi, named after the fairy in The Legend of Zelda, and she's a rescue all the way from the Bahamas! Since it's her birthday, I thought it would be the perfect time to share her story!
Navi's breed is called a Potcake- a rather cheeky name for a rather cheeky type of dog. Potcake is a term for mixed breed dogs found on many Caribbean islands, such as the Bahamas. She was adopted directly from the Bahamas Humane Society in 2013. Dan and I had met the summer that he got her, but we didn't start dating until a few months later. Dan had come to a point in his life where he wanted a little companion, and knew he wanted to adopt a dog. After some research, he came across Potcakes and the Bahamas Humane Society on Facebook. Their website can be found here and their Facebook page can be found here. They run a Facebook page all about the facility and post photos of all their adoptable animals. He fell in love with a sweet little puppy and decided to start going through the process of adoption.
Unfortunately, that puppy fell ill and passed away before he could move forward with the adoption. After feeling heartbroken and discouraged about losing his potential pal, he eventually came across another little scampy pup, and knew it was meant to be. The Bahamas Humane Society named her Claridge, after the street she was found on- all alone. They guessed that she was about 5 months old at that point, so counting back we landed on February 23 as her proposed birthday. Dan knew they were meant to be in each others lives and started the process of adoption (after a lot of convincing to his parents...his biggest argument was that she wouldn't shed...HA ain't that funny as everything I own is currently coated in her hair). When she was found she was covered in fleas and ticks, but they cleaned her all up and got her healthy. She got all of her shots, and back then the Bahamas Humane Society organized all international transport. So after a long sleepy flight for her with a volunteer carrier, all Dan had to do was meet them at the Toronto Airport one August afternoon and he had a new best friend for life. NAVI.
Navi is honestly the sweetest little lady and I can't imagine our life without her in it. Even though she has mastered the art of shedding a perfect layer of her hair on absolutely everything in our house, I wouldn't have it any other way. She tells us all kinds of stories with her fox like sounds and expressions and even likes to join in on singing happy birthday from time to time. She is always sniffing up a trail, and sneaking her way into getting more treats. She is completely OBSESSED with Dan, her ultimate master, and gets distressed when he leaves her sight. Her and I have grown a really special bond these past few years- but it wasn't always that way! When Dan and I first started dating, she let me know right away that he was hers, and she still wiggles her way in between us (her favourite spot to be). Once, I gave her a baby fox toy, that went with a mother fox stuffed animal that I kept for myself. I was saving the pair for when we had kids one day, but I thought heck it, Navi is our kid. I told her that the fox was her baby and she had to take special care of it- and that she did. She seriously treated it so gently and nicely like it was actually her baby, and even knew to grab that toy when we say "show me your baby" ! She always brings me a toy when I get home from work, along with a kiss...or 10. In the past few years she has found her love for swimming and is at total peace in the water. For being a silly clumsy pup, she is so graceful and peaceful in the water. Even though she was born in the tropical Bahamas, she LOVES the snow so much! She loves playing and rolling around in the snow, eating the snow and especially loves catching snow balls in her mouth. She loves all people but can be known to be quite sassy with other dogs because she likes her personal space and takes a bit longer to warm up to them. There are SO many things that make her the sweetest dog, and I just love her beyond words. She is our best friend and our family. I can't stress the importance of adopting dogs enough, as there are so many dogs all around the world that just need love and a safe home. It's so devastating to imagine baby Navi alone on the streets starving, getting infested with bugs and getting abused. We often wonder about what happened to her parents or the other pups in her litter. There are so many organizations out there that can help you find your new best friend and change both of your lives for the better.
Since Navi is a mixed breed Potcake, we have always been SO curious as to what mix of breeds that she actually was, and would always make our own guesses. Finally last year we decided to get her DNA tested. After finding a Groupon for a company called DNA My Dog, we gave it a go. Their site can be found here. After you sign up online, all you have to do is wait for your package to come in the mail. Then, we followed the instructions and collected a few strands of her hair (which wasn't hard to collect seeing how much of it she has...lol) and a quick swab of the inside of her cheek and mailed the samples to the enclosed address of the lab. After a few weeks we got our results via email! It came with a cute little certificate and lots of information on the enclosed breeds. We were SHOCKED at the results. Here they are:
Seriously - wow! I had always guessed she had Border Collie and some type of Sheppard in her like Belgian or Dutch Shepherd, however, I never guessed this mix! We were right with the Border Collie, but that's about all we were correct on! I would never have guessed bloodhound as they have such a distinctive and droopy face- but that's totally where she gets her instincts to constantly sniff and follow a trail. Her body shape and tail is most like a Border Collie, but I am also shocked at the amount of small dogs in her mix! That must be where she gets her brindle coat colourings, dark face and small paws from! I gotta say this mix makes a pretty cute and unique pup!
Here's a little more about Navi:
Navi's Likes:
- Being Sassy
- Swimming
- Playing in the snow
- Long walks
- Presents
- Everyone to be together in the same room (prime cuddling)
- Snuggles in the winter
- To treat her toys like her babies
- Anything meat
- Treats galore
-Carrots
- To somehow take up the entire bed
-To be right between her mama and papa
-Wearing bandanas, especially handmade ones from her mama and grandmama
Navi's Dislikes:
- When people aren't paying her attention
- When her ultimate master papa Dan is out of her sight
- Baby carrots (it’s a complicated relationship)
- Feet touching her sometimes (possible past trauma)
We love you Navi Claridge Manchego-Badiola Bouwers! Happy 7th Birthday little Scamp!
