It may have taken her anxious family one year to be selected, but Nala (now Crystal) was well worth the wait. Dismayed when they learned the 5-year-old was being given up because she hadn’t gotten along with the child in her home and had run away, they promptly picked her up from the vet to keep her from going to too many different homes.
Their journey together officially began with a complete doggy make-over, starting with her weight. She was about 25 pounds overweight at 87.6 pounds, and the vet said it was imperative she lose that weight ASAP. The family’s daily walks with her younger beagle brother, also a rescue, made a world of difference, and it wasn’t long before she had achieved a healthier weight of 71.4 pounds.
Eagerly active now, she and her brother play tug-o-war all the time, and she’s thriving. One of her other favorite pastimes is chasing geckos. She proudly surveys the yard, looking up one bush and down another, searching … until … she spots one (she neither catches nor eats them) and a game of doggy-gecko tag ensues. Quirky and cute, Crystal’s also famous for “speaking,” making sounds reminiscent of Chewbacca in “Star Wars” throughout the day when she’s happy!
Famously fond of traveling, she accompanied her family on their first RV trip together to assist FWC (Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission) with the dire manatee situation on the East Coast. As dedicated conservationists, they have been rescuing manatees for over 15 years in Crystal River. And once the borders are open awhile, they plan on visiting Alaska again.
