The second floor was missing, so it’s easy to understand why the dog threw up.
It was August 2017, and Kris Cavin had just moved into a dream home with his wife, Jennifer, and daughter, Tabatha. The home had no front yard, a big backyard and was one-story tall. On their first night in the new home, Cavin reverted to old habits. In their old two-story house, Cavin would challenge his dog Nala to race upstairs to the bedroom for bedtime. So now, without a second floor, Cavin challenged Nala to a race upstairs.
“Hey, Nala, I’ll beat you up the stairs,” Cavin, who works for Country Financial in Camas, recalls saying.
Nala, an Australian labradoodle, ran around the new surroundings frantically searching for the stairs until she stopped, flummoxed. Then she vomited. That’s just one of a half-dozen anecdotes Cavin can rattle off about his 1½-year-old dog, who was picked by the Cavins as the smallest female from a litter of puppies and has now secured family status.
From 5 to 8 p.m. June 1 in downtown Camas, the Dog Days of Summer First Friday will be filled with dog owners who, like Cavin, can recite hilarious stories about their pooches with a zest that’s usually reserved for talking about your kids.
But really, let’s be honest: What’s the difference?
“People love their dogs. It’s part of their family,” said Don Blaske, who co-owns Naturally Healthy Pet in Camas with his wife, Dore Jean.
Blaske’s theory holds up when you consider how Nala endeared herself to the Cavins. Nala slept downstairs with a blanket over her crate the first two nights with the family — an act Cavin said he still feels guilty about. Then she was brought upstairs into the bedroom, where Cavin would let his hand hang off the bed, and into Nala’s crate so she would know he was nearby. Then Nala worked her way to the spot in between the couple’s pillows, where she’s now acquired permanent residence.
“One night we didn’t put her in the cage, and she slept between our pillows, and now every night I go to bed, she’s right next to my head,” Cavin said with a smile. “I don’t know how it happened, but she found a spot.”
‘Beware of dog kisses’
Shannon Van Horn, who owns a 1-year-old beagle-rat terrier mix named Aurora, has her own intimate connection to Aurora, who used to take showers with Van Horn early in their relationship. Now Aurora opts for laying on the bed during showers.
“I don’t need to get wet anymore, but I’m watching you,” Van Horn says, pretending to be Aurora.
Aurora can also kiss and snuggle on command. The Van Horns have a sign in their house that reads: “Beware of dog kisses.”
Blaske, whose shop is the sponsor of Dog Days of Summer, has vacillated between being a dog and cat person multiple times now. Currently he’s a dog person, who owns an 8-year-old Lhasa poodle mix named Baxter.
Blaske can tell you about how the Lhasa breed is thousands of years old and used to protect Tibetan Buddhist monks, which has armed Baxter with keen hearing and a shrill bark. That’s inherent to the breed, but Blaske, Cavin and Van Horn have all taught their dogs tricks. Nala greets everyone with a handshake (sometimes even before Cavin can), and she can ring a bell to let her owners know she wants outside. Baxter can sneeze on command. And Van Horn’s son Dylan has taught Aurora to sit on command with sign language.
Tricks like these will be put to the test at the talent show, which along with a costume show, a dog breed guessing game, a dog and owner look alike contest, and much more, will be part of the proceedings June 1. While the tricks and outfits might be fun, all three owners agree that natural, easy love is their favorite part of owning dogs.
“All they want is your love and affection,” Van Horn said. “And that’s all they have for you.”
