The white Akita named Navy found his forever home after spending 1,451 days with the country’s largest dog welfare charity.
Navy ended up at the Dogs Trust shelter in Finglas in May 2016 at an estimated three years old, after suffering mistreatment.
The animal charity said that when he arrived, “it was clear life had not been kind to him.”
“He found it difficult to trust people and the world seemed a scary place to this gentle giant.”
Navy forged a close bond with one of his carers Andy Harold, who taught him “the basics like 'sit', how to walk on a lead, and that being touched by a human wasn’t something to fear” through positive reward-based training.
“Once Navy began to feel more comfortable around people, it wasn’t long before he was one of the top dogs here at Dogs Trust,” another carer Niamh McGrath said.
“He was named Funniest Dog in the centre and would make us all cry with laughter with his silly antics every time he was taken out for a walk.”
Despite his progress, Navy still struggled when meeting new people, and it took time and multiple meetings for him to be comfortable.
After years of trust-building and rehabilitating, potential owners arrived at the shelter to meet him in February of this year who were willing to take things at Navy's pace.
“They understood that it would be a slow and gentle process getting to know him, and they were more than happy to go at Navy's pace. As time went on and with lots of regular meetings and home visits, an amazing bond blossomed,” the animal charity said.
“One night, he went for a sleepover with them, and the very next day, Ireland went into lockdown. It was like it was meant to be that Navy wouldn’t be coming back to our centre… and well, the rest is history,” the charity said in a Facebook post announcing the news.
Today, Navy’s life consists of long walks, sunbathing in the park and lounging on the couch.
“He is now a very happy, spoiled, and much-loved part of the family. For Navy's birthday, they threw him his very own party which included new toys, birthday banners and they even baked him doggy cupcakes.”
Dogs Trust currently has 157 dogs in its care and has a non-destruction policy of never destroying a healthy dog. Donations are welcome through its website.
