News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
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How long has it been since you became giddy with joy just watching a bee scoot around a daisies’ pollen-laden center, amazed at how the bee could fill its pollen basket (also known as the corbicula) with so much pollen and still be able to fly? When did you last watch a procession of ants, being filled with wonder, and then try to follow the line to its end? These are just a couple of the wonders my young Scotties have helped me enjoy seeing recently. The Scotties were born in Idaho during the late fall. Cold had already k... Full story
We brought them home in a snowstorm. They were half wild. At 15 weeks, they were the last dogs for a Scottie breeding kennel to sell, of his 30 puppies bred in 2023. It was obvious that these two brindle boys were not popular with the breeder’s clients. You almost never see brindle Scotties. Yet it is a valid color for the breed. I won’t ask what happens to most of the ones that don’t sell. Fortunately for us, these two came to our home. It may have continued snowing outside, but the sun has been shining in our home ever... Full story
In 2011 my husband and I helped Aberdeen Scottish Terrier Rescue, an Oregon-based rescue group. One day we were sent to Eugene to pick up two Scottie puppies. They had lived in a small cage, never getting out. Scared and underweight, they came home with us. One pup quickly went to Washington. We kept the other, naming him Bernie. Initially he was terrified of stepping outside. But soon he discovered the wonders of the world. Bernie's fears created challenges. Below is his... Full story
Bernie, our 12-year-old black Scottie, has walked the roads in our neighborhood for all but the first six months of his life. Many people have moved in and out of the neighborhood during those 12 years. Thus, many dogs have come and gone too. Bernie was badly abused during the first six months of his life. He came to our home with a number of fears and anxieties. Because of those issues, Bernie seems to build a dog enemies list. As an observer, he seems to have included people and their dogs who won’t greet him. He appears t... Full story
If you have ever lived with a cat or a dog through the wintertime, you have noticed how they find every pool of sunlight in which they can safely and comfortably sleep. Seeking comfort, warmth, and peace in the sunlight is where my Scotties go too. For thousands of years people have searched for light. We know from ancient structures like Stonehenge in England — which is more than 5,000 years old in stone and another 5,000 years older as a wooden structure—that... Full story
New Year’s Day always makes me reflective. I was thinking how blessed I’ve been to have Scottie dogs to take care of for nearly 40 years. As I thought about all the things I’ve done for them a memory jumped into my head. Not long after my husband and I retired here in Central Oregon, we attended a small event hosted by some partners of the Portland law firm my husband’s company had used. One of the lawyer’s wives, who didn’t know me, asked what I was doing now that I was retired. So I began telling her about all I did with... Full story
A magical fall with warm, sunny days soon crashed into early winter just after Halloween. I heard people start to grumble that it was too cold, but the Scotties rejoiced that their weather had finally arrived. Each morning they started running outside to roll in either ice or snow as they sang a Scottie version of “Joy to the World.” It marked the start of the best time of year for Scotties in the Nave household. Christmastime means delicious roasted turkey, buttery, raw pie... Full story
Fall is in the air. Nights are cool and crisp, and days offer golden sunshine. This is the best time of year to me and my Scotties. We aren’t fans of too much heat, and we’d rather not deal with 10-degree walks. This is perfect. It’s why we live in this amazing country. It’s now nine months since we lost our third and youngest Scottie, Chewy. During those nine months we’ve watched our big boy, Bernie, and our little girl, Piper, turn into the most contented pair of dogs we’ve ever lived with. It’s amazing. Piper fell he... Full story
Bernie, our black, 11-year-old Scottie, loves to sit on the rock step to our back door. It’s high up, so that he can survey the acres of land all around him that he loves. He’s at peace there. Watching him on a beautiful summer morning reminds me of the numerous times in the Bible when someone goes up the mountain to find God. “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain.” Isaiah 11:9 Peace, joy, health, harmony are all promised to us if we will earnestly search for God. The Bible uses a lot of sacred-... Full story
If you watch my Scotties’ daily activities, or any dog for that matter, you will think their purpose in life is simply to eat, to play, and to sleep. Yet, if you pay closer attention, you find that dogs clearly have a deeper purpose to life. Having descended from wolves, dogs carry a deep sense of purpose. They are all dedicated to protecting their pack and their territory. Modern dogs generally include the family they live with, and any close friends of the family who come to visit frequently, as part of their modern p... Full story
All dogs have personality, and most dog-people choose their breed based upon that breed’s general personality traits. Scotties are known for having strong traits. Stubborn, independent, opinionated, and devoted would pretty much cover their general character. Each individual dog builds around those characteristics, creating the pet we know and love. When adopting rescued dogs, we find that we become heir to a number of traits from their earlier home environments. Our little girl, Piper, came to us with a very subdued yet l... Full story
I was thinking about my Scotties, wondering how they would see God. Trying to put myself in their place, I realized that they could very easily see me, their keeper, in the same light as most people view God. To my Scotties, I’m the supplier of all things good. They get all their treats, food, petting, and playtime from me, and others they love. I hold all the power, offering them a certain amount of freedom, which they highly value. To my knowledge, they don’t have another model of vast power and good to look at. Now let... Full story
Why are dogs man’s best friend? When they are operating at their highest conscious level, they demonstrate angelic qualities. Dogs don’t judge us. Dogs forgive us for our errors. Dogs often show us unconditional love. And dogs have given their lives to save those they hold dear. Dogs represent many of the teachings of Jesus Christ. Don’t we wish all humans operated at that level of consciousness? That would make the world a better place. Our 11-year-old rescued Scottie, Bernie — whose antics were the inspiration for m... Full story
We had our Christmas season’s peace shattered by our youngest Scottie, Chewy, developing an explosive case of lymphatic tumors. Our little angel passed on to heaven two days after Christmas. I believe that nothing bad comes without bringing something good. At this time, the good I see from Chewy’s passing is a renewed awareness of the dangers of chronic fear. Chewy had been beaten, abused, and occasionally starved in his former home. He lived with us for four years, becoming a happy dog most of the time. One can counsel an... Full story
I’ve been thinking a lot about misinformation. It seems everywhere you turn people have very different ideas about what is correct and what is not. How do we know what is right? My Scotties have been bitten or aggressively charged by three large black dogs in the neighborhood over the past 10 years. Now they consider any large black dog as a threat. Not all of the large black dogs in the neighborhood are threatening. But the Scotties are stuck with this misinformation that they believe to their core. Take the COVID s... Full story
I’ve lived with Scottish terriers for nearly 40 years, ever since marrying my husband, Claude. Dogs have always been in my life, but it was Claude’s love of the breed that introduced me to Scotties. All dogs are special and unique, and Scotties have one characteristic that truly stands out: They are as stubborn as their namesake humans. As a matter of fact, they were bred by an English nobleman who lived in Scotland, and he named the breed because he saw many characteristics in the dogs that were similar to the people aro... Full story
Yesterday was a clean-up day in the yard. The Scotties are like three-year-olds. They always want to help Mom in their yard. If I’m digging, they want to dig right next to me. If I’m raking, they want to help by playing with the rake. If I’m blowing leaves, they think it’s great help to bite the end of the blower and chase the blowing leaves. It seems to me that God gives all of us—humans and animals—a pure desire to help, at least when we are young. If children are denied the chance to help or criticized about t... Full story
Sunshine is seeping through the slats in the bedroom window shades. Bernie, our oldest Scottie, says it’s time to get up. He shakes his head, and the other two Scotties join the program, telling me I’ve got to get up with them. It’s spring! Crocus, primroses, and now daffodils burst forth to herald renewal. Despite the beautiful day, without Scottie’s urging I’d stay in bed. But who can resist the pleading of three Scottie dogs encouraging me to get up and go see the sun? Each day is a gift. I recently read that a day is 84... Full story
My three rescued Scotties love me. How do I know? I know because they wag their tails and sometimes even howl when I return to them. I know because they always want to be with me and their actions show that they enjoy being around me. I also know because they work hard to please me when times are difficult, such as during heavy snow days when we can’t easily get outside for exercise and to do other things. They may not speak with human voices, but I hear their great love. I read an article saying that brain scans show that w... Full story
We live with three Scotties. Each one approaches life with a completely different style. Bernie, who was a service dog for me after my first cancer event, is devoted but often doesn’t pay attention to my directions. Chewy, who is obsessively dependent, is extremely jealous of Bernie. Piper, the female of the pack, always forgives the boys when snapped at; she is the peacemaker. I’ve recently been reading Timothy Keller’s book, “The Prodigal God.” He is a minister and a New York Times bestselling author. This book has moved... Full story
Of all the New Years during the past nearly three-quarters of a century I’ve lived, I don’t remember a year I’ve greeted with so much hope in my heart. We’ve said goodbye to a very difficult year and our hearts are filled with hope that 2021 will be much better. Our Scotties don’t see any difference. They had all the food they love, their daily walks, and warm beds. Life has been the same for them. Maybe it is because they accept life as it comes without the fear we humans often carry. A few years ago I lived through a... Full story
As soon as the Christmas stockings are hung by the fireplace, our Scotties know something special is coming. Several years ago I wrote and illustrated a mostly biographical children’s book, Bernie’s First Christmas. The story opens with Bernie, a rescued Scottie, chasing birds and barking at squirrels. Then one day the Christmas stockings are hung and Lola, the matriarch of the rescued Scottie pack at the time, tells Bernie that those stockings mean that “good dogs” will have lots of toys and treats on Christmas day. Bernie... Full story
People like to say that dogs “live in the moment.” Anyone who says that has never lived with a rescued Scottie. My Scotties are always anticipating the next something; which includes worrying about what is coming next. If I begin grooming one, the other two hide. They also begin to worry as soon as it looks like I may leave them behind when I get in the car. One of our Scotties hated riding in a car on a winding road. As soon as we reached Tombstone Pass, heading to Corvallis, he would begin to get carsick. How do you tea... Full story
One of the many wonderful things about Scottie dogs is their honesty. They express truth. If they are barking, there is something out there. Even if I can’t see it, I know there is something or someone outside. Just yesterday the Scotties started barking. I couldn’t see a thing anywhere in the backyard. But sure enough, as I looked through another window, there was a person raking pine needles off our neighbor’s roof. Truth. We are told time and again in the Bible that truth is an essential ideal. There was a time when truth... Full story
If you ever saw the movie “Braveheart” you may remember how William Wallace yelled out “Freedom!” during the scene at the end when they executed him. Freedom is the Scotsman’s mantra. My Scotties, being like their name, become transformed when they get to take a free off-leash walk in the woods. Of course, a founding principle of America is that all people want to be free. Ask yourself this question: How free are you? Ask it from a spiritual sense. Are you as free as you want to be? I believe butterflies were put on this eart... Full story
