Naco 1/8/1995 - 4/14/2010

It's hard to write about Naco. I loved that dog more than tongue can tell and pen can write. In an earlier post I told the story of how he came into our lives. When I worked for Arizona Game and Fish, some of my duties were law enforcement related. I always took Naco with me- he just looked the part, and he had the best nose of any dog. One time I was checking the licenses of hunters and I stopped to talk to some hunters in a pick up truck. Naco was sitting on the front seat of my work truck. The window of my truck was rolled down, but I had gotten out of the vehicle to talk with the hunters. The next thing I know Naco has jumped out the window of my truck and is sniffing the edge of the hunters truck where the cap meets the bed. The driver seeing this says, "is that a meat detection dog."- Thinking quickly I say, "yes, and he is telling me that you guys aren't telling the whole story of your success." Sure enough Naco had alerted me to an illegally taken deer. I have a lot of stories like that. He made me look good more than once.

I always felt secure with Naco. He was my great protector. He was just so confident, so easy, and I felt he was wise. No matter where we lived, Naco slept next to my side of the bed. He was my dog. I loved to put my arms around him and give him a big hug. I miss him terribly.