🌿 Meet Naya — A Soul Dog Learning What Love Means 🌿

Naya is guessed to be a 4-year-old cattle dog mix, and she is breathtaking in both beauty and spirit. She wears a stunning white coat splashed with black spots and merle coloring, with soft tan markings on her face that form the most expressive little eyebrows you’ve ever seen. Her eyes—deep, soulful, and impossibly gentle—feel like they’re searching… not for attention, but for connection.

She currently weighs 53 pounds, which is a huge victory for this girl. When Naya was rescued, she weighed just 30 pounds—skin and bones after being locked in a crate and starved in a horrific home. By the grace of God and timely intervention, authorities stepped in before she shared the same fate as her housemates.

She arrived filthy, broken down, unsure… and still, somehow, hopeful.

With good groceries, patience, love, safety, and more than a few baths, Naya has blossomed into a healthy, affectionate dog who is learning—day by day—that humans can be kind.

And when she bonds?
She bonds deeply.

🏡 House Manners & Potty Training

Naya is perfectly potty trained. Truly.
She has not had a single accident in her foster home.

• Holds it all night without issue
• Trots happily to the door in the morning
  Understands routine beautifully
• She will use the doggy door if one is available.

She’s polite, reliable, and very in tune with her people.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Kids, People & Social Stuff

Naya has spent time with neighbor kids aged 8–16. She is incredibly gentle and affectionate. When they sit on the ground, she’ll quietly crawl into their lap and soak up the love. Due to her size and strength, she would do best with older kids who understand respectful dog interactions.

🐕 Other Animals

Naya coexists very well with other dogs and tends to do her own thing if the other dog isn’t interested in her. She doesn’t roughhouse much, but she’s kind, respectful, and calm. Though she hasn’t been officially cat tested, she get’s a little too excited when she sees the neighborhood stray cats across the street so a cat-free home is required.

She has absolutely thrived alongside a calm, confident dog (her bestie, El Jefe!) and clearly benefits from modeling steady canine behavior.

She plays beautifully. She give beautiful play bows, respects boundaries, and doesn’t become overbearing in her play. 

🦴 Personality, Energy & Daily Life

Despite her breed mix, Naya is currently low to moderate energy. Her foster mom lovingly nicknamed her “Tato” — short for couch potato. We believe that once she fully settles in, she will open up more and play more with another confident, friendly pooch to pal around with. 

She enjoys:

• Strolling the yard, sniffing, listening to birds
• Sunbathing
• Chewing on toys for short bursts
• Interactions, playtime, and chill time with other friendly dogs
• Being near her people — this part is key

She’s not demanding or chaotic. She’s content, peaceful, present, and grateful to simply be safe.

That said… when she gets super excited, this girl can be  athletic. She can vault over couches with ease and jump baby gates up to 30 inches. A secure 6-foot fence is recommended in her yard.

💕 Cuddling, Affection & “Velcro Dog” Tendencies

Naya is a SUPER cuddler.

She wants to be touching you whenever possible—pressed against your side, draped across your lap, or resting her head on your chest. She isn’t overly kissy, but she loves to gently sniff your face with her big nose like she’s memorizing you.

• Couch cuddler ✔️
• Bed buddy ✔️
• Loyal shadow ✔️

If you get up and leave the room, she waits. When you return—even after 15 seconds—she greets you like you’ve been gone for years.

Her eyes… they melt people. Daily.

🎾 Play Style, Toys & Enrichment

Naya enjoys:
• Squeaky tennis balls
• Fuzzy balls
• Rope toys for chewing and flinging

She’ll happily fetch a few times, then decide she’s done—because balance. She does very well with food puzzles and eats politely, never gulping. She knows exactly when it’s mealtime and will patiently wait… then politely remind you if you’re running late. Smart girl.

She’s not overly interested in treat puzzles, but she loves training and learning.

🧠 Training, Intelligence & Behavior Support

Naya is wicked smart. She has shown good recall

She knows:

• Sit
• Down
• Shake
• Stay
• Roll over
• Touch
• Leave it

She learned the doggy door in three tries and picks up new skills quickly because she genuinely wants to please.

She does have some fear-based/frustration behaviors, particularly around:
• New people at the door
• Some dogs or people on leash

This shows up as barking and excitement—not aggression—and she has already made huge progress using positive reinforcement and structure.

In one behavior session, she went from reacting fearfully to nearly everything in the neighborhood… to calmly watching the world pass by. That kind of growth tells us everything we need to know about her potential.

🚨 Important note:
Naya must continue with positive reinforcement training only. Heavy-handed methods or force will cause her to regress. With patience, calm leadership, and consistency, she flourishes.

To support her success, Pawsitive Restorations is including a consult with our behaviorist with Naya’s adoption so her new family can continue exactly where she is now.

💭 What Naya’s Eyes Are Saying

“You are my world.
Thank you for bringing me back from hell.
I will protect you from strangers, squirrels, and the occasional TV dog…
As long as you share your couch, your bed, and your heart.”

Naya is a soul dog. She has forgiven things no dog ever should have had to endure. Sometimes, there’s a quiet sadness behind her eyes—but far more often, there’s joy, gratitude, and a wiggly butt attached to a wagging tail.

She is happy now. And she’s ready for what comes next.

🏠 Her Ideal Home

Naya will thrive in:
• A calm, patient household
• Humans who are home often (especially at first)
• A yard to explore and relax in
• A routine she can rely on
• A friendly, confident dog sibling (a bonus, not a requirement)
• Continued positive-reinforcement training and daily enrichment activities

She wants to be someone’s person. Or someone’s people. She doesn’t need chaos—she needs commitment.

💜 Final Word

Naya survived things that should have broken her.
Instead, she chose love.

She’s not “damaged.”
She’s becoming.

And for the right human… she will be… everything.