< PreviousFeaturesMojo and KiraMojo is a 3-year-old liver-colored male English cocker spaniel who came to his owners, John Havard and Carrie Derkowski, from Big Cocker Kennels in Manor, Texas. Mojo is all about peace, love, fetch ball, fetch ball again and more fetching ball. Mojo can’t resist big water bowls; he loves to dip his front paws in them and splash. His coat, when not shaved for summer, is like a thick 1960s shag carpet. He loves to boat and swim.Kira is a 20-month-old blue roan female English cocker. Her full name is Fallen Wings Cairo Kira, and she hails from Wisconsin. She came to her Galveston owners from El Corazon Kennels in Waller, Texas, where she enjoyed swimming in a large pond. She’s been a water dog ever since.Both dogs come from field trial champion lineage. They’re bred to work in the field and have a keen sense of smell. At the Galveston Yacht Basin, they’re affectionately called the “Wiggly Butts,” because they’re happy to see nearly everyone and their tails rarely stop wagging.Photos by irene aMiet(Top) Kira, left, and Mojo are water-loving English cocker spaniels. Their wagging tails are well-known at the Galveston Yacht Basin. (Above) Mojo shows Kira proper diving techniques.20 CoastMonthLy.CoM / AUGUST 2015Nails & Spa Of TexasGalvestonAppointments & Walk-Ins Welcome• Mani. & Pedi.• Solar Nails • UV Gel Nails• Hot Stone Massage• Foot Massage / Reflexology• Waxing • Facials• Eyelash Extensions • Threading• Pedicure $20 • Shellac $25• Solar White Tip $25Complimentary Wine, Mimosas And SodasBusiness Hours:Monday-Saturday: 9:00am–8:00pmSunday: 10:00am–7:00pm6228 Broadway StreetSuite L, Galveston(Next to Home Depot)Happy Hour 9am - 1pm Mon - Thurs • Come see us, no waiting!409-744-NAIL (6245)VanYvonneTonyaPedicure PamWendyRoseMayTinaCindyNinaKimThchiKarenLonnieCandyArtFeaturesNaNaNana, the 4-year-old old English sheep-dog, can’t claim BOI (born-on-the-island) status. But when she was born on Thanks-giving Day in Abilene, owners Saralyn and Ed Richard drove there and back in one day to add her to their family. It didn’t take long for Nana to embrace Galveston and for islanders to embrace her.In fact, Nana represents all that is best about Galveston: friendliness, spontaneity, diversity and fun, said Richard, who does happen to be a BOI.Nana was the inspiration for children’s picture book “Naughty Nana,” written by Richard and illustrated by Rebecca Evans, and based on the real-life adven-tures of a sheepdog puppy who just wants to have fun.Whether it’s walking on the Seawall or The Strand, making friends at the Galves-ton Children’s Museum or the University of Texas Medical Branch’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, or wandering in and out of open-air festivals, Nana is all about people, Richard said. “Take her to a Mardi Gras parade, and she’ll attract as much attention as the floats,” she said. Nana also happens to be the fluffiest aficionado of ArtWalk, a downtown island event that draws hundreds of people to galleries and shops every six weeks.Nana’s good nature and affinity for peo-ple have made her an unofficial goodwill ambassador in Galveston, her owners say. Wherever she goes, she greets whomever she encounters by plopping at their feet and refusing to move until they pet her. Nana’s thick fur is soft, and children mar-vel at her missing tail and her one blue and one brown eye, Richard said.Photo by JeNNifer reyNoldsNana is the sheepdog who is the inspiration for the illustrated “Naughty Nana” children’s book. 22 CoastMoNthly.CoM / AUGUST 2015Galveston | $154,5003/3, Beautifully updated home! 2127 65th Street | 713-818-1737Tiki Island | $645,0003/2, Bayfront home on 2 lots! 219 Isles End | 713-516-0663Tiki Island | $475,0004/3, Home on large lot with pool! 1402 Tiki Drive | 281-787-5965Tiki Island | $399,0003/2, Beautiful Tiki home! 433 Amanda Circle | 281-787-5965Tiki Island | $599,5004/3, Very unique & spacious! 1311 Outrigger | 713-254-4076Tiki Island | $299,0003/2, Home on large lot!1411 Tiki Dr. | 713-206-2030©2015 Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated. If your property is currently listed with a real estate broker, please disregard. It is not our intention to solicit the offerings of other real estate brokers.Find more available homes at GaryGreene.com409.938.1121101 Tiki Drive, Suite 100Tiki Island, Texas 77554Available HomesBayou Vista | $242,0003/4/3, Tropical paradise! 580 Warsaw Street | 409-789-0049Tiki Island | $430,0005/4, Gorgeous custom canal home! 1222 Maui | 713-516-0663Tiki Island | $1,100,000One of Tiki’s premier homes! 931 Long Reach | 409-599-8214Santa Fe | $249,0003/2, Updated ranch home! 13105 33rd Street | 409-789-0049La Marque | $105,0003/4/2, Spacious home! 2806 S. Houston | 409-771-4305Dickinson | $335,0003/1/2, Move in ready! 4456 Scenic Drive | 713-206-2030FeaturesMakar, Bacha and PinahutJohn Maitino was concerned about moving his beloved pets from a Canadian-border town in upstate New York to the Southern climes of the Upper Texas Coast. Makar, Bacha and Pinahut (pronounced pee-na-hoot) are Siberian huskies origi-nally bred for snow sledding and cooler weather. But Maitino’s concerns were unwarranted. These now coastal canines made an easy transition from dashing through the snow to sledding over the sandy shores of Galveston Island. All three dogs are purebreds with rich ancestries. Makar, a 6-year-old male with soft brown eyes, has a sweet disposition. Bacha is a 9-year-old male with crystal blue eyes and is the leader of the pack. Both males weigh about 47 to 48 pounds. Pinahut, the only female, is 12 years old, has golden eyes and unique fox-like color-ing. She weighs a svelte 42 pounds. “She is, without a doubt, the most vocal of the pack,” Maitino said. These huskies pull the weight of man and sled with grace and ease, reaching speeds of up to 15 mph, proving they’re every inch the athlete as their owner, who is an avid martial arts enthusiast and race car driver.A mechanical engineer with Praxair, Maitino runs the dogs in Jamaica Beach on Galveston’s West End, where he’s lived since 2012. Always mindful of his pets’ health, he only runs the dogs during colder months and the coolest parts of the day. “I love watching people’s faces as we race by,” Maitino said. “I believe we must make a very strange sight.”Photo By Stuart VillanueVaJamaica Beach resident John Maitino trains his Siberian huskies Bacha, from left, Makar and Pinahut on the beach during colder months and the coolest parts of the day.“I love watching people’s faces as we race by. I believe we must make a very strange sight.”– John Maitino24 coaStMonthly.coM / AUGUST 2015t&YQPTFE%VDU$FJMJOHTt1SFNJVN4UBJOMFTT4UFFM"QQMJBODF1BDLBHFt(SBOJUF .BSCMF 2VBSU[PS4MBUF$PVOUFSUPQTt$VTUPN$BCJOFUSZ4UPSBHFt1JOF8PPE'MPPSTt0SJHJOBM8JOEPXTt'JUOFTT$FOUFSt$POUSPMMFE"DDFTT&OUSZt1FU'SJFOEMZt*OUIF)FBSUPG%JOJOH 4IPQQJOH &OUFSUBJONFOUBOEUIF8BUFSGSPOUHISTORICGALVESTON LOFTS from the low $200sSALES CENTER NOW OPEN2402 Mechanic Street | Galveston, Texas 77550409.443.5202 | TheStrandLofts.comAll information is believed to be accurate but is not warranted. Oral representations cannot be relied upon as correctly stating representations of the seller. For correct representations, reference should be made to the purchase agreement.Ease into a new life at The Strand Historic Lofts and experience a new kind of Texas Gulf living. Loft living in the heart of historic Galveston that features bright open spaces with exposed original brick walls and room after room of impressive finishes and authentic details.HIGHSTYLEFORANELEVATEDLEVELOFLIVINGLeading EdgeKelly KelleyBroker/Co-ownerKelly@KellyKelley.comFeaturesDixie Rosalind Richard’s Labrador retriever was named Dixie, after the country music trio The Dixie Chicks, long before she got her six years ago. Richard took Dixie in after an elderly Cajun couple, who originally adopted her, realized she might be too much to handle after one too many bounding hellos from the Labrador. Richard worked to train her and not let her become a spoiled “diva,” she said. But when Dixie was diagnosed with cancer in 2012, that soon changed. Dixie was treat-ed at Texas A&M University’s Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital. Two surgeries and year of chemo later, Dixie was cancer-free. But after her illness, efforts not to spoil her were futile, Richard said.“The world was her oyster and she knew it,” Richard said. “We had started a ‘Save Dixie’ online fund to defray the costs of her treatment; friends, family and well wishers had pitched in. So, Dixie was now a star with a formidable fan base. And we have never been so happy to have a spoiled rotten dog on our hands.”Dixie loves to chase a ball in the surf year-round, but prefers those beautiful, clear fall days when the speckled trout are running, Richard said. On those days, the Labrador will dispense with the ball and run through the surf until she spots movement in the water. She’ll suddenly dunk her head and come up smiling with a trout flopping between her teeth, Rich-ard said. Dixie has mellowed a bit, and is even willing to allow other dogs on her Galves-ton beaches, Richard said. C Stories compiled with the help of dog owners and Coast Monthly correspondents Irene Amiet and Esther McKenna.Photo by Jennifer reynolDsDixie, Rosalind Richard’s 6-year-old yellow Lab, loves to catch fish. She’ll chase down a jumping mullet or sniff out a fish swimming past her.26 CoAstMonthly.CoM / AUGUST 2015Synergy 6502 Stewart Rd. Galveston, Texas 77551 T: 409.744.7000 ChunkyFunkyMonkey.com Exceptional Window Fashions & Design Custom Shutters, Blinds, Draperies & Fine Flooring Quality Upholstery Exclusive Wallpaper & Fabrics Turn-Key Prices on Stanley Furniture Skilled Design Services Home Renovation & RemodelsHunter Douglas Priority Dealer Next >