Happy Loki-versary!

“Whose momma, whose?”

It was 13 years ago today when we drove up to San Francisco to get this boy. We were literally his last option as he’d been kicked out of four homes, one in Taiwan and three in the US. It didn’t take me long to find out why. He was a big bucket of working drive mixed with a whole lot of anxiety which quickly earned him the nickname, “The Cracker.” He was mouthy, which scared me at first, but many bites later, and a whole lot of tug,  we figured out our communication patterns and he’s been nothing perfect. Now I love mouthy dogs! He was a great big brofur to Juicy, and made sure to herd her back to me whenever her husky selective hearing took over. He saved our home from burning down in 2013 and warded off several unwanted interlopers around the home. He’s also fantastic at search and has found countless of my lost items from keys to hats and gloves. And he’s a great walking partner.  We made adjustments to how we lived in order for him to feel safe and worked endlessly with him in agility, bite work and obedience so he could gain confidence and do his job which tamped down his anxiety quite a bit.  While he doesn’t do bite work anymore, he still loves being employed. To this day, he patrols nightly before and after dinner, and before bed. It still amazes me we took a dog like him out of the country for three years without incident. We led a very structured but active life, and he was even the apple of his pet sitter’s eye in Switzerland. He and Juno would stay in an open cageless kennel, and though I stressed over him becoming a nut job, the kennel keeper fell in love with him, often saying that one more day with him and Loki would be his! Many before us didn’t see the value in him. I just loved him for who he was, and expected nothing more from him. In return for the structured, balanced and adventurous life we’ve given him, Loki has brought us undeniable protection and loyalty. He’s done “good boy work” for us over 13 years! Fate brought him into our lives, but it was our destiny to learn and grow together.

Today’s agenda:

Happy Lokiversary Daddy-O! We love you to the moon and back! Whip cream and sprinkles for all!