SEC - S18W6 : "Capturing the Beauty of the Animal World"

My dearest animal friends, it all started with this photo.

I had a potential guest who contacted me to hear if they could bring their little Jack Russell, Jasper, with them when they come on holiday.
Now, when we opened the letting holiday, we decided that we were going to make it pet-friendly. As animal lovers, we know that many people would like to take their four-footed children with them.

Yes! That was my answer. She then wanted to know if there was a safe place where they could leave the doggy should they want to go somewhere where dogs are not allowed.
This time my answer was… Of course! The unit has its own enclosed courtyard, but not to worry, we also have the perfect babysitter named Romeo. For those of you who don’t remember, we had two border collies, a brother and a sister. It was sister Lushka that we had to put to sleep.

Umh… I should not have told the woman this. “Oh wow! Our border collie just had her babies, and we have one male puppy left. Should we bring him with us?" I told her that I would let her know, as I was actually thinking of getting a rescue dog.

She then sent me the photo of the puppy. I just fell in love. Of course, when I showed my hubby and stepson the photo, they answered, “We must have him.”

On June 15, after ten hours of traveling, they arrived at our doorstep with Loki. Yip, we already gave him a name, and that was before his arrival. His cute little face made us name him after Loki, the god of mischief and trickery, and our favorite Viking character from the television series Vikings, Floki.

Oh boy! Is he living up to his name! He is a real little rascal, giving not only Romeo but us also a few extra grey hairs.

He hardly sits still. He is always busy playing, biting everything, and causing havoc. In the same breath, I can say that he climbed deep into our hearts. The toys we bought him cost more than my stepson’s pocket money for two months.

In only two weeks, he has already filled our lives with adventure and challenges. After many years, we know again what it is like to have a baby in the house, getting up all the odd hours of the night to house-train him.

Yesterday, hubby and I went to church. Our church is nearly 40 kilometers from our house. We were still at church when the messages started to come in from our stepson wanting to know if we took Loki with us. No! We cannot take him to church with us. He looked everywhere, but he could not find him. At the end of the service, we left in a hurry, as not only were we worried about Loki, but we also had to stop at the airport to pick up my stepdaughter, as she was visiting us for a couple of days.

All the time, our stepson called, wanting to know where we were, the tears thick in his voice. Little do I need to tell you that it was time not to think about the laws of speeding. By the time we got home, we were so worked up, and we'd built these images of what could have happened. If he is not responding to my stepson's call, it only means two things: one, monkeys got hold of him, or two, he got bitten by a snake.

My mouth was dry, and I didn’t want to go look for him for fear of what I would find. I got into the driver's side and decided to go look if I could not find him wandering the streets, even after my husband told me that there was no way he could get out of the yard.

My stepdaughter drove with me. As I was slowly driving up and down the streets, she was calling his name. We stopped at the beach and asked the car guards if they had not seen him. We even stopped pedestrians. Nobody has seen him. For me, it was clear that if somebody found him, they would have kept him, as we haven't had the chance to have him chipped.

Then I remembered our community WhatsApp group. I pulled off the road and sent a message. Within a couple of minutes, the messages started to come in. Someone found him walking in the street and reported it to another WhatsApp group. When I called the number that was posted on the messages and the lady on the other side answered, I just burst out in tears. She was so kind. They took him to the veterinarian in town who is open on a Sunday.

All that was left was to get home as quickly as possible, pick up my husband and stepson, who were still searching for him, and rush into town.
There he was, behaving like nothing had happened, a true Loki, full of mischief and out to discover the world.

How he got out is still a mystery.

Last night, I received a message from the lady who found him, wanting to know if we got him and if all was okay. In the process, it was discovered that we are actually close neighbors. They stay one house away from us. We are no longer going to be unknown neighbors, but friends.

I once again realized how wonderful the world is that we are living in. It is a rich tapestry, woven together by the intricate connections between humans, animals, and nature, each strengthening and supporting the others in what we can call “HOME.”

PS: Stay tuned for episode 2 of Loki, as I am sure it is coming soon.

I invite @alee75 @wakeupkitty and @dove11 to participate in this contest

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