Thursday, 12/29/2016

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12/29/2015 - One year ago today I saw Wolfskin for the first time. On photos from the reception camp in Romania. One leg is missing, his fur is matted and hanging down in tatters. He's pretty skinny and he's scared. Can hardly be touched - no wonder after what he must have been through. And I immediately lost my heart to him.

So much has happened since then. Wolfskin's first winter without starving and freezing, his first real Christmas with lights and that very special atmosphere. Walks in the snow, which he enjoys because he knows that he can go back to his home and feel safe afterwards.

Wolfskin is our sunshine; he has given my life a new meaning and lets me see a lot with different eyes.  Now his attachment to me is palpable every moment,  his trust makes me happy and proud. I can see in his eyes such devotion and love as I never thought possible.

The practice now is that Wolfskin is everywhere we are. When I'm in the kitchen, it's somewhere in the middle. If I've made myself comfortable on the sofa, it's somewhere nearby; always keeping an eye on me. If I go into the basement, he'll come after me. He sleeps in his corner under the desk next to my bed and takes me to the bathroom when I get up. He happily has a collar, leash and reflective collar put on and goes outside.  He patiently waits until the car door is open and he can jump into his box to take us somewhere where we can have a really nice walk. He's now romping around with his shunka, throwing back and forth and dashing around exuberantly. He is no longer afraid of strangers, more curious. He barks at other males, but only briefly. Then he is curious and just sniffs. In front of the house in the garden and to the car we let him run without a leash - he doesn't even begin to move away from me. He either runs right next to me or straight into the car or to the front door. He never hesitates.

As much as Wolfskin likes to go outside and on tour, he would still prefer to go home. He enjoys being outside, but you can clearly see that he would like to go home again.

A few things I noticed:

Wolfskin is pretty hardy to noise. Almost nothing bothers him, I can even push him away with the vacuum cleaner!

He doesn't like white vans. And he gets scared when we're walking down the street and a car pulls up next to me. He doesn't like that at all. These two facts probably suggest a lot...

Otherwise, Wolfskin is almost a normal dog - only much more grateful and devoted than any dog that has never had to experience bad things can be.

We will continue to walk our common path, which hopefully will be a very long one.

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An exciting year with a wonderful animal. I think it's the right time to close my diary for the time being.