Dear Isaac and Maia,

I’ve been slow to introduce Moki on the blog, but he has been with us almost a year now. This time last year, old Maizzy was living out her last hospice days while I looked for a dog for Kachina. I promised her a playmate/hiking buddy years ago, and I thought Sazi was it until she got IVDD. Dogs turn into seniors so fast, so I wanted to move pretty quickly. Plus, I think I needed diversion vs thinking about missing Maizzy.

I thought it would be fun to find a dog that looked like Kachina and was about her size. It only took a couple weeks to find just that on Petfinder. Problem was, there was no adopt button by his profile on the Annie’s Orphans page.

So, I reached out to them on Facebook. His name was Mac back then and they said he wasn’t socialized or adoptable. They did say to check back, though. In the mean time, I got approved for an adorable black terrier. I had been looking for weeks, and suddenly I have two potentials.

Something kept telling me that Moki was what I was looking for. So, I reached back out to Annie’s Orphans. I kept trying to impress upon them that I had experience with an under-socialized, shy dog when I brought Kachina home.

This time, we kept the dialog going. I learned that Moki was first shy and hid in his shelter if he saw people (skiddish), but in time it became a game for him. He went a full year there without much human contact.

His story is that he was a stray on the reservation but eventually a Navajo woman took him in. He did get socialized some there, but she had too many animals so he ended up at the rescue for about a year.

Eventually, one of the volunteers caught him and they put him in a different area where he couldn’t hid. He warmed up to them and I got the green light. I wasn’t in a hurry because Maizzy’s appointment wasn’t until April 9th.

Anyway, I canceled on the black terrier and ordered a bed and such for Moki. I snuggled Maizzy as much as possible until her arrived. It was a sad day saying goodbye. I immediately jumped in the car with Sazi and Kachina so we could spend the night in Durango before going to meet him.

We got to Annie’s Orphans the next morning and hung out in his pen with him for an hour or more so they could make sure he was a match. Eventually, we headed home to Montrose with a scared dog in a carrier.

The next few weeks were an adjustment. Maizzy was so mellow and this guy was like a Tasmanian Devil. The week after we got him, we took our annual road trip. It was good for bonding but a little nerve wracking for everyone. He was an escape risk and did escape twice, but he let me catch him.

The months that followed were trials and tribulations. I think camping and travel was good for him. Now, he loves to ride in the car. I took him to obedience class and once he started to understand, he actually enjoyed it.

Now, he is pretty happy and settling down. And, we are about to take our annual road trip, again. I’ll be less nervous this year.

Love, GMH