The Becoming Of Loki
It was a rather cold day about 3 years ago and I was working at an animal sanctuary at the time.
The stories of some of the dogs and cats were very heartbreaking and new ones were being dumped on a daily basis in every imaginable rice field or near the sanctuary on the open roads.
The sanctuary was already way overcrowded, but the number of newbies was growing almost daily.
We had some volunteers arrive from Germany and it seemed to be just another day at the rescue.
Everyone was going about their business and doing their daily chores when a truck arrived with dark blue plastic covering a cage and rope tied around it.
It was driven by a farm worker who was performing her daily duties in a rice field and came across this big, in a plastic wrapped package.
She usually would have not paid more attention to it, because things like that are found on a daily basis, but this package made weak, little noises and when she peeked through a small hole, she found the most pathetic looking bunch of puppies, she had ever laid eyes on.
She wasted no time, dropped everything she was doing and loaded the cage onto her truck to bring the puppies to us.
Upon her arrival, we gathered around her truck to unpack this mysterious package – and my heart almost stopped.
My eyes filled with tears and I could not stop them from vividly running down my face.
Oh God, why do you allow things like this to happen?
Too weak to even move their heads, five puppies, no more than maybe 3-4 weeks old and covered in filth, were trying to cuddle with each other for some comfort.
A food bowl with an unidentifiable and moving something was in the middle of that cage, no water, and the poor pups covered in feces and giving out a smell, that would have knocked the strongest bull over.
We pulled them out one by one and they slowly opened their weak eyes and looked at us so scared and started to duck, as if they were about to be beaten.
Any fast movement on our side made them shake with fear.
Whoever did this to such innocent fur babies, deserves nothing short of the worst life has to give.
They were so frightened, so fragile – and so sweet and all of our hearts just melted.
I had never seen more pathetic little creatures, yet with such a strong will to live, that they survived the unmerciful Thailand sun for days, being locked up and additionally wrapped in plastic.
Someone hurried and went to get some water and these pups drank so much of that much-needed liquid, they started to look like balloons.
Their fur itself looked like it was twitching and we discovered an army of fleas and ticks on them.
So first things first – a flea and tick bath.
Our volunteers had never seen anything like this and were still in shock, but managed to get over it after one stopped vomiting.
The woman was fine, it was the man, who could not handle this site and that godawful smell.
But then we know, some men also need a gas mask to change a baby’s diaper…lol.
I gently grabbed the first one, which was a blond little girl with very wiry hair and the fleas just ran across me as well.
She thoroughly enjoyed her massage, and while the flea and tick shampoo was soaking in, I started with puppy number two.
The man had watched and wanted to try to accomplish this heavy duty task as well, and sat on the floor with puppy number three – and fell in love instantly.
The woman took puppy number four, and we shared the last one.
We had to let the shampoo settle for a while because that army of fleas and ticks was not about to give up their host that easy.
As the fleas were dying, and biting and itching less, the pups perked up a little, realizing that they now were in safety, and here came the first, very shy wagging of their tales.
I believe it was already at that moment, that I fell in love with Loki and he must have known because he perked up and looked straight at me.
No, I can not take more dogs, I thought to myself, my husband will shoot me, we already had six dogs and 2 cats at that point.
But I did not expect the cleverness of Loki at a later point, who was determined to become my everything.
We found a small, unused dog run near the house owned clinic on the premises, that was unused and perfect for puppies in their first stages of puppy-hood and made it comfortable for them.
They were exhausted after that complete ordeal, but still needed to eat, so we prepared a mixture of soft and dry food enriched with vitamins and everything a weakened puppy heart needed and desired when hungry.
Did I say puppies?
It was more like vacuum cleaners when we put the big bowl filled with the dry dog food down because it did not even take 15 seconds before it was empty and they were still looking for more.
I had to decline because after not eating for days it is important not to overfeed or their little systems would have not been able to take it and would have shut down.
Time to go to sleep for them and for us.
We left the run and stood outside looking in and watching these innocent, sweet little creatures settle themselves in for the night. I bet that was the first night in days they could really rest. I fell in love even more and seriously started to hate people, because it was and still is beyond me, how any human being is able to perform such cruelty to innocent living beings.
The next days were crucial because puppies at that age could carry the Parvo Virus or Distemper, among many other deadly diseases, especially in Thailand, and being taken away from their mother too early raises that chance immensely. They were much too young to vaccinate, and for a few days, it was touch and go. We spent a lot of time with them observing, playing, naming and categorizing them for the administration.
They were much too young to vaccinate and for a few days, it was touch and go. We spent a lot of time with them observing, playing, naming and categorizing them for the administration.
Luckily they were healthy and did not seem to carry much memory of their ordeal after a few days.
They did what puppies do best – eat, sleep a lot, play insanely with each other and I spent a lot of time every day with them after I finished with all the other animals.
Somehow these guys seemed different and they were growing and becoming stronger by the second, it seemed.
The pups were now about 6 weeks old, vaccinated with their first set of shots and very strong, but most of all, so cute and adorable and when they looked at us, it was like they could do nothing wrong.
They were so innocent – so I thought.
Then, one day, when we were eating lunch in the worker’s area, not too far from the puppy run, I heard a heartbreaking yelping coming from that area. I dropped my fork, my plate fell on the ground, which the dogs in the front area appreciated a lot, and ran to the puppy run.
Four puppies were trying to pull number five apart in all directions, which was Loki and he was screaming so pathetically, it tore my heart in two. I picked him up and noticed big tears in his eyes and he had a droopy and pouting lip, which I have never seen on any animal before – ever. He sobbed and looked at me with his tear-filled eyes and I promised him, I will get him out of there.
Little did I know that my husband, who definitely did not want any more dogs, had flirted long already with another dog, but I will save that for the next story.
After a couple of days in the clinic, Loki’s wounds had healed and he was returned to his siblings. I spent time with them day after day, and it was not long before Loki screamed again.
He must have known at what times I was near because it did not matter what time it was. This happened always when I was near the run.
I pulled him out and away from his siblings again, and again, and again and each time he looked at me with those beautiful tear filled eyes and that pouting lip with a sobbing to melt a stone.
We had long adopted the other dog and now it was like: how do I convince my husband to take one more?
Loki was allowed from that point on to roam free, as long as I was on the premises and he never ever left my sight. He knew when it was time to go inside the clinic to sleep, which was always around the time when I had to leave the sanctuary. He was content with that, as long as he got to see me the next day.
It was a weekend and the director had to leave town, so I asked if I could take Loki home to see if he gets along with the other gangsters, that already long stole our hearts and lived with us.
Needless to say, he knew what time it was and was already on that motorbike we used for transportation before I could tell him the great news.
Like a champ and proud as can be, he sat between my husband and me, and seemingly enjoyed that ride.
Upon arrival at our house, he acted as if he never lived anywhere else, and the others accepted him right away, cats included.
The bed became his favorite place and he only left it reluctantly and under many growling and whining protests.
Monday morning came and it was time to take him back to the shelter.
Upon arrival, the other free-roaming dogs tried to attack him and shred him to pieces, so my softhearted husband took him back to our house and we informed the director of what was going on.
Loki already had convinced my husband that he was the perfect dog to have around and the kindhearted director allowed him to be adopted by us, and so Loki moved in.
By the time I had gotten home, he had made himself a corner with a blanket, all the toys he could get his paws on and a bunch of dry dog food, he had carried into his food bowl portion by portion.
Up to this day, I still wonder, what he told his sisters and brothers if he gave up his food portions and what he told the other dogs living free in the front of the shelter ???
Today I am his whole world and he is mine and we are like 2 peas in the pod. The others have accepted, that he has somewhat the stand of the leader and he will let everyone know that he is the boss.
I still do wonder what goes on in the heads of these dogs, when they decide they want a particular person as their forever friend, maybe one day I will know.
Loki and his siblings – upon arrival 
Today I am convinced, that this all of this was planned by Loki because he is one of the smartest dogs, I have ever met, and I really would not put it past him. 🙂
And how was your day?
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