The Hachi Chronicle

This week, I've felt gratitude that we can be Hachi's rock in a world that he finds scary. We give him safe haven, a sheltered home, where he can feel safe.

Part of our role is not as easy - taking him out into the world and helping him learn to navigate it. This week, I took him out onto our land at about sunrise a couple of times. Hachi loves a schedule and predictability so this totally new event stretched him. He was a bit scared when we first headed out. It didn't help that bears have been around so he certainly smelled them.

I worked with him, helping him to be confident despite the novelty of being out with me at sunrise. We practiced some recalls - which he loves. He seemed happy and goofy by the end.

To keep my sanity, I have to remember that rehabilitating Hachi is a long journey. For example, the next time that we go out at sunrise, I think that he'll be as nervous as he was this week. At some point, I hope that he will begin to generalize but it won't be in the near future.

We also do our best to find quiet places where he and his sister can play together. That's been a much bigger challenge in this pandemic which seems to have made everyone take up hiking. We need a cloistered spot so that Hachi doesn't spot a stranger in the distance. We succeeded this week, which makes us smile. They are so happy when romping and playing together.

It was a good week for Hachi and for our pack so we are all smiling!