One year ago today we adopted Thor and brought him home with us. Since then, this California beach dog has visited (read: peed on) no fewer than 19 States and one foreign country (Sorry, Canada. We really do love you!)
He’s hiked through deserts, forests, and parks, swam in rivers and lakes, taken boat rides, romped in the snow, hung out on restaurant patios, and discovered the joys of harassing squirrels, chipmunks, and cats…
Speaking of harassing other animals, this year he sized up a very fake bison:
and a very real horse:
Fortunately, he decided to stand down on both.
It’s funny to look back and consider all the things he’s learned since moving in with us. During his first several days in the RV, he was quite convinced there was another dog hiding in the fireplace. Turns out, he’d never seen his reflection before and was pretty confused by the whole thing.
Over time, he’s also concluded that our Sonicare toothbrushes are not, in fact, murder machines, and the vacuum is not challenging him to a duel.
In the other direction, he’s now managed to convince his humans that there really is no such thing as “a stick that’s too big”:
and that he would make an ideal NPS “Bark Ranger”:
He’s made lots of friends – both of the canine and human varieties:
and gets regular ego boosts from strangers who stop to tell him how handsome he is.
While he doesn’t love the actual travel days, he’s always excited to explore our new surroundings…
and, he continues to dream of the day he can take the wheel and drive us straight to Petsmart…
He’s made himself at home in our RV and we’ve adjusted to sharing our bed with him every night (2/3 for him, 1/3 for us…)
While he can be a bit overly independent (ie: a punk) at times, his snuggle/cuddle/selfie game is on point…
And we are guaranteed a laugh anytime he flips over on his back. No one does “derp” quite as well as our pupper.
One year in, he’s learned lots of things and made himself at home. As we begin year 2, we’ve been doing some work with a local trainer to help with his socialization and obedience skills:
Now that we’ve finally got his stomach issues under control, we’re hoping some formalized training will allow us to take him even more places with us.
In sum, one year later, we’re thrilled to have Thor as a member of our family and we’re looking forward to many more adventures, snuggles, and battles over bed space.
Happy Adoption Day, Bud!
Such great pictures, Thor you do look loveable and I think you adopted a good family 🙂
Thank you! He is quite lovable, when he’s not being a punk. 🙂
Awwww!! Happy adoption day!! We’re glad you are in the family. ????
We are too! He fits right in!
He’s a sweet, goofy and loving boy!
You guys have definitely gotten to experience him in all his glory this week!
You’re a handsome pup, Thor! Happy Gotcha Day!!
He says: “I really am, aren’t I?? Also… thank you!!”
Awwww!!!! Has it really been a year? We met Thor when he had been with you guys for only two weeks! Come to think of it, that’s when we first met you guys in person, too…????
What a great year he’s had, filled with so many adventures and so many new friends. And it looks as though he ALMOST has you guys trained. Now if you would just stop hogging the bed and let him get his rest, life would be perfect.
We’re looking forward to seeing you three next week!
That is true! Hopefully, this time, he won’t bark at Eric for his scary beard, or sunglasses, or hat… or whatever the heck he was barking at last year! He seems to have gotten over most of those fears… but he is still a bit unpredictable when it comes to the totally harmless things that freak him out. We’re looking forward to seeing you guys!
When constantly told that one is a good and handsome boy, it’s easy to believe that the laws of physics don’t apply. So of course Thor can drive despite having no hands, possible rival dogs may exist in the two-dimensional world of the fireplace, and no stick is too large or unwieldy.
Of course! It all makes sense! He’s really just an ego-maniacal narcissist with delusions of grandeur when you think about it! 🙂
Happy Gotcha Day you handsome devil!
He says: “Thank you!!”
A year! I remember when we were his first “visitors” in San Diego and it doesn’t seem like a whole year ago, sheesh!
I LOVE this post, you’ve captured his transformation with such humor and love (on both sides). Dog in the fireplace was my favorite!
Life is so much better with a dog, especially life on the road.
You guys were the original guinea pigs! We were so worried about adopting a dog into our very weird life, but he’s adjusted like a champ and, other than his stomach challenges, it’s really been a pretty easy transition. The fireplace photos cracked me up, too. You forget how far they’ve come until you look back! And I agree – dogs really are the best!
So happy for you guys!
Thanks, Jon!!
Looks like Thor has added a lot to your life and you to his. Having a dog(s) really adds a different element to the adventures of an RV’er.
That is definitely true. We spent 10 months without a dog after our last Shepherd passed away. Not having a dog certainly made things a bit more convenient, but we just felt like life was missing something. Having Thor has made things feel normal again.
What a great smile he has. It’s fun to look back and see how much you have done.
Yeah, I don’t think I’m gonna do a year end round up this year, so this was kind of a cheap substitute. 🙂
One lucky dog!!
We keep trying to tell him that, but we don’t think he understands just how good he has it! 🙂
Yay! So happy for you guys and Thor! I don’t really see how there is any room in that bed for you Laura. Thor is one big bed hog!
Happy Holidays!
I know, right? And not only that, he won’t move! He’s just dead weight. I have to force him to move or just crawl under him until he gets annoyed and moves over. What a brat.
Happy Holidays to you too!
Hi, Thor! You probably don’t remember me, but about this time last year, I had dinner at your house. Please give your humans a big, sloppy kiss from me, and be a good boy in class. XXXOOO
He totally remembers! He speaks highly of you on a daily basis. Swears that you guys really “got” him. He’s looking forward to hanging out again and wishes you very happy holidays. (He’s extremely smart, you know…) 🙂
Sounds like he fits in perfectly!
He truly does! We got very lucky with him since it’s not a given that any dog could adjust to this lifestyle. He’s done great and been a perfect fit for us.
Travel dogs earn their portage in watch-dogging, good times, laughs, hugs, naps and as brewery companions. Speaking of breweries, we’re having early-bird dinner right now at Coronado Brewing Company in Coronado,CA – our old neighborhood. We’d love to meet you three in our border city someday. Regretfully, CBC isn’t dog friendly but there are at least 100 breweries within ten miles of here that are. It might take us a whole afternoon to visit ‘em all but we’re up to it if you are. Cheers to all.
You know, I think we actually visited that same brewery when we were in San Diego the first time. If it’s the one I’m thinking of (What? We visited a lot of breweries!!), it was fantastic! While we are happy to be hanging out in sunny Florida at the moment, we would be thrilled to be in sunny San Diego right now. That city truly calls to us. And brewery hopping with the locals?? Swoon!! We’ll absolutely have to make that happen at some point!
What a great post on Thor’s first year. I was surprised it has only been a year. Love, loved the fireplace story. Too funny! I would say Thor is living the dream, for sure, with the best mom and dad. What a lucky guy! SOMEDAY, we might actually meet him!! After all, I am the treat lady!!
In some ways, it feels like it has been longer than a year, and in others, it feels like we just brought him home last week. It’s pretty crazy how much has happened in a year and how comfortable we all are with our little family.
Trust me, Lewis told Thor ALLLLL about the treat lady and Thor has also heard about this fancy new pool of yours and seems to think he should be allowed to clog the filter with dog hair. No? Not gonna happen? Dammit… LOL.
In any case, I cannot imagine how we will not cross paths this coming year… one way or another, we’ll make it happen!
Ahhh, I wonder if I will ever meet Thor 🙁
I think Thor has trained his parents in just a year, just look at how he hugs the bed, so seriously where do you sleep? But he is one lucky dog!
You will definitely have to meet Thor at some point. Its weird that we haven’t seen you guys in over a year – it doesn’t seem like that long. But, like with Pam, I’m feeling optimistic that we’ll cross paths next year. As for our sleeping arrangements, there’s usually a lot of me telling him to move, me trying to physically move him, and me trying to jam myself under him until he gets annoyed and moves down to the bottom of the bed. In other words, it’s a process… 🙂
Such a fabulous dog! He matches you and Kevin so well and just loves life and everyone around him. Congratulations on finding each other! Like everyone else, we love him so much (well, maybe except Opie) and I love reading about his goofy antics on the blog.
Thank you! We do feel very lucky to have gotten such a good dog who is also a perfect match for us and our lifestyle. Poor Opie… that sweet dog has to put up with such nonsense from Thor, but he’s a trooper! Little does he know what’s coming up…. LOL….
Such a handsome boy!! Hopefully one day we’ll have the pleasure of meeting him, and you two!!
Thank you, and I hope we get to meet up, too! We seem to have just missed each other multiple times. Maybe in 2020!!
*LOVE*!
Ooooh!! You know what the girls need this Christmas?? A puppy….
LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!!
🙂
What a year for Thor. So many great pictures. Someday you should do a post from his point of view. The reflection thing cracks me up!
Ha! That’s a great idea! We often joke around about what he’s thinking… Of course, we always believe we’re hilarious while he’s probably just rolling his eyes at us. 🙂
Awww, Thor! Happy fur-ever day, furry dude. So happy you guys found each other. Dulce sends her jealousy since she was pretty into hanging out in your people’s rig and getting all of their attention, and we send love and tennis balls.
Thank you! We’re pretty happy we found each other too. And please tell Dulce that she’ll always be welcome in our home – even if she does want to bite our dog. She was there first, after all. ????