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Pet of the Month.

Korra April 2016

Korra

My name is Korra, and I have a destiny.

When my mom came and found me, I was living in Snohomish with all of my brothers and sisters who would always pick on me because I was so small. Just the runt of the bunch. But something greater was at work. Little did I know, my mom held the greatest secret about my true destiny: it was my fate to become the cutest Shiba Inu in all of Bellingham, maybe even the world!

In my quest to become the cutest Shibe in all of Bellingham, I have had to develop many crucial skills. One of them is the art of disguise; between sweaters that allow me to access the upper echelons of society and my natural doppelganger, the fox, I have been able to infiltrate even the most guarded hearts. I have also done extensive research in paw-to-paw combat, which is based on human hand movements. I often practice on kibble that has been left on the floor and I am very serious about making it look as real as possible, tail wagging and puppy position included. There’s no telling when I will need to use that to garner a treat from an unsuspecting human or hunt flies in the house, so I practice every day.

But having a destiny is hard work. I need lots of sleep, and I love it! I have two beds and one human bed, but my favorite bed is a warm patch of grass in direct sunlight where I can feel the rays of the sun on my belly. I have the best dreams when I’m lying in the sun about chasing squirrels and finally defeating my archnemesis, Ceiling Lamp. Gr, Ceiling Lamp. Even thinking about Ceiling Lamp makes me want to bark at something.

But achieving my destiny isn’t the only thing I care about. I have to keep my mom safe from all the dangers of the outside world (if only she knew how much true danger there was lurking just outside our door; the man who comes to the door dressed in blue with rectangle papers cannot be trusted). But I’m not only satisfied protecting her from what I do know about; I also have to be prepared for the unknown, the invisible, and the long extinct. That’s why I have a likeness of a brontosaurus, a woolly mammoth, and the common cold, which I practice recognizing and destroying. So far, the common cold has been the easiest; I knocked the stuffing out of that one in under an hour before Mom sewed it back up.  So I’m not too worried about that real life match-up.

Being the cutest Shibe in all of Bellingham isn’t my only goal, though. A well-prepared puppy has to have a back up in case the whole destiny thing doesn’t work out. I thought for a long time I would go into security, since my bark is really effective at chasing away suspicious people, but recently, I’ve been thinking about some of my other interests.  Maybe an archaeologist (I’ve recently taken up a hobby of digging in the flower pots), or an astronaut (I love jumping onto high places), or maybe even an artist (I create the most interesting things when I chew on plastic!) My mom thinks I should major in theatre, because I’m such a drama queen, but I think she’s joking.

I don’t really have time for romance, having a great life goal and all, but sometimes I think about what I’d want from a good dogmance. Probably someone that isn’t intimidated by strong, independent ladies and has a great love of people- and dog-watching. One of my pet peeves (Why pet peeve? Why not human peeve? Rude.) is sharing my food, so that’s a deal breaker.  Irrational? Maybe, but I’m serious about my snacks. I have standards, and I keep to them.

Destiny aside, I live a mostly no-frills lifestyle.  I’ve got loads of friends at daycare and I enjoy my fair share of chicken treats, walks on the beach, midafternoon naps and Mom cuddles (but not too much—I have a reputation to upkeep). Pretty normal. But as I always remember—and my mom always forgets—there is adventure beyond every open fence gate.

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