A field guide to a very good girl, longtime family Secretary of Defense, and unwavering watcher of squirrels, wind, and the delivery van.
Hiker arrived in April 2019, a small puppy with big ears and even bigger paws. She spent her first few months apprenticing with her grandpa, learning the yard, the routine, and the fine art of watching. She has been the family's Secretary of Defense ever since.
Before she was in charge of anything, Hiker had a mentor. Her first summer was a slow one, mostly spent shadowing grandpa around the yard, learning where the interesting corners were and which sounds were worth reacting to. She took notes. She still uses them.
Squirrels. The delivery van. A rustling bush. A neighbor's cat within visual range. Suspicious wind. Hiker takes them all seriously, and she alerts us with equal urgency for each, because you never really know which one is going to be the big one.
When Sunny arrived as a small golden puppy, Hiker took one look and got to work. She showed him how to sit properly, how the yard was organized, and which humans handed out the good treats. He copied her endlessly. She tolerated it, mostly.
Her name was never metaphorical. Give her a trail, a patch of woods, or even a quiet stretch of neighborhood sidewalk, and she takes it seriously: nose down, ears up, pace steady. She was made to be outside.
