Happy 4th Birthday, Kenai!

The happiest dog.

C'mon, lookit that husky grin - such a happy poochie.

Sleeeeeppy time. Okay...more like cuddling into submission.

Kenai, you've had quite the year!

In April we were able to diagnose your issues with favoring your hind legs as partially torn cruciate ligaments - surgery to have both knees operated on at the same time was scheduled for August.

You had a blast of a summer preceding surgery with many trips to crags for climbing days - even some lake swimming!

You topped off your days prior to surgery by getting skunked for the first time - thanks, dude.

August brought surgery, and the months following were full of rehab. You set your own schedule though and I'm happy to say that 7 months out you're much happier. You still get stiff from time to time, but your range of movement has returned and you're choosing to strike out in a two-beat gait as opposed to a 4 or 3-beat that helped take strain off your recovering knees.

You've had a pretty killer winter - just as I'd planned for you to have post-op, post-rehab. You've beeb on the mountain every weekend and have ridden the chairlift more times than I can count. Everyone loves you. You receive many, many compliments on your stellar behavior.

To top off the end of your 3rd year, you challenged your BFF Clyde - an Old English Mastiff - and his sister to a bone duel. You won in that you got the bone. You lost in that you also received a puncture wound to the cheek - serves you right, you jerk. As if a puncture wound wasn't enough, you ran off and got skunked again last week - thanks, asshole - but it wasn't *as* direct of a blow as July, so I'm trying to count my blessings with that one.

My wishes for you for your 4th year are as follows: stay healthy, stay happy, grow your ass hair back from surgery - its been 7 months and we're still SO far from normal. *DON'T SHAVE YOUR DOUBLE COATED DOGS, PEOPLE! THERE IS NO GUARANTEE IT WILL GROW BACK THE SAME!*

I love you, puppy-dog.