Loki is a VERY enthusiastic skier. How do I know this? Every time I am done transitioning and down to getting my gloves back on, he starts bouncing around, repeatedly jumping up at me, and squeals! I take that as a sign. Then, I start skiing and he still aims at jumping up at me while I am skiing and most of the time manages to get right in front of my tips. I have strategies for that, like faking a left turn while executing a hard right or simply speeding away in the powder. All these strategies experience uneven degrees of success. With the occasional abysmal failure. Like yesterday.
Yesterday, I was just starting my ski down from Summit Park Peak when he must have caught up to me from behind. I didn't see him, took a left turn, felt something slight and undefined on the outer edge of the back of my left ski and saw Loki not actually on my ski but close enough. I continued down and suddenly noticed him limping. His hind left leg was limp and when I checked on him, it was bleeding, not a lot but still. I figured another ski cut so off to the vet for another 4 - 5 stitches (had already happened to my other dog Skadi).
The vet diagnosed and the verdict was a fully severed Achilles tendon! She said it takes the bad luck of having the "perfect" angle on the leg and really sharp edges (I was using new skis...). So today he went under the knife in Layton (only available surgeon this Sunday) and I just heard he did great, is out of anesthesia, and is breathing on his own. All is well that ends well! except, he will be missing six weeks of the best season in a very long time...
For those of you that don't know Loki the superhero, here is a before video (see him fly through the powder). a before picture, and today's "after" picture:
 |
| Kinda majestic... |
 |
| ...kinda hard to look at... |
