He disappeared into the bushes and came back… transformed. Later I found out why - a dead beaver, and the smell that stayed with us for days. Turns out, that’s what happiness can look like to a dog.

And one note for everyone bringing a new puppy or kitten into a home where animals already live: Always — absolutely always — the resident animals come first. They need to feel and know that the newcomer isn’t taking away their resources, including you. 😊

We named our dog Mrok because we’ve spent most of our lives in places where light disappears — cave systems, deep wrecks, flooded tunnels. There, in the dark, we never felt fear. We felt excitement.