Loki.

Here is the reason for my being missing from Blip for weeks. S has always wanted a Border Collie (he had one in his teens), but we didn't actively go looking for one. Yesterday the Animal Rescue in Ciutadella posted a picture of two BC pups on their website, inviting applications via whatsapp. We contacted them and were sent a long questionnaire to send back, as the interest was huge - most rescues are old or ill or damaged by neglect, so brand-new pups are in great demand. Not expecting anything, we put it out of our minds, but late last night they said we had been accepted for one of the pups! It had to be picked up today at a certain time as the pups were in a temporary foster situation and they didn't want them to spend time in the cages. The other pup was mostly white and I preferred the look of this one. S said he wanted a male. When we got there they were both beautiful but the white one was already allocated, and was female, so we both got what we wanted. It seems the litter had been seized by police as the owner was trying to sell them without a breeder's licence, which is a no-no here. We learned that both parents were border collies and the pups were 8 weeks old, both rarities for the Rescue centre. 250 euros later (to cover first rabies vaccine, microchip, pet passport and later neutering) we were on our way home with this little beauty. After trying out many names en route (I rejected swear words and corrupt politicians' names) we decided on Loki, the Norse god of mischief. Unfortunately everyone under 30 thinks it's from the Avengers franchise instead...
The next weeks have been full-on as he learns to live up to his name.