Well, here we are – November and the sun is shining. Today, I can say that Loki goes out with me when I go riding.

BeAnne is an old pro at this.  From her early years, she has always trotted alongside and enjoys going out with me when I am riding Haakon.  He is not fast and they are old friends.

Loki is keen and always wants to be at the front, but I can call him back or ask him to wait, if needs be.

We all go along the single-track road.  If there is traffic coming, you can hear it clearly – I would not do this if it was a noisy windy day, or bad visibility.  The only car we did meet was driven by a friend, so we stopped for a chat while Haakon rifled his car looking for biscuits.

The dogs love going out and are happily gallop alongside.

Loki wore a training collar in case of emergencies.  To be fair, it is not switched on but he doesn’t know that and he listens more to me.

The view at the top was stunning, as ever.  The clouds were looking threatening but surprisingly nothing actually materialised.

And so, home.  Yes, those are sheep in front and no, no one chases sheep in our house.  If nothing else, Lambie and Lambert have taught everyone that this is Not A Good Thing.

So, I am very pleased with Loki.  It has taken over 2 years but I can confidently say we can do this.  Even a life-long Shetland crofter, who we met on our travels, was impressed to see Loki coming home with a rabbit in his mouth.  He could recognise a useful dog when he saw one.

Well done Loki!  At last.