Five years prior to visiting the shelter, Jason had lost his beloved husky and hoped that enough time had passed for him to find love again. A whole year later, his hope proved to be true.
In an interview with 10 play, Jason shared that since finding his new partner in crime, his life has changed dramatically.
“I was living a rather unhappy life of solitude before I adopted Lagertha. COVID restrictions had taken their toll on my attitude to life, but she brought me back from a very dark place with her bright shining light of love. I'm not just happy again but busting with excitement and can't wait to start another day.”
After the adoption, it was time to see how well the two would work together. Jason revealed he faced a few small challenges, but they overcame them together and grew as close as ever.
“We had no fences for the first two weeks as we had new six-foot ones put up. It was a difficult time, but she settled in very well and was very comfortable here from the first night. We had no mattress due to a new faulty one being replaced, so she slept next to me on the lounge every night for a few weeks.”
With a comfy couch to sleep on beside her new best friend, there’s no doubt that Lagertha was loving life. But her adventurous and cheeky personality proved to keep Jason busy, and he noted one story in particular.
“At 3am, about three weeks after she moved in, I found her up a big tree in the yard about 20 ft in the air,” he began. “I was quietly pleading with her to come down (without waking the neighbours) and I was standing under the tree, waiting to catch her if she fell. She turned around on the trunk and ran back down like it was nothing. She is so agile and sure footed! I have since cut the tree down.”
She keeps life fun and interesting, and “every morning I wake to find her curled up at my feet or even snuggled up next to me trying to get a share of the pillow. I wake up smiling every day! She is such a blessing!”
During their time together, Jason has noticed a few funny quirks which Lagertha has.
“She likes to nibble on her bedding or the blanket on the lounge when she is happy. She doesn't 'chew' on them, just methodically nibbles in patches to clean it. Then smiles at me like she's doing a good job. She HAS to follow me everywhere or at least be somewhere where she can see me... She is very independent and does what she likes but if I move off the lounge she wants to know where I am going and if she can come with me!”
He’s also narrowed down one of the many things he loves about her.
“Her love of life, she just has so much light in her eyes, full of love. But she is still a ratbag... Loves to run about the house, jumping off everything (but never knocks anything over!) She greets everyone that enters our house with love and just wants to give cuddles and kisses. She isn't happy if she's not a part of whatever is going on.”
And Lagertha has learnt quite a few things from Jason during their time together… when she’s willing to listen or bribed with her favourite treats.
“Huskies are notoriously difficult to train because of their high intelligence and free-thinking nature. Lagertha can be quite difficult,” he laughed, “but so adorable! She sits, shakes hands, drops to the floor, crawls on command (sometimes) and I can put her treats on the floor, and she won’t move towards them until I tap my leg twice. Sometimes she comes when I call... She is smart, so she knows if she waits long enough, I will try to bribe her with a treat... She knows what's going on!”
Lagertha has more than a few preferred treats, and she even receives a wonderful meal on special occasions.
“I would say [her favourite treat] is my hands and arms! She loves to play-chew on me (and only me). It's a husky thing, a battle of wills to be pack leader! She is very gentle though and doesn't mouth on anyone else.”
“She is very picky with treats... She loves dried liver and kangaroo, chicken, beef or lamb jerky. She will not touch 'biscuit' treats and even refuses to touch some well-known big brand treats. But she gets fillet steak for Xmas and her birthday.”
The experience of adopting through AWL was so positive that Jason still keeps in touch, and Lagertha regularly visits when Jason goes away.
“Everyone at AWL is so awesome! Genuine dog loving people with the dog’s best interest at heart. From talking to the staff, to meeting Lagertha and seeing how much they loved her, and them knowing I was the perfect person to give her the best forever home, all the way to the paperwork. It was truly a wonderful experience.”
“I have become good friends with many of the staff, we talk regularly and they all love seeing photos of Lagertha on her Facebook page. We love them so much that Lagertha went to stay for a few days in February while I was in Sydney for a party, and she will be staying for 10 days while I am away on holidays next month. It's the only place I could leave her where I know she will be well looked after and given so much love. She's family there, so is like visiting the rellos!”
Jason reflected on his time on the show and shared that he was very happy to see his and Lagertha’s story unfold.
“I can't thank Channel 10 and AWL enough for not just giving me the opportunity to do something special, but for living up to their promise of 'finding me the perfect dog'. I couldn't be happier with Lagertha, we are just so fitting for each other.”
“A little rough and ready, but both excited about life and love spending our time and adventures together. She is just such a joy, we walk in the park twice a day every day and on average three people a day tell me that she is the most beautiful dog they have ever seen!”
“Fills me with pride that she's my furry partner in crime. Beautiful inside and out! She is my special little 'Bubba' and I will do everything I can to make her happy for as long as we are alive.”
