Ian’s dog Loras is the lovable little maniac we allow to wander the halls of our San Francisco office. He has four legs, two floppy-ears, and a wiggle-bottom-attitude to match his actual wiggly bottom. He enjoys walking without a leash, destroying tennis balls, and sneaking the occasional goose-turd when his daddy isn’t watching. He will chew through anything and everything you throw at him.
Born on the 4th of July, America’s Pup is nearly 3 years old. Fully grown at 44 pounds, we suspect he was the runt of the litter. Adopted from an Atlanta kill-shelter, Loras was rescued at the tender young age of 9 weeks. While Ian drove him home safely all the way from Atlanta to San Francisco, Loras drove Ian crazy with his constant whining and frequent stops.
Loras just LOVES barking at Paul when he comes in and has thus earned a daily exile where Ian has to take him on a distraction walk to calm him down until Paul is settled. This allows Loras to greet Paul with a wagging tail at one end and a snout full of drool at the other—a much quieter greeting to be sure.
One day, Ian had to strap on the CONE-OF-SHAME because poor Loras developed a habit of licking himself raw thanks to a certain misleading brand of dog food represented by an azure bison. Ian switched him to a salmon-based diet and the allergic rash went away.
Today, Loras and Ian live together on Treasure Island in the middle of the San Francisco Bay—the irony is not lost on the pair. The best way to commute on public transportation with a creature like Loras is to stroke his block-like head, with his adorable bright puppy-eyes glued on you for the whole ride.
With one dog bed on the island and one in the TIM office, Loras is a true Treasure Island Mutt.