Meagan Dahl and her dog Alki love to walk in Lincoln Park and although at the age of 13 he doesn't play quite as much as he did when he was a pup, he's always eager to go.
Meagan Dahl got her dog Alki almost by accident. "We found him in West Seattle. He was a stray wandering in the alley behind Jefferson Square. My girlfriend found him and brought him in and called me, because she knows I'm a sucker." That was twelve years ago and they figure he's about 13 years old now.
His breed is unclear but Dahl said, "he probably has a lot of flat coat retriever in him, I have been told. It's like a black, golden retriever."
Alki, like many dogs, is all about loyalty. "He's the most loyal dog in the world," Dahl explained,"and he probably loves me more than my husband and kids combined. He's a best friend." Husband Dan, and kids Scarlett and Tatum took a little time to warm up to Alki but they all came to love him.
But the relationship took some time to develop. "He was really awful when we first decided to keep him. He chewed the upholstery in our car. He had a lot of separation anxiety. We had to stick with him for awhile. Then he turned out to be the best dog in the world after we let him work through it."
They feed him Solid Gold from Next to Nature in the West Seattle Junction.
Saska, a Golden Doodle in West Seattle is among Alki's best canine pals.
Dahl concluded that, "He's the epitome of a best friend, loyal dog. Once we got through that year or so it just got so easy, I didn't have to think twice about him. He's always watching out for us instead of us watching out for him."
