These days, it seems the universe has nothing but curveballs left to throw at us: continent-engulfing fires, followed swiftly by a global pandemic, and then the discovery that the Arctic Ocean has chlamydia. To navigate these chaotic times, the prudent thing to do would probably be to establish a clear game plan — stock your cabinets with beans, avoid social situations, seal yourself inside a hazmat suit — but oh, it is all so overwhelming. If you feel as though you are simply flailing your way through arbitrary obstacles, running here and there for no real reason other than people are yelling at you to do something, take comfort: You are not alone. Kratu is right there with you.
Dog-show lovers will doubtless be familiar with Crufts, the largest of its kind, and possibly also with Kratu, the big shaggy rescue dog who has reliably failed the Crufts agility course for three years running. He flunked it again on Friday, but that’s okay. In the words of Michael Caine, Kratu “will continue to have the best time,” and I’m sure he hopes you do the same.
As you can see, Kratu interpreted the assignment differently than his canine peers. Rather than sprinting through the tunnels in an orderly fashion, he decided to peek his head in and out at random like the adorable tease he is. When corralled over to a hurdle, Kratu did not jump but instead took the pole in his mouth and ran off with it. He only dropped it to better hop around in joy. Kratu just flies by the seat of his pants, doing what feels right in the moment. Kratu needs no roadmap.
“I really, really don’t know what he’s going to do,” Tess Eagle Swan, Kratu’s owner, told CTV News on Monday. “But I was absolutely delighted he was having so much fun.”
Having fun and doing his best, the essence of Kratu.