Source: Radio New Zealand
When Stevin Creegan gets on his Harley Davison to go on a ride, his best mate Loki is always along for the journey.
Loki is a six-year-old black labrador – and a service dog for former Air Force Sergeant Creegan – who was the sole survivor of the 2010 ANZAC Day Iroquois helicopter crash near Wellington.
Creegan lives with PTSD and chronic pain from the spinal and leg injuries he sustained in that accident.
Loki has been Stevin Creegan’s constant companion since he was a pup.
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“Then one thing led to another, and I picked up Loki probably about six months after that.”
Mapua-based Creegan gets about on his Harley Davidson and worried this might not be dog-friendly transport.
“The breeder she said, oh look, you know, just carry on about your normal life and just take him with you.
“And when I said I rode a motorbike, she said, ‘oh, that’ll be fine’.”
She was right, Loki loves the open road and wind in his ears, the 52-year-old, who served in the Persian Gulf, Timor-Leste and the Solomon Islands says.
“The day after I picked him up from the airport, he was in a backpack on the back of the bike with me.
Stevin Creegan and his Harley riding service dog, Loki Nine To Noon
“He absolutely loves it. At the top of the backpack with the wind blowing in his ears, or what pokes out the bottom of his earmuffs. And tongue hanging out the side.”
Loki is no longer the pup who first rode pillion on Creegan’s Hog. He’s a big lad now weighing 29kg.
“Ever since he was a pup, I kept on changing the size of the bag. Initially it was a bag that I bought off the internet, and then as he got bigger, my back couldn’t sustain his weight.
“So, I altered things so that all of his weight goes on the back seat through a metal plate in the back of the backpack, and he just balances on my shoulders.”
Loki also has eye and ear protection and his born-to-be wild look attracts plenty of comment, Creegan says.
“There’s a lot of people that take photographs once they realise that Loki’s alive and not a stuffed toy.”
Some get a surprise, he says.
“I guess the first instance, he was about six months old and we were riding just north of Cairns, and a carload of backpackers got quite the shock when they realised that Loki was a living animal instead of a stuffed toy.
“There was exclamation made, oh, you’ve got a dog on your back. And before I could stop myself, I just turned and looked at her with a horrified look on my face going, get it off, get it off!”
Stevin Creegan and his Harley riding service dog, Loki Nine To Noon
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
