HSHQTASK031 / MEET SAMSON GLÜCKSBURG
in early 2017, sten had got it in his head that he wanted to get a dog. in true sten fashion, what followed afterwards was about three months of copious research on dogs, including learning the majority of breeds, researching how to extensively train them, and even dog first aid. sten read more books about becoming a dog parent than some parents-to-be read baby books.
finally in june he made an appointment at a nearby animal shelter in copenhagen, making a big deal about adopting rather than going to a breeder. ( his mom tried to convince him to bring a photographer for publicity, but sten was against it. ) dating ireti at the time, she came with him as he checked out every dog in the shelter. samson easily stood out the most, a little over a year old and having come to the shelter three months ago with his sister, delilah. the adoption woman told sten and ireti how his sister had been adopted about a month ago, and since then he seemed to be in low spirits. just as she was explaining how the dog rarely engaged with anyone else as of late, samson got up from his spot at the back of his pen, walked all the way up to the gate, and barked right at them.
it never felt like they had chosen samson as much as he had chosen them. within the hour, sten was signing the paperwork to bring him home.
samson lived with sten and ireti in their copenhagen apartment until the couple split up in fall 2018, and while they both spoiled him rotten, it was clear from the get-go that the dog was sten’s. rather than shouldering the work of taking care of a pet onto a staff member, sten was the one who fed him twice a day, took him on his walks, took him to the veterinarian. when sten and ireti broke up and sten started traveling more and staying in copenhagen less, it got a little harder to manage on his own. most trips sten took samson with him, making him a dog that grew very comfortable with planes and trains and cars, as well as making him extremely socialized and easy to travel with. samson was an extension of sten, ultimately. but some trips were more inconvenient to take the dog alone, especially when they were quick, so sometimes he had him staying at the palace with his parents and a dogsitter.
thanks to his dog parenting books ( and hiring a professional to help him ) , sten trained samson to know both basic commands and fun little tricks, like spins and getting up on his hind legs. he’s an incredibly smart dog, one who loves to learn almost as much as his owner, but he’s not always the most obedient. if he doesn’t come when called or listen right away, it’s because he’s choosing not to—and maybe the life of a prince has rubbed off on him as well, because samson has very selective hearing.
more little tids just because i love him:
his favorite toy is a stuffed hedgehog that sten’s named henry, though he does love a good old fashioned tennis ball
sten likes to take samson hiking in the summer, though if they’re by a body of water there’s zero chance samson won’t jump into it. he loves to swim almost as much as he loves to play fetch, which is a lot
is besties with viggo’s dog pine, who sten unironically calls samson’s cousin
samson will make friends with anyone, anywhere he goes, not unlike his owner
love a good cuddle ( who doesn’t ? )