I adore that you give him the respect and privacy of an alias.

This story chimed with me. My boy is now almost 12 years old. I adopted him at 14 months old and he had already had 5 different homes and returned each time. He was WILD. I pulled hard on the lead, he was reactive with other dogs and he made my life very small.

Over time, he learned to trust me.

I don't suppose you enjoy running? If so, you could try a bit of canicross with fish, you just need a harness for him (a special canicross one doesn't restrict his shoulders forward movement), a bungeed line to connect the 2 of you and a belt for him. I can point you in the direction of equipment. This can work wonders for dogs as it gives them the exercise they need in a safe way. It can also help their reactivity.

Anyway, it sounds like you are making great progress. Maybe you are wrong for each other, but you are both making it right. A beautiful read. I particularly enjoyed the change of angle in the second half where you contemplated the world from his perspective with compassion and understanding.