A Gental Soul

May 27, 2019

This past week marks five years since my gentle soul Golden Kali joined our family. May 24 is Kali’s “Gotcha Day”. Long time followers of the Golden Kali Blog may remember that Kali was originally rescued in Taiwan. After receiving a few months of loving care and rehabilitation from her Taiwanese foster care givers she flew to America with 23 other Golden Retriever rescues, landed at SFO, and pranced straight into our hearts. For newer followers this very first post from five years ago will provide you with some historical context: Kali’s New Life In America Begins.

Kali very quickly turned our family into a pack inspiring us and shaping our lives in ways I never imagined. Her sweet and gentle disposition was evident from the very start. That first night home, unsure of what to expect I tethered her to the foot of my bed post when we went to bed. I remember being gently nuzzled by a wet nose in the wee hours of the morning by this loving girl. I took her outside to pee and we returned to the bedroom and she willingly settled down by the side of my bed and immediately settled down for the rest of the night. By the next evening she had earned full run of the house and has never ever displayed anything other than respect and appreciation for her surroundings and our belongings.

I’ll always remember the first visit – a meet and greet – to the vet when the vet gave Kali a few treats. “Look”, she said. “She takes the treats with her lips. She’s so gentle”. I smiled proudly (as if I had anything to do with her gentle nature) and felt immediately blessed to be in the presence of a soul so sweet as Kali.

Two years later we shook up Kali’s world by bringing home Kloe, a nine-week old Golden Retriever. After about 10 or15 minutes of a lot of barking (“get that little dog out of here”), followed by about 30 minutes of indifference (“fine she can stay but I’m not having anything to do with her”), Kloe won Kali’s heart and they’ve been nuzzling, playing, and sleeping together ever since. During the first several months Kali was a wonderful surrogate mom to Kloe giving her lessons only another dog can. As Kloe grew older the relationship transitioned to sisters and to this day Kloe idolizes her big sissy Kali.

Within three weeks of bringing Kloe home we moved from the SF Bay Area to the Sierra Nevada Foothills. We named our home The Golden K in honor of our two “K” girls. Kali loved her new environment with so much more area to explore and smell. Kloe followed in Kali’s every footstep and they became great companions with a common disdain for squirrels, an eventual acceptance of the black tail deers, and a love for the smell and whooshing of the tall pines.

Late last year ~~at the insistence of Kali~~ I finally convinced Holly that we needed another pup. Another pup to be an active companion for Kloe now that Kali was slowing down. And as awkward as may sound, I want to make sure that Kloe had a companion when it’s time for Kali to cross over the rainbow bridge. I don’t like to think about that day – it scares me to think about being without Kali. But I also don’t want to get another pup in the middle of my grief. I love Kloe too much to let there be a time when she doesn’t have a canine companion.

So….enter Koda!. Our third Golden K girl joined us last fall at four months old. This tenacious little fire ball joined the pack guns-a-blazing full of attitude, mischief, and, occasional mayhem. In spite of some of her more, er, well, hmm…. let’s say challenging traits, she is a sweet and loving pup who with continued patience from the rest of the pack will turn into a lovely young lady in the months and years to come.

Through all the figurative -and actual- “planes trains and automobiles” that Kali experienced during the past five years she is always the same gentle soul we met on May 24, 2015. The same gentle should who flew 6,400 miles from Taiwan to San Francisco and later drove 100 miles from suburbia to our new mountain home. The same gentle soul who has shaped much of my life, Holly’s life, and the lives of her little sissies.

The same gentle soul who’s life in America is chronicled here in The Golden Kali Blog.

Kali the morning after she arrived from Taiwan

Kali today. Our gentlest of souls

Happy Gotcha Day Kloe

May 7, 2019

Three years ago today the sweetest girl I could ever imagine came into our lives forever. At nine weeks old this pouty faced Golden Retriever stole our hearts and has held them close to her own since then. Born in Bakersfield, rescued by True Love Rescue in Lodi, Kloe made her way into our arms and home to Livermore, CA. Three weeks later we moved to the mountains to our home we call the Golden K. Kloe of course is one of those three Golden K’s our home is named after. Kloe weighs almost 80 pounds and I am convinced that the majority of that weight is from a very large heart of gold.

We are blessed that Kloe found her way into our lives and grateful to True Love Rescue for making that a possibility.

Happy Gotcha Day Kloe! You are forever my Klois Marie, Klo-Klo, Kloe Bowie, Sugar Lips, Sweetness, and all the other silly names I have for you. But at the end of the day as you lay on your mat when I kiss you goodnight and I tell you to sleep tight, you are simply my beautiful girl Kloe.

Stare down over the lodged apple

Kloe neck deep

Kloe at one year

A forest and lifetime of sticks!

“Uncle” Smokey letting Kloe know who’s boss

Kloe last winter

Kloe: #2 The reason for the rules

Compliance Evolution

May 5, 2019

My Golden Kali has been the most loyal, trustworthy, and loving a dog one could ask for. Compliance with rules and requests has never been an issue. Kali has always been eager to please. There have been times over the years where Kali comes up in conversation and someone will ask something like, ‘will she do that?’ or ‘how will you get her to sit still for that?’. My answer has always been the same, “Kali does what I ask her to do”. And she does. And that’s that. Not because I’m a great trainer. Because Kali is a great dog.

Whether it’s sitting still to have her nails trimmed (I use a dremel), being poked and prodded at the vet, or sitting for a bath and brushing, Kali has always done what I’ve asked of her. She hasn’t always liked it but she does it because I ask.

Kali, now a senior at 10 years, remains compliant and ~~eager~~ willing to comply. But some things have changed; just a little bit… I realized that there has been a compliance evolution that has gone something like this.

Kali at 5

Kali: “Hey dad, I’m right here waiting for you to tell me what to do. Just give me the word or signal and I’m good to go”.

Me: “Ok Kali, let’s go”.

Kali springs to her feet and leads the way trotting just in front of me to our destination.

Kali at 7

Me: “Come on Kali, I need to go to the back yard and I want you to come with me”.

Kali: “Sure thing dad. I go where you go whenever you want me to go”.

Kali gets up and prances along side of me not really knowing where she is going and not caring because she’s by my side.

Kali at 10

Now at ten Kali spends much of her day inside sleeping She’s earned the privilege to be inside if that’s what she prefers and this is what she usually chooses.

Me: Walking to the door, “Come on Kali. You need to go outside and get busy” (get busy is the term we use to tell our girls to pee and poop).

Kali: “Thanks for asking but I’m fine right here”.

Me: “Kali. Come. Let’s go!”

Kali: “No, Im good”.

Me: KALI COME. Gosh darn it… COME!

Kali: Slowly rising “Geesh. You don’t have to yell. I heard you the first time.”

Me: Thought bubble over my head, “Yeah I know you heard me so why didn’t you do it the first time?” Second thought bubble over my head, “Oh yeah because you’ve trained me very well”.

And so it goes these days with my Golden Kali. Our relationship has evolved over the years and the bond and love has grown stronger each day. The five year old vibrant rescue from Taiwan is now a stubborn old lady who remains compliant and eager to please in all ways and at all times.

It’s just takes a little longer these days.

Kali hearing the request to “come” but knowing that there will be at least two more requests before she is expected to actually do anything