Walking With Kali

October 17, 2022

I miss my walks with Kali. There are times when I find myself missing the days when it was just Kali and I. Kali and I and our Creek Trail.

We still lived in the Bay Area town of Livermore when Kali joined the pack. There was a trail through the neighborhood that ran along a small creek and a local 9 hole golf course. The trail head was at the end of our street. Kali and I walked that trail almost every day and it became a very special place for us.

I don’t miss the Bay Area for a second. But I do miss our Creek Trail and our daily walks along it!

Kali and I got to know each other on our Creek Trail. She was great on a leash except when other dogs passed by which made her nervous. We eventually worked through that issue. In retrospect it was one of many ways that we gained a deeper understanding of one another. The pace of our walks was great. She was a little prissy and had a cute lightness to her walk. I recall one time taking her for a walk with a friend and my friend says, “look – she prances”. So although not athletic she was very light on her feet. Like a dancer…

I think what I miss most about our walks are the long talks Kali and I had along the way. Under all circumstances Kali and I were in regular communication with each other; especially during the first several months and especially when we walked. I used words and gestures. Kali used her eyes and body language and sometimes a grunt or a small bark. We learned each other and learned from each other. Over the years I realized that I learned much more from Kali than she from me. She was a great teacher!

Sometimes we walked in silence. Walks where we were just together. Words, gestures, or body language wasn’t necessary. I loved those times when our cadence and rhythm were in total sync. We walked in total peace, as one, and side by side.

In 2016 we moved to Tuolumne City; a rural community in the Sierra Nevada Foothills. Our walks became different. We would walk on dirt and gravel roads under majestic pine and oak trees. Homes were not side by side in this neighborhood. Instead they were set back off the road on parcels of two to three acres or more. Wildlife was much more evident. On the Creek Trail we regularly saw geese and ducks. Along our new walking venue we would encounter black tail deers, wild turkeys, and farm animals: pigs, goats and horses and cows. One would think that all the new sights, and especially the smells, would have been like a smorgasbord for Kali. But just as when Kali arrived in Livermore from Taiwan -and immediately assimilated- she seemed to do the same in Tuolumne. She pranced along our walks with a calm demeanor as if she had lived here all her life.

As the years passed Kali and I walked less and less – both in frequency and distance. Her legs were no longer very strong and her hip displaysia became more of a factor. Kali was always eager to have out and about time with me (and I with her) so she of course jumped (figuratively not literally cause remember her hips 🙂 ) at the chance to go on walks. But the pace became slower, there were more stops along the way and I often had to coax her to move along.

Eventually the walks stopped completely and Kali began sleeping much of the day. We always found time to be together just to the two of us. During those times we talked and reminisced about our Creek Trail. And sometimes we just sat in silence. And our cadence and rhythm were in total sync. We were together and at peace.

From the day Kali came into my life, whether we were walking along our Creek Trail in Livermore, navigating the rural roads around the Golden K, or just sitting in silence on the deck looking out at a warm evening sky, my Golden Kali and I were always been in sync. Same cadence and same rhythm. And same heartbeat.

KALI AND OUR CREEK TRAIL, LIVERMORE CA

Never too early for Kali to pose at our favorite spot.

Kloe Hates Cats

September 13, 2020

So Koda pretends to hate cats. Mostly I think because she knows Kloe hates them. When Koda sees one of the feral cats before Kloe does, she’ll sound the alarm with her high bark and then immediately look at Kloe. “Kloe, there’s a cat. See it? See it? C’mon, lets go get it.”

Road Trip with Kali

November 25, 2019

Kali doesn’t get out to often these days. At ten and a half she prefers instead to sleep much of the day and inside the house given the choice. After all these years she’s earned it. Until recently Kloe was also house bound for much of the year due to her injury and then post surgery recovery period. So for several months it’s mostly been just Koda who gets to get out of the house and accompany us on various errands and car rides.

Kloe is mostly cleared now for normal activities after her surgery so she has been getting out and walking more and coming along for various excursions. Today we decided to head out to a favorite spot of ours to get our growler filled with apple cider and to enjoy the relatively mild day. Our routine, now that Kloe is back on her feet so to speak, is to take the “red girls” with us when we go out and about. Red girls being Kloe and Koda. Kali, the blondie or cream girl, typically stays behind content to sleep in peace without her sisters (or us) milling around and interrupting her daytime slumbers.

So we “geared” Kloe and Koda up with their harnesses and leashes, filled our pockets with treats, and headed towards the door to leave. As I glanced back at Kali she flashed me sad eyes as if to say, “Can I go? I promise not to be any trouble and I’ll do my best to keep up with the younger Red Girls as we walk around even though my legs aren’t as strong as they used to be. Can I go?”

I smiled at Kali and then hollered down to Holly who had already gone down the stairs to the garage, “Road trip! Kali’s coming along.”

And for the first time in a long time we packed up all three girls into the car and headed out for a road trip with Kali and her posse. It sure felt great to all be together on a short trip to one of our favorite places on a beautiful Fall day with our beautiful girls!

ROADTRIP! Kali and her posse of red girls.

Holly and “the girls”.

Road Trip

August 7, 2018

“Road Trip”!

That’s all the girls (Kali and Kloe) had to hear. They ran to the rack where there leashes are hung, strung them in their mouths, and headed off to the garage ready to spryly jump into the back of the Subaru Outback. Ok, that may be a bit of an exaggeration… In the spirit of full transparency I have to tell you that Kloe has acquired car-ride anxiety and has to be ~~coaxed~~ (usually) lifted into the car against her will. And Kali’s old and dysplasia-ridden hips don’t allow her to make the leap, although the desire is there…

Kennedy Meadows, located in the Northern CA Sierra mountains is only an hour from the Golden K and that was our destination this past Friday. We packed a lunch for us and snacks for the girls and were ready to head out to the high Sierra’s, away from the heat and smoke from the Ferguson fire that has been blowing our way for the past several days. Holly tried to convince Kloe that jumping into the back of the car would yield her many high value treats but she wasn’t having any of it. In frustration, I picked up 80 pounds of an uncooperative Golden Retriever (which is more like a 100 pounds when she is in that state of mind) and ~~threw her~~ gently lifted her into the car. One down…

I then instructed Kali, as I always do, with an “up” pointing to the back of the car. On queue Kali lifts one paw onto the bumper with shaky hips. Her eagerness and willingness says yes, but her body says no. She looks at me and I help her complete the task and give her a assist and lift her into the car. The girls sit and face us as the hatchback closes. Time travelers on their way to Kennedy Meadows.

We’ve been meaning to address Kloe’s newfound anxiety of car-rids, so a we made a detour in town to Dusty’s Den. Dusty’s is a local pet store and emporium owned by our friends Deborah and George. So we make a quick stop to pick up some CBD oil in the hopes that this will be the elixir Kloe needs to help take the edge off of her car-ride anxiety. We’re in and out within minutes with “the stuff” 🙂 and head on up the hill to Kennedy Meadows.

As Golden Kali readers may be aware California is on fire. Sad and scary for all our rural communities is the fact that the forest is overgrown, global warming is a fact, and our resources are over taxed and understaffed. One of the newest fires to break out is the Donnel fire, about 10 minutes south of Kennedy Meadows. This fire started Thursday, the day before our road trip, and we passed by as it was about 350 acres. The smoke was in view from the ridge of Highway 108 as we passed by without threat to the road or various campgrounds and US forest land cabins. [As of this post the fire has grown to 8000 acres, and destroyed many historical buildings.]

Kennedy Meadows is a special place. Nestled high in the Sierras it’s the place so many of us Bay Area natives would go to when we were young adults to get away from the “city” and experience nature. The Stanislaus river, the Sonora pass who’s summit tops 9000 feet and leads into the real high country of Bridgeport and beyond, and the majesty of Mother Nature is magnificent. And there we were.

We unloaded the girls and started off on a short hike to the river where the girls could cool off and wade in the river. We passed a few other hikers, some with dogs, and we were so proud of our girls who were interested, polite, and well behaved even when other dogs barked at them. Kali has come such a long way from the Taiwanese rescue who was so anxious around other dogs when she first arrived in America four years ago. And Kloe, now two and half, has learned not to pull when we encounter another person or dog, but instead postures herself to greet them and engage. We are very proud of our girls…

While at the river Kali got her leg caught in some rocks and came up limping. The unfounded worries that I am prone to immediately assessed that Kali would not be able to walk the half mile back to car and that I would have to carry her 60+ pounds the entire way on by shoulders. Holly quickly spoke up and said, “if you try to carry her the whole way who will carry you?”. It was a good point. As Kali limped I ~~encouraged~~ bribed her with high value treats to keep her walking all the way inspire of my worry that her leg was hurt and walking was making it worse. [Update: her leg was fine and she was faking in order to get the HVT’s].

We made it back to the car, my pocket now empty of treats, and had lunch. Kloe eagerly jumped out of the car and settled next to Holly’s ~~sandwich~~ chair. Kali elected to remain in the car in an effort to perpetuate the injured leg drama. We ate our lunch, drank a beer, fed the girls some of our watermelon (they love watermelon!) and sat in the quiet of the forest in awe of the beauty of the high country.

As we reloaded and headed back down the hill to the Golden K we were feeling blessed to live within the beautiful Stanislaus Forest, worried about climate change and how fire season in California is almost year round, appreciative of the herculean fire fighters, and feeling blessed to have been rescued by our girls Kali and Kloe.

Kali: #1 The rule follower

Spunk

April 16, 2018

Kali got into a dog fight this past week. On the other hand it was more of a spat between cousins than a real fight. But I saw some spunk in Kali that surprised me. It lasted only a few seconds, and although I wasn’t happy that Kali and Jaynee “got into it” I was glad to see the spunk.

Kali and Kloe usually spend the day with our friends Marty and Jen when we’ll both will be gone for the day. And so it was this past Thursday when we went to the Bay Area to visit my cousin. Marty and Jen have two pups -Jaynee and Sadie – and our girls are very familiar with them and they all get along fine.

When we arrived to pick up the girls we were standing around chatting with Marty and Holly had some high value treats (HVT) in her pocket and was doling them out to the gang. I guess these HVT’s were HV enough that they were worth fighting for. In a flash – as it usually happens – there was a scuffle and Jaynee had gnashed teeth on Kali’s muzzle. Kali swung around and grabbed Jaynee’s ribs with her teeth. The fight was quickly broken up. It was no one’s fault and, just like with kids playing together all day, the pups were all tired and a little cranky. So no harm and no foul and Kali and Jaynee went about their business in peace probably instantly forgetting the scuffle and only concerned about whether there would be anymore HVTs doled out. They weren’t.

So while I was not glad to see Kali and Jaynee in a conflict – I love Jaynee almost as much as my own girls – I was pleased to see that Kali at nine years old still has some spunk in her. And after all kids will be kids and pups will be pups. This was a scuffle between canine cousins. They each got their licks in (no pun intended) and it was over as quickly as it started.

So yeah, Spunk. Kali’s got Spunk.

Pictured left to right: Cousins Jaynee, Kloe, Sadie, Kali

Boomer

November 30, 2017

On the day after we moved to the mountains I met a dog named Boomer. This dog sauntered up the long driveway to our house like he owned the place. As a suburbanite transplant who just moved to a rural area I thought, “uh-oh” how many dogs run around freely in the surrounding areas that will be coming onto our property?” I shooed Boomer away not knowing what to expect. Would he charge? Would he bark and take an aggressive stance? But Boomer, who’s name I didn’t know at the time, gave me a sad little look as he jogged back down the driveway and out of sight.

The next time I encountered Boomer was a few days later when I took Kali out for her first walk in our new “neighborhood”. The neighborhood is comprised of mostly five acre parcels with an eclectic mix of homes, many set back away from the road and out of sight. As Kali and I walked and explored I noticed Boomer, whose name I still didn’t know, following us but keeping his distance. I posted it about it a the time expressing moderate concern about safety and how walks might be significantly different from our old creek trail in Livermore. Boomer stopped when I looked back at him and he remained still as Kali and I moved on. As we headed back home Boomer was still in the same place and as we got closer I realized it was the same dog that walked up our driveway a few days earlier. As Kali and I passed by he kept his distance and eventually ran off with the same sad little look he gave when when he jogged down our driveway.

It turns out that Boomer is a very friendly and sweet dog. With his black and white speckles and round body shape and short legs he looks like a cartoon dog.

Boomer the cartoon dog

images-2

While there are many dogs in the area I’ve never seen another dog walking around freely like Boomer does. Most families here have at least one dog, many have more, and they seem to fall into one of two categories. One, they are like our girls who stay within fenced areas or inside the house. Or two, they roam their fenceless property freely and only occasionally come out to the edge of their property line as we walk by but not onto the road where we walk. They seem to know their limits and what their job is.

With the exception of one or two instances I’ve never seen anyone else walk their dogs. I can’t blame them as we live on a mountain and it’s usually uphill both ways…. But we walk our girls almost every day. Often Boomer will join us skipping along in front by several yards and then scurrying back to wait while we catch up. It used to concern me that Boomer was out and about by himself all the time; and without a collar. But he seems very capable and comfortable and knows his limits. I’ve never seen him near the main road where cars travel and he seems to know where everyone else lives and takes care to help them find their way.

On a recent walk Boomer led Kali and I back home. He was a little ahead of us and he stopped in front of our gate that leads up to our property. Boomer seemed to know that’s the gate we use to go back home from our walks although it is not the same gate we use when start our walk. Boomer stopped and waited. As we approached and headed into the gate he ran on up the hill back to his house, probably feeling satisfied that he got us home safely. He is truly a great escort and I now laugh at how I could have been concerned the first day I saw this sweet guy saunter up our driveway who only wanted to welcome us to his neighborhood.

Boomer leading the way back home

Boomer the real dog

Swim Time At The Lake

September 18, 2017

It was almost as though the water took the weight of the world off my eight year old Kali. Well, I guess in some ways it did because when you’re paddling and floating the water is absorbing much of your weight instead of your joints and bones.

And so it was for Kali this afternoon at the lake.

With summer winding down we wanted to get the girls back up to the lake for another romp in the water while the weather was still reasonably warm. I’m sure they wouldn’t mind the cold freezing snow melt later this year but Holly and I would! Kloe loves the water and we knew that she would have no problem getting in the deep stuff so we were prepared this time with the long 30 foot leash. We’re not yet comfortable letting either of the dogs, especially our little dare devil Kloe, into the Lake without a “safety net”.

Kloe had a blast, as expected, swimming out to retrieve the sticks we threw in the water. This was the first time she really had an opportunity to outright swim without her legs touching the bottom of the lake and it was fun to see her eyes when she realized she was floating and then started paddling. She did get a little more reserved the deeper out she got. This actually made me feel relieved because one, she knows her limits to a degree, and two, I wouldn’t have to reel her in like a Marlin. On the other hand if squirrels could swim and happened to be in the lake all bets would be off and I’m pretty sure Kloe would hyperplane towards the dastardly swimming vermin.

But Kali was really the surprise star of the afternoon.

Kali had been hanging around in the shallow water as Kloe swam out to retrieve sticks. We gave Kloe a break and put the long leash on Kali just for grins. Before we knew it she was romping and stomping in the water. I threw a stick as a joke but the joke was on me. Kali dove into the water, swam out to the stick, grabbed it, and brought it back and dropped it. I threw it again and she repeated the exercise.

So shame on me for underestimating my (aging) Golden Kali who seemed years younger as soon as her fur hit the water and her feet began to paddle. Most days with Kali are a joy but today will stand out for many months to come.

She won’t get a lot of points for style or grace but I give her a 10.0 for effort and heart. Good girl old lady!

Moments In The Sun (with our girls)

September 4, 2017

We took the girls for a drive and picnic up to the lake today and were pleasantly surprised when we found an area of the beach where dogs were allowed. During past visits, due to signs all along the beach telling us “no dogs”, we were not aware that there was a section of the beach where dogs were ok. Today as we strolled around the camp sites and trails we decided to go towards the beach and walk as close as we could with the girls. I spotted a sign that said “Dog Area” with an arrow pointing down the trail. Sure enough as we walked a little further we saw lots of dogs on the beach. So we headed down.

Kloe loves water and although we’ve not taken her to a beach before I was pretty darn sure she was going to go nuts (nuts in the best way possible) when she hit the water. My only regret is that we didn’t have the long leash so she was restricted to the shore with me holding on to the lease for dear life because this dog is so strong she would have pulled me under like a hungry great white shark with a baby seal in it’s jaws.

So we did the best we could with what we had and what we had was a ton-o-fun!

It was so fun to see Kloe jumping and splashing in the cool water. The other dogs in the area were very ~~dignified~~ boring simply standing in the water paw deep or laying next to their owners in the sand. I imagine had we planned for it and brought our beach chairs Kloe would have eventually laid down next to us and chilled out like the boring dogs. But during the time we were there she was entertainment for all the beachgoers along this 50 yard stretch of lake shore. It was fun to see the smiles on the faces of young and old alike as Kloe did her thing in the water. Kali even got in the game prancing knee deep in the water, smiling, and more than tolerating her little sister’s antics, seemingly very proud to be part of this pack.

As we all walked back to the car and our picnic lunch Holly and I were grateful for this beautiful day, our girls Kali and Kloe, and certain that we would be back very soon with the long leashes, beach chairs, and cameras ready to capture more of these beautiful moments in the sun with our girls.

Moments in the sun with the girls

Next time we bring the long leash for sure!

Girls at the lake

Good Citizens

June 10, 2017

“The family that obeys together stays together”. At least that’s what we say around the Golden K. OK, we might not actually say that but maybe we’ll start.

Earlier this Spring Kloe participated in an obedience training program conducted by a local group affiliated with the American Kennel Club. Since the time Kloe was a pup Holly (mostly) and I had been working 1:1 with Kloe using the training skills we learned from a private trainer we hired when Kali first arrived from Taiwan. We felt Kloe needed more socialization and structure so Holly enrolled her in the program. ~~Kali had been getting a little sloppy~~ I had become sloppy with Kali so I decided to enroll her too so that we could all go through the program as a united pack. The family that trains together remains together. Maybe we’ll start using that phrase too…

Both girls flew through the program with flying colors. Eventually…

When we arrived for the first session our “girls” entered the building with guns-a-blazing! They announced their arrival with a lot of robust barking. Kali: “Who are all these dogs and why don’t they run away when I bark at them?” Kloe: “Who are all these dogs and why won’t you let me off my leash so I can go play with them?” All the other dogs: “Who are those two loud mouths?”

After a couple of weeks both girls settled in, Kloe realized she was there to work and gave Holly her full attention for most of the 55 minute sessions. Kali was the star pupil. I wasn’t surprised. Most of the other dogs were pretty young because this is the class that is intended to follow the Puppy class. At eight years old Kali was the the Geriatric Granny of the class but I was none the less proud of her. The trainers and other owners watched and smiled as Kali pranced around the room listing to and responding to my every command. In Kali’s mind a command, regardless of who it is directed at, means a treat is not far away which has made her very trainable.

At the conclusion of the seven week course the trainer told us about an upcoming AKC Good Citizens Certification test that would be available for the members of the class. This test is comprised of ten behaviors the dog has to demonstrate. They are relatively basic behaviors such as sit, heel, stay, etc. They are also tested on distractions, walking through an area crowded with people, and so on. They must score 10 out of 10 in order to be certified. AND, there can be no treats used or on the owners body while they are being tested. Rutt Roh…!!

So last Sunday Kali and drove to Jamestown to take the test. I was a little apprehensive because Kali still gets a little anxious when new dogs are around. Kali on the other hand was Kool, Kalm, and Kollected and when it was her turn performed all ten behaviors without issue (and notably with out treats).

Kali will always be my precious Golden Kali with or without any certificates or awards. On the one hand this test was not a big deal and changes nothing. On the other hand this test reinforced, at least to me, three years of development anD growth for Kali and I as a team. So I will mail the paperwork to get the official certificate from the AKC to commemorate Kali’s accomplishment. It will be framed and proudly hung in a place of distinction at the Golden K. For me it will mean a lot. For Kali it may only serve as a reminder of the day she did everything asked of her, on command and as described in the AKC good citizen manual, without receiving one treat.

This ribbon will have to do until the official certificate arrives. I wonder where I can buy a golden frame?….

Merging The K’s

May 22, 2017

As some followers of Golden Kali know I have another blog called The Golden K. The Golden Kali blog began the day after Kali arrived from Taiwan and joined our pack. The Golden K blog started shortly after relocating to the mountains a year ago.

The lines between the two blog sites have blurred because we wouldn’t have The Golden K without our Golden Kali and her sister Kloe. The tag line for the Golden Kali blog used to be “Kali’s new life in America”. When we moved to the mountains the tag line changed to, “Kali’s new life in the mountains. The tag line (I’m a big fan of tag lines) for The Golden K is, “A romantic perspective of life at 3100 feet”.

I can’t think of Kali and Kloe without thinking about how lucky they are, we all are, to be living on five acres of paradise in the mountains. And I can’t think of the Golden K without thinking about Kali and Kloe and how the Golden K would not be so Golden without them and it certainly would not be called the Golden K. Maybe the Iron Ranch, or Silver Spurs, but not the Golden K.

So I now succumb to the obvious and will merge the two blogs because they are really the same. I hope regular followers of Golden Kali will enjoy an occasional post about The Golden K located in the Sierra Nevada Gold Country town called Tuolumne. And I hope followers of The Golden K will get to know Kali and Kloe, the inspiration for the Golden K.

Followers of Golden Kali can read the first post from a year ago for more context about The Golden K here: https://goldenk.net/2016/06/22/the-golden-k-begins-now/.

Welcome to The Golden K