Happy Seventh – no singing please….

March 12, 2023

Kloe had a birthday this month. We don’t usually make a big deal for our girl’s birthdays. Honestly, every day is a party for them! They are quite spoiled and I’m ok with it. Especially since it is mostly me doing the spoiling… 🙂 So Kloe’s seventh came and went without much fanfare other than me singing Happy Birthday to her before dinner.

As is our usual routine the girls gather near my legs as I prepare their dinner and then follow me to the area that I put their bowls down. They sit, ~~look adoringly at me~~ wait patiently for the signal, and once the signal is given (a clap of my hands) they stand up and begin their meal.

It’s usually only a few seconds before I clap my hands to release them to their bowls and they are very good about waiting. They know to “watch” me, not the bowls, and once I have their full attention I clap. Kloe has always been good at “watch”. She will hold a watch with a fixed stare into my eyes forever. The longer she watches the farther back her head tilts. I’m sure if I made her watch long enough she would topple backwards! Koda is less, let’s say, focused. Before I release them to their bowls Koda’s eyes alternate between my eyes and her bowl of food. Little flickers back and forth without moving her head; just her eyes, It really delays the process much, I’m sure, to Kloe’s chagrin. With Koda, any little movement on my part that even looks like I am going to clap makes here lean towards the bowl. When she doesn’t hear the clap she pulls back. If she was a track runner her nickname would be “False Start”!

So on this seventh birthday evening I placed their bowls on the ground and they put themselves in a sit expecting a quick watch, a clap, and then delicious food entering their bellies. But instead I began singing Happy Birthday to Kloe. Very slowly I sang, “Happy birthday to you, [pause] happy birthday to you…” [pause]. Both girls sat there looking at me a little confused and hungry. By the time I got to “Kloe” as in “happy birthday dear Kloe” Koda had enough and quickly moved to her bowl and began eating. Kloe looked at me and gave me a figurative shrug of her shoulders with her eyes, and also started eating.

I feebly clapped my hands while muttering to myself, “happy birthday to you oooh…..”.

Happy Birthday Klo-Klo. My Klois Marie, my Kloe Bowie, my Sugar-lips!

Birthday Girl

March 4, 2018

Kloe turned two years old today. This sweet little puppy that we brought home almost two years ago has turned into a, well, a much bigger puppy. She leveled off at 80 pounds at about a year old but has become stronger, faster, and has so much more endurance as a more mature pup. Fortunately she has also learned a little more constraint and seems to be aware of her size and can be polite and gentle with fewer and few reminders.

Just as before Kali joined our pack I cannot imagine life without my sweet little girl Kloe. She never ceases to amaze me, entertain me, and love me unconditionally.

But there will be no parties, no special celebrattions because Kloe celebrates life each day and every day with unbridled enthusiasm and love. There will be no special gifts or meals because when you have it great – and Kloe does – how does it get better than that. Just like Jack Johnson said in his song Banana Pancakes, “We got everything we need right here and everything we need is enough”. And so we do.

So happy birthday little sweetie girl Kloe. Happy birthday my Klois Marie. Happy birthday Kloe Bowie. And happy birthday Sugerlips! Which ever name I call you by you always come running with a smile and usually a ball in your mouth. Thanks for being you Kloe and for all the joy you bring into our lives!

First day home

Kloe and Kali in the early days

Water makes mud

I’m not awkward, I’m a puppy

MMA take down

Stare down over the lodged apple

Let me help you with that

Zzzzzz…

Kloe at 10 weeks

Kloe neck deep

Home in the mountains

Kloe at one year

Kloe’s stoic look pretending not to be a puppy

Don’t ask!

Kloeville

A forest and lifetime of sticks!

Puppy MMA Take Down

Kloe last winter

Airborne

“Uncle” Smokey letting Kloe know who’s boss

Zero to seventy five in a year

March 5, 2017

As I write I look over and see a puppy sleeping very soundly under the kitchen table. Her older sister lies not too far away on her day bed also asleep but not quite as soundly. Instinctively, and from 10 months of first hand experience, big sister knows that at any moment the puppy could wake up and launch an all-out surprise attack with a soggy cloth toy or a plastic chew toy and almost certainly with attitude and unbridled enthusiasm.

Kloe the “puppy” turned one year old this weekend. Yes, it took a whole weekend for this to happen because when you go from zero to 75 pounds in one year it takes a few days to make the transition from puppyhood to, well more puppyhood. That’s how it is with Goldens. They start out as puppies and sometimes never grow out of it and if they do it takes at least a few years. So much to her big sissy Kali’s chagrin Kloe will continue chewing on Kali’s legs, smashing toys in her face, and making countless surprise attacks initiating marathon wrestle-mania bouts for at least another couple of years.

A little over a year ago as Holly and I began packing up 25 plus years of suburban life to move to the mountains we brought a puppy home. There were many who said we were crazy to add a puppy to our family during such a hectic and transitional time in our lives. They were right. The moment we met Kloe – just 15 pounds at the time- we were crazy in love with her. And I’m pretty sure Kali was too.

So zero to 75 in one year. Wow! We think she has stopped growing. Kali prays for the same. Meanwhile, all of us remain crazy in love with our giant golden red puppy we call Kloe.

Happy Birthday Sweets. It’s been one heck of a first year. I love you!