The Wild Child Turns Six

June 2, 2024

Koda. Fittingly named The Wild Child several years ago by a dear friend who has had many many Goldens in her life. The nick name has been spot on!

When you Google the word tenacity you get pictures of Koda. When you say, “Hey Koda, you wanna fight?” she’s already in your face bellowing her trademark “Roo, Roo, Roo”. Koda is a tough cookie who doesn’t back down.

Koda joined our pack in September of 2018 as a four month-old puppy. She weighed 22 pounds. but, as I learned, in her mind she was much bigger. It only took her a couple of hours to figure out she could boss Kloe around. Kloe, two years old and around 80 pounds at the time at first went easy on Koda. She recognized her size advantage and instinctively knew not to go at full strength. While an indifferent Kali sauntered off to sleep in the sun, Kloe and Koda began to get acquainted. There were puppy poses all around and then they were off to the races playing chase. Koda’s confidence ~~grew~~ was immediately evident and enthusiastic wrestling ensued. Kloe continued to acquiesce to the size differential. But when the little whipper snapper refused to back down – as most puppies with a 60 pound disadvantage would do – Kloe decided it was time to school her new baby sister. Boom – take down for Kloe! Koda went rolling over a few times from the take down. That should do it, right? Nope. “Nice try Kloe”, Koda seemed to say as she got off her back. She shook off the dust and immediately initiated more rough play. And so it went for the day and weeks to follow. And to a large degree still does albeit at a much more reasonable level.

To say that time has flown is a trite and overused term to express surprise at the passing of so much time. So instead I will say that the earth must be spinning faster. How could our little puppy Wild Child be turning six? I would love to say that over these past six years the “wild and child” have evolved into “calm and mature”. [The author shakes his head and mouths the word “Nope!”] OK well maybe a little bit…

Over the years Koda has matured and ~~follows~~ understands the rules and what is expected. But she is the stereotypical third child:

Child #1 (Kali): I follow the rules
Child #2 (Kloe): I’m the reason for the rules
Child #3 (Koda): The rules don’t apply to me

The Good and not so good of Koda:

The not so good; the sneaky thief: A few weeks after joining the pack Koda stole half of a hamburger bun off my plate when we were prepping dinner. I realized it was missing as she was circling the table planning another sneak attach. But wait it gets better. A week or two later I enter the kitchen to see Koda on top of the table foraging for non-existent food! Wow! Probably looking for the other half of the bun…
The very good; loyal to all ends: Koda was around two when Holly and I went out for a few hours. As was the routine when we left during the day the girls – Kali, Kloe, and Koda – were left out on the deck with access to a big chain link fenced area of the property we call “the pen”. When we arrived back home Kloe greets us and and Koda comes running up from the pen barking emphatically and looking back at the pen. She insists we follow her to the pen. When we get there we see Kali stuck in a hole unable to get up due to her bad legs. Although I can’t say for sure I am convinced that Koda stayed by Kali’s side until she heard us pull up and came a running to tell us Kali needed help.

Although Kloe is the pack protector Koda is Kloe’s wingman always providing back up. Even if she doesn’t know what Kloe is barking at or running towards Koda is by her side ready to rumble. I am convinced, and I hope I never have to find out, that if Kloe was physically threatened by another animal Koda would step in front and be the first to fight.

Now at six, most of the tenacious and challenging qualities in Koda still exist but they are tempered. To be fair she has matured. She is a good girl, and if I’m honest, I’m glad she remains a wild child and still has the spirit and energy of a puppy under many circumstances. I’m glad because those qualities make Koda who she is. I used to hope she would change. Once I realized I needed to change and adapt she and I grew much closer. Another lesson learned from one of the four legged pack members!

So, happy sixth birthday to this crazy, loyal, and dedicated wild child Red Girl of mine.

Kloe greeting the Wild Child Koda for the first timer.

The Wild Child all grown up

Watching Our Pups Age

March 24, 2024

It’s usually just before lights out, and right before I get into my own bed, that I lay down with Kloe for our night time ritual of cuddles and whispers of sweet nothings. She lays curled up on her mat looking aristocratic and regal. My eyes are fixed on her and she stares back at me with her big and loving chestnut eyes. There is no denying that at eight years old Kloe is entering her senior years. As I approach I call her “Queenie” and our brief ritual begins. Although at times Kloe still exhibits puppy-like behavior, true to her breed, her face is seasoned and peppered with a greying muzzle.

Kloe is our only Golden Retriever that we adopted as a true straight from the litter puppy. Bailey, our first Golden, was 18 months when we rescued him years ago as a birthday present for our son. Kali was approximately five when she flew from Taiwan into our lives and hearts. Koda, although still a puppy, was four months when she stormed into our pack.

Kloe was just nine weeks. She was from a litter of three other females. I can remember meeting all three puppies and noticing Kloe’s calm demeanor and a pouty face. I loved the pouty face!… Fast forward and now at lights out, as I lay next to my eight year old Queenie, I see the same pouty face that I saw in that seven week old puppy. It makes me happy that I can still see the puppy in her face. Although I’m glad that in some ways we are growing “older” together, the reality is that Kloe will very pass before I do if we are both fortunate enough to live our full life’s expectancy.

So how old is Kloe in human years?

There are various ways to calculate your dog’s age. The most common method, although not accurate, is seven years for every human year. In Dr. Karen Shaw Becker’s book The Forever Dog she references a 2019 study by researchers at the University of California, San Diego. In their research they found that most dogs follow a similar developmental trajectory reaching puberty at ten months and dying before age twenty. The research team created a new way to measure aging in dogs which, as Dr. Becker says, is a “bit more complex than multiplying by seven”. This formula, the researchers say, applies to dogs older than one. In other words once the dog turns one the math works. The formula is 16 x ln (where ln is the dog’s age) +31. To work out your dog’s “human” age, first enter the dog’s age then press ln on a scientific calculator. Then multiply the figure you get by 16, and finally add 31.

When I do this for Kloe’s age which is eight, the result is 64.3

More dog and less science…

One recent evening during our lights out ritual and as Kloe and I were nose to nose, I realized something I had not thought of before. It dawned on me that with our pups we often see them go from wee little puppy, to adolescent, to adulthood, to senior, to end-of-life. We watch them go through their entire life spanning stages and years. I won’t see this with my human children. Of course I would not want to. No child should pass before their parent. But with our pups, at least for me, it’s different.

Kloe is healthy, runs like a gazelle with her muscular physique on full display, and can chase down and catch a ball like a major league center fielder. Over the coming years I’ll see her continue to age. I’ll see her greying muzzle day-by day turn into a classic “clown face” (I wish there was a better term for that). She’ll begin to slow and eventually the slow will turn to stop. When that time comes I will consider it a blessing and an honor to have been there with my sweet Kloe for the entire and full run of a dog’s life.

Forget the science. Forget the formulaic manner in which to measure arbitrary milestones. One month, one year, one day? How about one life?

And It all began with a pouty face.

2016: Kloe 9 weeks old and first day home

Kloe is Eight! No way…

March 4, 2024

Right side of my brain: “Kloe is eight”.

Left side of my brain: “No way!!”

Right side of my brain: “Yes way! Look it up…”

Wow!

I didn’t have to look it up. It’s true. My puppy, my baby, my sweet sweet Kloe who I now sometimes refer to as ~~Queenie~~ Kweenie, turned eight today.

Left side of my brain: “How the heck did that happen?”

Right side of my brain: “She was born and then the earth circled the sun eight times”.

Left side of my brain: “Shut up Mr. Logical!”

In my heart Kloe is still the nine week old puppy we brought home all those years ago and introduced to Golden Kali who quickly became her “Sissy-Mama”, mentor, and best friend! Kloe helped shape our pack and continues to bring us great joy and happiness. She is our guardian, our protector, and the heart and soul of The Golden K.

Right side of my brain: “But you do know it’s been eight years, right?

Left side of my brain: “Yep! Eight years of love, devotion, and joy!”

Right side of my brain: “I agree. Happy Birthday Kloe!”

Kloe Through The Years

Memorial Day Weekend Nine

May 28, 2023

Memorial Day Weekend has always been a favorite weekend of mine for many reasons. The northern California weather is finally warm on a daily basis, baseball is in full stride with teams beginning to emerge as either contenders or losers, and it’s the unofficial beginning of Summer. But for the past nine years what has made it very special is it’s the weekend that Kali flew into my heart from Taiwan. Nine years ago.

Long time followers of The Golden Kali Blog know the story and history of how this special dog changed my life. How she flew from Taiwan with 23 other Golden Retrievers arriving at SFO via China Airlines flight 004 on Saturday evening, May 24th 2014. Those who don’t can read how it started here.

~~I still recall~~ I can still feel the excitement I had leading up this day when Kali would join our family. After five years without a dog in our family I knew we prepared to welcome Kali into our lives and devote the time, energy, and love to make sure she was happy. What I was not prepared for was the almost immediate and powerful bond that developed between Kali and I.

With any rescue, families should be prepared for an adjustment period of weeks or even months. Given Kali was coming from half way around the world we expected it would take her some time to acclimate to her new environment. It didn’t. It’s funny to think back on it now but at the time I wasn’t sure if Kali would respect the house and our belongings. Would she chew on the furniture? Would she try to steal our food? Was she really house broken? Not knowing any of this before she arrived I had decided that over the long weekend I would spend the first few days mostly outside with Kali as she adjusted. So Sunday morning, her first in America, we headed outside. Kali explored and I began this blog.

That was Sunday of Memorial Day weekend nine years ago. Today, on this Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, I am doing the same thing as I was doing nine years ago. Sitting outside with my laptop writing a post about Kali. So in some ways things are much the same and in other ways they are so much different.

For one Kali is not longer with me at my feet as I write. Kali crossed over the bridge January 1, 2022. This is the second Memorial Day weekend without her. But this remains our special holiday. Time and space will never take that away from us.

If not for Kali I may never have experienced first hand the bond that is possible between man and a dog. My friend Dee tells me that Kali was my Heart Dog. That special dog that no matter who follows him or her, and no matter how much you may love those that follow, they will never replace one’s Heart Dog. Dee is right! Kali is forever my Heart Dog.

If not for Kali there would not have been a Kloe and not a Koda. Kali was Sissie Mama to our two younger girls. An unassuming and subtle alpha, Kali was a gentle and benevolent leader to whom Kloe -especially Kloe- looked up to. Kali gave my wife Holly the courage and motivation to take on a pup (Kloe) as were preparing a move to the mountains (yep on Memorial Day weekend) in 2016. Holly did the heavy lifting with Kloe’s development and training and they have a special bond. Kloe is “Holly’s dog”. As Kali aged I could not bear the thought of her passing and leaving Kloe without a sibling. Enter Koda in 2018. There’s always room for one more dog!

And without Kali there probably not have been a move to the mountains. Kali changed our lives, our thinking, and our priorities. Our life in Suburbia had been great. We raised our family in the East Bay of San Francisco and had a great life. Now, as empty nesters, our vision for our home had changed. Kali was at the center of that vision and gave us the inspiration to make a move. Heck, if she could travel from Taiwan to America and thrive we could certainly do the same in the mountains. It had always been a vision of mine to live in the mountains and Kali gave me that push!

So as I close I offer respect and a nod to the men and women who served and later died in, or because of, military service and for whom this Memorial Day holiday honors. But this weekend will also always be a time that I recall Kali’s arrival and how she changed our lives.

Kali remains omnipresent at The Golden K.

Kali – The Golden K Anchor

February 12, 2023

Kali crossed the bridge over a year ago and there is not a day that ends where I haven’t thought about her at least once. I find myself day dreaming about her. At night she is often in my dreams. Her name comes off my lips at times when I am speaking to one of her sissies. Sometimes I call out to her for no reason in particular other than to beckon her sweet spirit. And I will speak softly to her when I see a picture of her on my computer or in a photo frame.

I miss her desperately. Not in a deliberating way, or even in a sad way. But in a way that stops me in my tracks and takes my breath away as I realize what an incredible relationship we had and what a very special dog Kali was. Her history is storied having been rescued in Taiwan and flying across the world into our arms in the SF Bay Area. Two years later we moved to the Sierra Nevada Foothills and she was an instant local. Nothing ever phased her. She adapted within minutes to any new environment or situation. And like a true Golden she loved all people almost as much as she loved food. 🙂

Recently a picture came up in my Facebook Memories. A photo from four years ago. In the photo Kali, Kloe, Koda, and Holly were all lying on the floor sleeping. Everyone was tired from a day of playing off and on in the snow. What struck me about this photo was that as they slept on the floor Kloe, Koda, and Holly each had their heads resting against Kali. She was our anchor. She was our energy. She was our heartbeat. Kali was and remains the pulse of The Golden K!

Kali, anchoring a power nap after a day in the snow. February 5, 2019

Kloe The Lover (not a fighter)

January 8, 2023

Kali was the first and oldest. She had a storied history long before Kloe joined the pack. Kloe always looked up to Kali and considered Kali the alpha until the day Kali crossed the bridge. Koda, the youngest, has always been ~~a loud mouth~~ gregarious. From the day she joined the pack at 4 months old, Koda demanded vocally and physically the attention of everyone in the room and general vicinity. So with Koda, Kloe usually has no choice but to play second banana. And I think for the most part that’s ok with Kloe.

Kloe The Puppy

Kloe was 7 weeks old when we met her and her litter mates. There was “Green”, “Purple”, and “Red” as designated by the color of their ribbon collars. We sat on the lawn in the yard of the rescue group’s organizer watching the puppies romp around. We picked them up, sat them on our laps, and interacted with them in our effort to see which one would be right for us. OK, full disclosure: I laid on the grass and ~~let them~~ encouraged the puppies to crawl on top of me and smother me with golden love!

After about an hour we decided that “Red” was the one for us. We liked her her confidence and calm demeanor. At only seven weeks she seemed interested in more than just her siblings and these new human visitors as we observed her looking beyond her immediate surroundings with a serious and quizzical look. And, she had a little pouty face that I fell in love with! We decided Red’s name would be Kloe. Two weeks later we went back to pick her up and bring her home. That was almost seven years ago.

Kloe The Lover

There is a saying, “I’m a lover (not a fighter). That’s Kloe!

Approaching seven years this Spring, Kloe has been a full fledged Golden Retriever adult dog for over three years. She has always been rather serious and never displayed some of the goofy and silly attributes that make many Goldens so fun and entertaining. That’s not to say Kloe doesn’t have fun. It’s just she approaches things with purpose. Whether it’s catching a ball, engaging in play with her sister Koda, or mealtime. Kloe is also very earnest; especially when meeting new people. She tries her best not to get too excited as we remind her not to jump). She’ll place herself in a sit at her new friend’s side looking up at them the entire time while her tail wags excitedly. She lets out deep groans as if to say “I just met you but I love you so much!”

Kloe Our Protector

Kloe, even as a 6 month old puppy, has always had a very deep bark. As docile as she is Kloe’s bark is a force to be reckoned with. If Koda’s high pitched bark is the “alarm” then Kloe’s bark is the ancient battle horn calling the troops into formation and ready to charge! The alarm sounds, the battle horn blows, and she is off to defend the Golden K with little sister Koda along side as her squire. Kloe typically starts out her day by smelling most of the front and back areas of our home along the fence lines. She methodically, much to the chagrin of her less interested sister, inspects every inch assessing what critter may have been there the night before. When she finally arrives back at the kitchen door for her breakfast meal I sarcastically ask her if the perimeter is secure and she ~~nods affirmatively~~ looks up at me expressionless and sits and waits for breakfast.

Kloe Our Conscience

When I look at Kloe I see honesty. I see compassion. I see a peace maker. Sure, these are human traits but why not also true for dogs? Kloe’s eyes tell the truth. Her body language adapts to the people around her. And when confronted with the choice to share or fight for what is hers (a ball, a bone, or a stick) she will usually acquiesce to the perpetrator (Koda). Admittedly I’d prefer to see her stand up for herself more but that’s Kloe; always willing to stand down to keep the peace.

Because remember, she’s a lover (not a fighter).

Understanding Koda

December 5, 2022

Competition

Although the youngest member of the pack Koda has never taken a back seat. She can be pushy when she wants attention. She can be loud when she has a point to make. She has always been ~~willing~~ eager to stand her ground. The first thing to understand about Koda is that she is competitive!

Kloe was just two and a half when Koda at four months joined the Golden K Pack. Koda never really considered Kloe a surrogate mom and Kloe didn’t spend much energy schooling Koda. I think part of the reason for this is that Kali was oldest. Kali was nine and Kloe still looked up to her as the alpha and mother figure she had always been since Kloe was 9 weeks old.

At first Kali wanted little to do with Koda. When Koda was first introduced to her new sisters, Kali gave out a little woof, briefly sniffed her and walked off and seemed to say, “Oh no no no. You take that whipper snapper away. Things were just fine – perfect in fact – when it was just Kloe and I”.

From day one Koda stood her ground, was first in line for treats, and first one out the door when it opened. She pushed herself in front of her two older sissies and had no idea how much smaller she was than them. In Koda’s mind she was the biggest and the alpha. If there was something to be won she was the one!

Tenacity

For Kloe’s part and upon meeting Koda she gave her the once over and expressed some physical dominance as she sized up the newest family member. And for a few minutes it seemed as though Koda would acquiesce to Kloe being older, and much larger. Koda was 22 pounds and Kloe was 75! And here is the second thing to understand about Koda: she’s is tenacious!

From the first day home Koda never backed down to Kloe. They played chase and Koda kept up. The wrestled and at first Kloe was gentle fully aware of her size advantage. As an older and bigger dog when Kloe had enough she tried to let Koda know with a firm gesture like a take down or firm mouth on the neck. But Koda wouldn’t let up. A less tenacious pup would acquiesce until the older dog was once again ready to play. Not Koda! She was like a heat seeking missile with endless fuel. Throw her down and she got back up. Throw her down again and she got up again this time with more determination. And on and on…. Her competitive nature coupled with tenacity made her a formidable playmate for Kloe even with the weight and experience differential. Kloe was never mom in Koda’s eyes. She was her big sissy and she was determined prove herself. Wrestling matches usually ended up in a tie, which was saying quite a lot for Koda.

Communication

Koda has a high pitched bark. Koda has a guttural play-growl. Koda puffs up her mouth with air and vocalizes, “A roo-roo-roo…” The third thing you need to understand about Koda is that she is a very good communicator. Because the high pitched bark is startling it would be easy to think that Koda is just being annoying. But I’ve learned that when she barks there’s a reason. For example if she is outside and wants to come in she barks at the door. Contrast this to Kloe who, when outside and wants to come in will sit in front of the door or window until she’s noticed. When Koda is inside and Kloe is outside if Koda sees Kloe at the door or window she’ll bark to let us know that Kloe wants to come in. If there is a toy under a table or chair that Koda can’t get to, and she needs help, she’ll come up to us with a combination of the guttural growl and her “Roo-roo”, tail flapping and butt swirling around. We’ve learned that this means she needs help with something. We’ll ask her to show us and she will take us to what she needs help with.

A couple of years ago, when Kali was still with us but becoming more and more feeble, Holly and I were sitting on the deck relaxing. Koda came up from a part of the property that was mostly out of sight. She was growling and a “roo-roo-rooing” and very earnest about needing our help. “What Koda, what is it?'” I said as I stood up and followed her. Koda led me to Kali who had become stuck in a hole in the ground and couldn’t get up.

Loyalty

Although Koda competes for my attention when Kloe is nearby and always wants the toy or bone that Kloe has, she transcends that behavior when it comes to family. And that is the fourth thing to understand about Koda: she is loyal! Kloe is our sentry and protector. If there is a perceived or imagined predator nearby Kloe will sound the alarm with her very deep bark. Wherever Koda may be at that time she jumps up and follows Kloe off into “battle”; many times without any specific knowledge of what the alarm is about. For Koda if Sissy is on the move so is she. As competitive as Koda is she takes her cues from Kloe. If Kloe goes outside Koda follows. If Koda wants to go outside and Kloe doesn’t follow Koda stays inside.

When I call Koda she comes. No matter where I am she follows my voice and comes to see what I want or need. Of all my girls past and present Koda has the best recall. To a large degree that is training. But I also believe a big part of it is loyalty. Koda and I have a bond and we are loyal to each other.

I think the reason for that, although not always but now for sure, I understand Koda.

All In – Happy Gotcha Day Koda

September 25, 2022

Koda, Koda, Koda!

This week marks four years since Koda joined our pack. She was four months old when we welcomed her and she came in with guns-a-blazing! Koda very quickly made her presence known. I remember driving her home in my truck and pulling up to our property. She was just 90 minutes separated from her two litter mates who had not been adopted yet. Koda hopped out of the truck and followed me through the gate where her new sisters were “waiting”. Koda 18 pounds at the time was greatly over matched by her new sisters – Kali at 60 pounds an Kloe at 80. There was about five minutes when Koda seemed a little intimidated and she acquiesced to the “big girls”. But she quickly made herself at home and began romping around the yard chasing and being chased by Kloe. Kali went off to sleep and resent the new whippersnapper that dad had just brought into the family without her permission.

The aforementioned five minutes of being intimidated was the last time I ever saw Koda be intimidated by anybody or anything.

Koda is a tough pup who initially made up for her size with loads of attitude.

It was immediately evident how vocal Koda was. Tilting her head slightly down, butt up in the air, and a mouthed puffed up with air she exclaims, “A roo roo roo”. This was just day one/hour two and she had already established her spot in the pack. She was not be the oldest or the biggest or in charge of anything but she always made here needs, wants, and opinions known! To this day Koda speaks her mind and always gets her point across to her intended audience and anyone else who will listen. As if they have a choice… If she could speak english she’d use what might be considered “salty language”.

Early on there were some very touch and go periods.

Holly: “Get that dog out of my house. Send her back”!

Me: She is such a loving girl. She’s doing so much better. I just need a little more time to work with her.”

Koda: (Looking directly at Holly) “A roo roo roo! Roo roo rooooo….”

Me : (Turning to Koda and under my breath) “Koda – work with me here.”

Koda: (Thought bubble over her head) “Hey – where did mom go?”

And so it went.

Koda has matured and has (mostly) learned to temper her enthusiasm. She is lovingly referred by a close friend who also has Golden Retrievers, as my “wild child”. A spot on characterization! But Koda has learned to be a (mostly) respectful and responsible member of the pack. She is very smart and learns things the first time. Whether she chooses to adhere to the learning is another matter. But she does learn it and then makes her choices. I (mostly) respect that.

Did you notice all the “mostly’s” in the previous paragraph? So yeah lot’s of mostly’s. But the all-ins” far outnumber and outweigh those mostlys.

Koda is all in on Loyalty. She is all in on loving her pack members. She is all in on recall – where ever she is, if I call she comes.

Koda was all in on Kali, her Sissy Mama. During the last year or so of Kali’s life when she had a hard time getting around Koda looked after Kali. A great example was a time when Kali got stuck in a corner of the property and couldn’t get up. Koda came running up to us barking and alternating looks from us to where she wanted us to go. We followed her and found Kali OK but stuck in a small hole and unable to get up. Talk about a Lassie and a “Timmy’s stuck in the well moment”… wow!

Koda is all in on being Kloe’s wingman. Kloe, “Protector Of The Golden K” – often sees, smells, or hears potential bad guys. Bad guys like cats, deer, squirrels, someone walking along the road at the bottom of our property, and so on. If Kloe stands up and barks, Koda does too; even though she doesn’t know what she’s barking at. She looks to Kloe for her cues. If Kloe takes off running in the bad guys direction Koda follows even thought she has no idea where she’s going. To Koda, if Kloe is barking, upset, or on the prowl Koda is by her side to provide all necessary back up. Koda is definitely all in on Kloe.

I’m so happy to Koda in my life and part of our pack. My sweet “Koda Koda Koda”, my “Sugar Beats”, my “Kodachrome”, my “Kode-Red”. Oh, yeah and full disclosure of another often used nick name for Koda: “Damn it Koda!” 🙂

Happy Gotcha day sweet Koda. Dad will always be all in on you!

The First Fourth…

July 4, 2022

…without Kali.

It was the evening of May 24, 2014 when I met that special girl from Taiwan. The door opened, our eyes met, and we instantly fell in love. Well, at least I was immediately taken back and infatuated with her. It took only minutes for that infatuation to turn to love. And we rode off into the sunset to Livermore, CA. and the rest as they say…. well you know.

That girl was Kali.

Long time followers of Golden Kali know that Kali is a rescue from Taiwan. Holly, my daughter Jessi, and I drove to the airport in San Francisco in great anticipation of meeting Kali, then known as Nala. We had only seen pictures and read her bio as we waited for about two months until her Taiwanese caregivers had her in perfect condition to come to America and join our family. Health, happy, and full of love.

I’ve written often about that evening at the airport when Kali and I met. How fate seemed to bring us together. If there really are matches made in heaven this would have been one! There was one special moment that stood out that I am reminded of every Fourth of July.

Kali arrived from Taiwan wearing a brown scarf with markings that were similar to mandarin characters. Once she was uncrated, leashed, and had time to get her land legs we prepared to drive home. A volunteer from the local rescue group, True Love Rescue, stopped us and took off the brown scarf and replaced it with a scarf that bore images of Stars and Stripes and the America Flag. It was a symbolic gesture of Kali’s transition from Taiwan to American where she became a true American Girl.

Kali wore the scarf for the first day home and then I took it off and stored it. I brought the scarf out several weeks later on the Fourth of July. That was 2014. Kali wore the scarf for the day and I again put it away. Since that time the scarf only comes out on the Fourth of July and Kali wears it for the day.

Except this year. This is the first Fourth without Kali.

There will always be two holidays that are special for me and Kali. I will always miss her just a little more on those days than others. One is Memorial Weekend. It was Memorial weekend in 2014 that we picked up Kali from SFO. That will forever be her gotcha day. The other is Fourth of July. The Fourth because of our ritual of taking out the scarf with stars and stripes, adorning it around my beautiful girls golden neck, and seeing her wear it for the day and evening.

So on this first Fourth without Kali, and for the Fourth’s to follow, the stars and stripes scarf will be worn by Kloe. This morning I pulled out the scarf and put it on Kloe, second in line of succession after Kali at the Golden K. Like Kali, she’ll wear it for the day and evening and in the morning it will be put away for another year.

Kloe may never know or appreciate the symbolism of wearing the scarf annually on the Fourth. Certainly she will never know the practical aspect of being a stray in Taiwan, going through rehab with the Taiwanese rescue ~~group~~ angels, or getting on a plane with 23 other Goldens and traveling across the world into the unknown. But I know that Kloe’s Sissy-Mama Kali would appreciate knowing the symbolism of the scarf and her transition from Taiwan to America will live on through her sister Kloe.

Happy Fourth Kali. For the first time in eight years as I write this Fourth of July post you are not laying at my feet. You can no longer warm my feet but will always warm my heart as I sit and write about you, for you, and with you close by in spirit.

Kloe sporting the special stars and stripes scarf handed down to her by Kali.

Golden Kali, July 4, 2015.

Sissy Mama

June 5, 2022

As Kali grew older I began referring to her, in relationship to her two sisters Kloe and Koda, as Sissy Mama. None of my girls were blood related but they were and are sisters (sissies) no less. So we would always refer to them as sissies. “Koda, where is your sissy”. Or, “Kloe, go get your sissies for dinner”. Yes we well I speak to them as though they are my kids. Because they are!

But Kali was much older and she became the Sissy Mama.

Six years shouldn’t seem so long ago. But if I think in “dog years” it is quite some time. Like six years ago when we brought Kloe home as a nine-week old puppy. That was a long time ago. Looking at her now, as she sleeps by my feet (filling in the empty space Kali left under my feet when she crossed the bridge), it’s hard to think that Kloe was ever a wee pup of 16 pounds. Green, fearless, and ripe for schooling by an older dog. Enter Kali.

Since Kali has been gone I find myself looking at pictures of her from over the years. Like today when I came across some pictures and videos of the first day we brought Kloe home. After the initial few minutes, when Kali made it very clear that Kloe was not welcome in her house, she quickly warmed up to Kloe and was every bit the surrogate mama we hoped she would be.

I had forgotten how inseparable Kali and Kloe were when Kloe was a pup. Mostly because at only weeks and months old Kloe adored Kali and followed her everywhere she went. There were so many tender moments sleeping side by side or on top of one another. And there were periods of play when Kali exhibited great patience with her new little sissy and also delivered lessons when needed.

In retrospect I now realize that Kali became the Sissy Mama the moment we brought Kloe through the front door in Livermore at 9 weeks old on May 7, 2016.

Sissy Mama In Action

Sissy Mama Gallery