R.I.P. KD

 There is sorrow enough in the natural way

From men and women to fill our day;

But when we are certain of sorrow in store

Why do we always arrange for more?

Brothers and sisters I bid you beware

Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.

Rudyard Kipling

This morning we all lost a cherished member of our family.  Never has a dog been as loved as much as our sweet KD.  One of the very hardest and perhaps worst decisions of my life was deciding it best to leave our almost 12 year old dog behind when we moved to New Zealand.  I thought it was best to spare her the long flights and the period of quarantine required for what originally started out as one to two year plan to live abroad,   We would be back in the States to pick her up and enjoy her twilight years we thought.  As it turns out, things in NZ have worked out pretty well for us, and here we are still, three years later with no immediate plans to return to the US.  Depriving my family of the experience of seeing KD through to the end will likely be one of my biggest regrets in life. While we have very much enjoyed our travels and adventure, there has always been an un fillable hole in our lives.  For 11 years that dog did everything with us.  She would have loved New Zealand as well and I wish we could have brought her here. She was an ever present source of unconditional love, companionship, gentleness, and joy.
 

 KD came in to our lives when Lindsey was one and was there with us though the births of Skyler and Owen.  She helped us raise these kids and the lessons imparted by her we will all carry forever.  Dogs, without any intention, teach us some of the most important lessons of life don't they.   About living each day with joy and exuberance.  About really learning to appreciate the little things in life and realizing that those are the only things that ultimately matter.  A tennis ball, a walk in the park, a romp in the snow, a swim in a creek and a bit of love from her family is all she ever needed or cared about.  The way her butt shook, the way her feet slid on the wood floor and the way her tail wagged when you walked in the door, like you just got back from a trip to the moon would make all of the stresses of daily life melt away.  I feel some what ashamed for any time I may have pushed her aside because all she was trying to say was "I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU, I LOVE YOU" as passionately as she could.  She taught us about being a good friend, patient, non judging, and always there for a cuddle.

 She taught us about selflessness and patience.  She was dressed up countless number of times, had her toenails painted, was ridden like a horse by all the kids in the neighborhood who often used her as a jungle gym with never a nip or a bark.  Just that sheepish little look of "OK one more time".
She logged hundreds of miles helping Jenny train for three marathons,  she played catch with me (literally would catch the ball in her mouth on the fly) for hours and hours, which I think was therapeutic for both of us.

 She made family road trips to east and west coasts and many places in between and never once asked "are we there yet"

Never a more beautiful Lab than KD

I have to tell my favorite KD story;

It was one fall or early winter evening, already getting dark, when KD and I went out for a routine jog on one of the trails near our home.  It was a bit blustery and as it darkened, a bit spooky running through the woods on the paved trail.  Now KD did not have tons of self confidence and was always a tad fearful of other dogs until she had had a god sniff to confirm that they meant no harm to her.  She often lagged a bit behind me on our runs as she was always off exploring some new scent.  As I went along, I passed a large man in a large black parka who had a large dog with him, a few steps past them I looked back to see where KD was.  She was frozen in her tracks about 30 yards back with this fellow and his dog between KD and I.  I said "KD come on" several times.  She looked at me as if to say "are you crazy, I am not getting one step closer to Cujo and the zombie."  With that she took off  in the opposite direction, towards home,  running like a cheetah at top speed, only faster.  She sprinted about a mile and a half across major roads and through several neighborhoods.  Jenny, inside cooking dinner, could hear her pathetic yelp as she turned the corner by our house.  She opened the door just as KD was about to crash through it.  I turned and jogged home, expecting to see her around any corner with an embarrassed look on her face.  It took me about 12 minutes to get home and Jenny told me KD had been home for 15 which means she had gone so fast she had actually gone back in time.  When I walked into the house she was still cowering under the kitchen table.  She she felt so ashamed she couldn't even look at me.

KD was wonderful and had all the traits you would want in a family dog but she certainly was not courageous.

Two days before her passing

The last three years of KD's life were spent living with Pat and Ralph, Jenny's parents,  and I know they loved her as much as we did, and she loved living with them as well.  We will be forever grateful to them for agreeing to take her into their home.  At least we knew that KD was getting as much love and attention at the end as she always had been living with us.  I know she loved her daily walks with Ralph and probably a bit of Pats delicious home cooking.

Dear KD girl,  Thank you so much for all the wonderful times.  None of us will ever, ever, ever forget you.  

We all love you.  

Brad, Jenny, Lindsey, Skyler, and Owen