We all thank you so much for your emails, comments and cards. They meant so much to us.

And we really appreciate your patience as we took a few days break from blogging.

And while we are still sad and missing our big Kode Red.

We know the perfect place to spread his ashes so that he will always be close to us.

Now is the time for us to look forward to new adventures - and we are ready to share those new adventures with you again.

But never forgotten, Kodi, never forgotten.

Kodiak

Knowing that Nikita’s life was coming to an end, we had adopted Kiska in August 2006 and had planned to remain at three (Natasha and Rusty were already there).  But we had also contacted Siberian Husky Assist during our search and they connected with us just over a month after Nikita’s passing with a red headed male that we needed to meet.  Kodiak joined The Herd in October 2006 and our foursome was complete (two hands, two people, right?  What’s the difference between three and four?).

Synchronized Snow Sliding with Cheoah

Within the first year that we had him, we discovered he was heartworm positive (both the rescue and we had performed heartworm tests that were negative.  Kodiak was our medical lesson that dogs often test negative to heartworms during their first six months or so of infection).  Once through that treatment, he finally began to add the needed pounds to his frame.  Interesting that this summer we talked often about how healthy his coat and body was – lean, muscular and shiny coat.

Why does my favorite blueberry bush have no more blueberries?

Perhaps part of that health came from his love of blackberries and blueberries.  We would simply be hiking through a trail and he had perfected the art of plucking ripe berries from the surrounding bushes and snacking during our hikes.

Just a big old puppy.

His age was always a mystery to us and we have often wondered whether he was six (assuming a year old when he first came to us) or more like ten.  Regardless of his actual age, he loved being the lovable lunk.  Easy going, affable, always the greeter when anyone approached us.  Never the class clown nor the leader, Kodiak just liked being a part of the pack – the big brother to everyone else.

The big guy did know how to relax

He also always looked forward to our hikes. When he saw the leashes appear, he would let loose with one of soulful howls – an expression of sheer joy at the anticipation of a new adventure.

After a long day of hiking, our tongues are hanging.

He also loved his Jeep rides and would have spent every minute of them with his head out the window – if we let him.  But when we were going slow, we indluged his passion.

How to ride in a Jeep - Kodiak style

He loved everyone in the pack, but his special friend was always Kiska. They were nearly inseparable from the very beginning and we often referred to them as boyfriend and girlfriend.  Where Kiska often lacks confidence in new settings, she hung closely to her big boyfriend for confidence.

Boyfriend and Girlfriend during a Jeep ride

And no sleeping in the human bed for Kodiak.  He certainly would come over for his good night hug and snuggle (boy, will we miss that icy cold nose), but then he was off for his favorite spot – his chair.  We had debated over the summer here how nasty the chair was getting and that we were going to have to replace it, but were worried about where Kodiak would sleep.

Kodiak nestled in his chair

His absolute best habit – and the one I will miss the most – is the Kodi hug.  During play with the rest of The Herd, he would suddenly look over at me, run over, stand on his hind legs, throw his head into my chest and wrap his front legs around me and squeeze.  After a few seconds, he would run back to play.  You try so hard not to put human emotions into a dog’s actions, but I could never get over the feeling that he was saying thank you for bringing him home, to agreeing to just one more member of The Herd, and to make him a part of this family.  I so wish I could feel that hug one more time.

A howl for all to hear

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We would like to link you to two special items (because we do not have the copyright permission to republish them here on our website).

First, like most dog owners, we celebrate the Rainbow Bridge.  But as Siberian Husky fans, we believe in a very special part of that world – North of the Rainbow Bridge.  We invite you to read this short poem of the magical place where Siberian Huskies wait to be reunited with their humans.

Second, Donald Vann is a celebrated Cherokee artist and we have a reprint of this very special painting entitled Rainbow Bridge hanging near where computer work is done.  This picture has been a deep comfort to us today.

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While we want this post to be a celebration of life, we also want to take a quick second to explain what happened.  Feel free to skip this part.

Unbeknownst to us, Kodiak was born with a defect that had fused his C2 and C3 vertebrae (in his neck).  Fused vertebrae force additional pressure above and below the fusion and Kodiak suffered from a tragic rupture of the disc between C3 and C4 during our walk on Friday morning.  The rupture was so violent that it did permanent damage to his spinal cord.  Sunday morning, we finally understood what had happened but also understood the consequences.  The paralysis that had affected his front legs was spreading to also affect his lungs.  Even if a surgery was able to be performed, he would never have recovered from the paralysis.  And the anesthesia to perform the surgery would react fatally with the nerve damage that had been done.  We simply reached a point where we ran out of options.

We would like to take a moment to think the doctors and staff of the hospitals we saw in the last 48 hours (listed below in the order we saw them).  They were absolutely terrific in their support and care and we know that Kodiak saw some of the best people available.  Our apologies for only knowing the doctors names, because there were so many professionals that treated us with such terrific care.

Dr. Chip Jackson – Murrells Inlet Veterinary Hospital

Dr. Katie Gibson – Regional Emergency Animal Care Hospital (REACH) – Asheville, North Carolina

Dr. Brent Goodson – Animal Emergency Clinic – Greenville, South Carolina

Dr. Dermot Jevens – Upstate Veterinary Specialist – Greenville, South Carolina

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Please pardon us as we take a few days break from blogging.  We just need some personal time for healing and grieving.

Cheoah and Kodiak walking down the beach Sunday.

Amazing how quickly things can change.  Friday dawned with clear skies and cooler temperatures, destined to be the best weather day of the week.  We put the dogs out on the picket line in front of the RV while we got ourselves ready, and then took The Herd on our morning walk down the beach at Huntington Beach State Park.  About half way through our walk, Kodiak screamed and dropped to the ground.  He never lost consciousness, but it was very clear that he was unable to stand or use his legs in anyway.

We scanned the ground to see what he stepped on (the dogs can be quite dramatic about getting a sand spur in the paw, but Kodiak is notoriously stoic about pain, so that was not his style).  The beach was perfectly clear – no jellyfish, no crabs, nothing but clean, white sand.

Understanding that Kodiak was not going to walk out on his own, we realized that precisely what we liked about Huntington Beach was now our enemy – miles of pristine, undeveloped beach with only a few paths over to any road – and very few people on the beach at all.  One of us stayed with Kodiak while the other ran the rest of the dogs back to the RV, secured them safely, and drove the Jeep back to the nearest entry trail.  We then carried Kodiak up the beach and to the waiting Jeep (trust us, 60 pounds (27 kilograms) of dog is quite the challenge to carry up a beach and across a marsh path).

Kodiak, center, getting attention from some young fans on the beach.

Next challenge – where to for a vet?  We stopped at the ranger’s station and were directed to Murrells Inlet Veterinary Hospital.  We can not possibly say enough great things about the terrific team there.  Kodiak went straight into an exam room and, despite three other emergencies arriving at about the same time, we were seen quickly by a professional, polite staff.  Dr. Chip Jackson and team were superb.  Every time we went back into the hospital itself, the staff was gently caring for other patients and several technicians made a point to stop by, call Kodiak by name, and tell us how much they were rooting for him.

What always impresses me about a great vet is when they acknowledge what they don’t know.  Like our own terrific vet, Dr. Jackson was quick to say what he knew, what he suspected, and, importantly, what he did not know and wanted to consult with someone else.  No one knows everything and I always have great faith in people who admit when they need input from others.

Which leads us to where we are tonight – still guessing.  We have ruled out a lot of things, but have a couple of possibilities.

1)  A stroke.  The initial signs all pointed to a stroke, but as the day wore on, we are less inclined to believe this was the issue for a variety of reasons.

2)  Fibrocartilagious embolism – Basically a spinal stroke, or the deprivation of blood from a part of the spinal cord.  A great article can be found here.  Very strong possibility.

3)  Lesion on the vertabrae or other vertabrae issue – We think this may be a high likelihood, but need a good scan to rule this in or out.  And that means transporting Kodiak to a hospital with the scanning technology.

To continue to narrow down the cause, we are transporting Kodiak back home Saturday to have more extensive scans done.  He remains alert and responsive, though he can not stand well on his own (can take several steps before falling) and has no use at all of his front left leg.  He does have pain and sensitivity reflexes, including in that front leg.  And, importantly, he wolfed down food Friday night when Dr. Jackson cleared him to see if he would eat anything (boy, did he).  Mostly, he just wants to see and, preferably, touch me.  He has spent much of the evening with his head in my lap.

We will certainly keep you posted as we learn more.  In the meantime, we really appreciate everyone’s prayers and concerns for Big Red.  Thank you.

We did learn a few things today and wanted to take a moment to mention them.  We will probably do a post on each of them later:

1)  When you travel, do you know where the nearest emergency vet is located?  I am so thankful for a great referral today but want to make sure I am ready no matter where we are traveling.

2)  When hiking or out with the dogs, do you know how you will transport them in an emergency?  Carrying Kodiak across a beach and over a marsh path was challenging to say the least.

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The gang that couldn't walk straight.

Rusty here. In the USA, we are celebrating Labor Day.

So here is my salute to all of those who work so hard for a living.

Especially those who get to drive a cool machine like this.

Back off, Kodiak. Licensed operators only.

Rusty’s love of heavy equipment is very well known.  In case you need a refresher, check out these posts:

New Toy

Latest Equipment Find

Newest Toy

Construction Rusty

Water is Flowing

What is Kiska doing in MY window?

Pardon me, excuse me.

There. MY window.

This is much better.

We make lots of jokes about the hu-dad mowing our field every month or so.

Let's just say we are in the "or so" range.

Is that the weekend I spy up in that tree?

Kodiak here. While everyone's back is turned, I thought I would take you a quick Friday Foto tour.

Our neighbor, Cataloochee Ski, is using the quiet summer months to install a new chairlift.

Everything in our field is lush and green from the summer rains.

Looks like another great weekend on the horizon.