November 18, 1992 - June 12, 2002
‘Wherever a beautiful soul has been, there is a trail of beautiful memories.’
Of all the dogs in all the hearts in all of Iowa, she had to creep into mine where she will stay forevermore. Not a day goes by that I don’t think of her and miss her. Driving past a field of cows, I glance back and hear myself say, : "There’s ya some Moo-Cows, K’lua!" In my hearts eye she sits right up, peering out the window, as if naming and greeting each hamburger, cheeseburger, breathing in fragrances of possibility and hope.
As often happens with Rott pups, the tiny, fuzzy, bundle became bigger than her first family anticipated and they gave her up. She found herself at the mercy of one who beat her and starved her, intending to make her the ‘baddest Rott in Iowa’. Instead, she became Lady’s protegee and best friend, trusting in her first after we’d brought Kahlua into our home as our first rescue. She became the other half of a ‘Rottie bookend’, answering in a flash to "Lets go girls!" and grew to be well loved by all who met her. She and I attended West Virginia Canine College together where other students often asked to borrow her for class exercises, dubbing her the "Mighty Kahlua" for her ecstatic body wag of endless energy and heart.
After several months of searching, we were able to track down her roots to discover she was indeed purebred and registered. Besides being sweet, smart and comical, she was a Mama-dog extraordinaire. She taught me the most important of life lessons: Be Patient; Forgive; Let go of the past and learn to trust the Now; Sleep Well, Eat Well, Love Well; Play with your kids, no matter how big they get. Never show your teeth when a good woof will do; always show you are glad and grateful.
If ever a dog were to offer grace before eating, it was Kahlua. She seemed to never forget her days of near starvation and savored every morsel. When she began to leave more and more of her meals, I knew something was terribly wrong. and back up to Avondale we went. In April, Kahlua was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia , a blood cancer of poor prognosis, non responsive to treatment. I chose to make her remaining time as comfortable and happy as possible. We went for rides to anywhere, everywhere and nowhere in particular. She had a 2 month remission in which we made the very most of every day, including her star visit to a Special Needs school during Police Week. With only Prednisone, antibiotics and a supplement, she seemed to be doing all right; but in June, her appetite again waned, she began to have trouble breathing and coughed much of the night. For her last car ride, she lay still and silent, a shadow of herself, oblivious to the cows we passed. I knew it would be for me to make the heart shattering decision: to cut the final leash, send her off through the Field of Dreams toward Rainbow Bridge.
"She brought such laughter to my home, and richness to my days...
A constant friend through joy or loss, with gentle loving ways.
Companion, pal and confidante, a rare and precious pearl;
She’ll be here always in my heart, my sweet Forever Girl."
Kahlua and I will have a place on the Honor Wall at Loving Rest in Indianola next to Lady and Jim. She is survived by her children, 4 of whom still live here at Heartland Canine: Abel von Heartland, Athena von Heartland, Dandy’s Buccaneer (Bucc) and Kahlua’s Bella Signorina (Beauty).
Click here to write to Kahlua's family
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