One thousand and ninety five. Or 3 years to the day. That’s how long it’s been since I said my final goodbye to my boy Kitano. These days are always tough for me still and I suppose they always will be. I found myself tearing up randomly throughout the day at work which is not only embarrassing if and when a few customers caught the water works, but also it’s frustrating as I feel like I have no control over it.
I guess I should be somewhat grateful that these types of days are not as common as they used to be but it sure doesn’t help when in the moment.
I sure do miss my boy. I miss my entire pack more than words on a blog could possibly convey, but today…I’d like to tell you a bit about Kitano specifically in honor of his departure 3 years back.
He was unexpected. I was living with my now ex wife out in Vegas, and we already had 2 monsters at home in Bindi (Husky) & Bandit (Malamute). We were fucking about at a local mall when we wandered into the pet shop. We always wound up in pet shops usually to snag a treat for the pups at home and to just play with the beautiful souls stuck there.
We saw bunch of little fluff balls in a pen and noticed one was hiding from the rest. They were Malamute/Timberwolf hybrids and boy were they absolutely adorable. The one guy looked a bit tired and we asked about him. We were told he was ill and was being “sent back”. You can draw conclusions as to what that meant exactly and you’d most likely be correct.
They said he had a heart murmur (he didn’t) and that they could not sell him to us. After discussing with my ex, we decided we would try as hard as we could to secure him, hopefully help him recover, and if not…give him the best life for the limited time we had with him.
After much negotiating and signing a ton of forms absolving the shop from any liability upon the untimely passing of our guy, we brought him home where he stayed for just several days before being put into the emergency vet care of Durango Animal Hospital. There he stayed for over a month why they tried to figure out why he wasn’t eating, had no strength, and was losing weight. They were tough days as we were preparing to lose him. But that was not his story…
We solved the riddle…well…I kinda did. I remember about 3 weeks in I was googling and printing a few things for the doctors. One was about a strange and rare parasite usually found in the mid west and with some different treatments, he made a full recovery in about a week after starting whatever new meds they started him on to combat his ailment.
Upon coming home, he was an instant part of our family and pack. This bag bad Wolf had the heart of a gentle giant and while he looked intimidating to the unfamiliar, he was a completely submissive dog. Fine…he was a giant wuss but he was my giant wuss.
For the next 5 years he was amazing and accepting as we welcomed our 4th member of our pack Maya into the clan. They bonded instantly and seeing the pack dynamic was amazing. Truly magical. But then my world turned upside down again at 5 am one morning as he woke us frantically while suffering a massive stroke. Bucking and flailing while his eyes darted…he and us were in a panic. Once again…the seriously question of him being here tomorrow was in jeopardy.
Several Sleepless nights. Headaches. Disorder. Short tempers. Anger and a lot of tears. That’s what I remember while the doctors told us he may never walk again. But several days later…he took some steps. Wobbly ones with a head tilt that would make the Leaning Tower jealous.
Long story short regarding that…he made a full recovery. If you fast forward 6 months after, you would have never known he suffered a stroke. The boy had heart and a will to live and fought the odds off once again.
For the following 8 years, he was my heart. We shared wonderful adventures and created a lifetime of memories. His last few months were marred with a handful of seizures and cancer. At 13 1/2 years old in 2018, I was losing my second pack member as I had to make the hardest decision once more. His brother Bandit had passed in 2015 leaving behind just his 2 sisters Bindi & Maya. Brutal…
I miss how he would shower me in kisses. Or when he would follow me from room to room as I showered and got ready each and every day. Or how he would clumsily start his zoomies and run like a mad man throughout our pad often times falling and busting his ass along the way. How playful he was.
How he always seemed to be smiling when not in sleep mode. I miss him scrapping with his brother and sisters. I miss our walks and talks. How he would just stare into me when I spoke to him. Or how he would start his howling towards the moon while standing on the couch as I left for work…often riling up the others to participate in the daily howlfest which could be heard from the streets.
His piggy nose, his forever wagging tail, and his “land swimming” when he got overly excited. I miss feeling the pure love that eminated from him. I miss him bed hogging at night followed by joining me at work. I miss being that close to perfection daily.
So I’m going to pop my snot bubbles, turn off the waterworks and raise a virtual glass to my boy Kitano. May we all find something in our lives that ignites something inside the way Tano did for me. I love you boy, and I am forever grateful of the smiles you still consistently provide me.
See you in my dreams buddy. 🐾💔🐾
A puffy eyed Blewitt
