16/11/2023
Saying goodbye is never easy. And when it happens suddenly, unexpectedly, and quickly, the grief is compounded with thoughts of โWhy?โ and โDid I do enough?โ โฃ
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It is with a broken heart and profound sorrow that I said goodbye to Zephyr on Sunday. Our last morning together started out just like any other morning. He was his usual vibrant and full of life happy boy. He came to wake me, sniffing me and wanting pets, then he brought me a toy. I had no idea that in less than an hour after those precious and sweet moments that heโd be gone. He ran and played in the yard, then in what felt like forever but was just maybe 15 minutes, he briefly stumbled, recovered, then a few minutes later collapsed and passed away. As much as it hurt me and will always haunt me seeing what you went through in those final couple of minutes, Zephyr, I pray you knew I was right by your side every moment, trying to comfort you though I was otherwise feeling helpless. I hope you had no pain or fear in those moments, and had the knowledge you passed safety at home and so very loved.โฃ
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Zephyr was a special dog, he had big feelings but was the sweetest and most playful with everyone he felt safe with. He is the reason I became a dog trainer. He taught me about canine body language and behavior. My successes with him gave me the confidence I needed to know I chose the right path after leaving the animated film industry. โฃ
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He loved to learn, and had a bit of โfomoโ or โfear of missing out,โ but he learned to take turns with Luna, and later Maera as well. He was absolutely the best big brother to Maera, and allowed her to get away with anything, from stealing his toys to even chewing on him when she was a puppy, he was much more tolerant with her than I could have ever imagined. And when he thought Maera was even close to annoying Luna, heโd intervene and split them apart, getting Maera to play with him instead. โฃ
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Zephyr really showed off his talents with scent work. I started his scent training for sport when he was just a baby puppy. Later, he quickly learned gluten detection for me. He took his job very seriously, and took the initiative himself to insist on checking every single thing he saw me carrying into the house, whether it was groceries, laundry, or the mail. โฃ
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He was my first conformation show champion, and he loved to run, becoming the first Alaskan Klee Kai to earn AKC coursing ability test titles (CA, CAA) and Fast CAT titles (BCAT, DCAT, FCAT). It was just last Sunday that he ran and chased those bunnies. He also told me he loved to find rats, and excelled in his first trials in NASDA, earning his UL-I title in three trials, and TL-I in four. I am saddened that we wonโt be hunting for those rats this coming weekend, like we had planned. And that he wonโt be chasing those bunnies at the Fast CAT Invitational next month.โฃ
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Zephyr, my handsome, funny boy, I am going to miss you greeting me with sniffs followed by bringing me your favorite toys, whether youโre greeting me when I wake up, come home, or before saying goodnight. I am going to miss the way you could make me laugh when I was down (I really need that now, buddy). I am going to miss watching you watch the yard from the patio, and especially now since it was just redone and ready to enjoy together with the cooler weather months coming. I am going to miss you insisting on sniffing everything I bring into the house to make sure itโs all gluten-free. I am going to miss you sitting on my feet during mealtimes. I am going to miss you nudging Maera off my lap in the winter so you could snuggle on my fuzzy pjs. As much as it sometimes bothered me, though mostly made me laugh, I am going to miss you re-making my bed into your preferred pile of blankets in the middle. I am going to miss you poking your head in the shower to check on me. I am going to miss singing your namesake song with you on our way to fun adventures. I am going to miss that mischievous glint you would get in your eyes before doing zoomies. I am going to miss your eagerness to learn new things, your playfulness, pulling out all the toys from the toy box till you found just the right one, and of course, Iโm going to miss your talking. You always had so much to say. The house feels very quiet now. โฃ
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Rest easy and run free my precious boy. Go and chase all those bunnies, squirrels and lizards, and sniff all the things. Until we meet again. โฃ
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October 15, 2013 - November 12, 2023โฃ
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๐ ๐ฉต๐๐๐ฅ๐๐ฎ๐ง ๐ฉต๐โฃ
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๐๐ฟ๐พ๐ ๐พ๐พ๐-๐พ๐ ๐พ๐ '๐๐' ๐๐๐ฃ๐๐'๐จ ๐ฟ๐๐๐ฎ๐๐ฃ๐ ๐๐ง๐๐ซ๐๐ฉ๐ฎ ๐พ๐ผ ๐พ๐ผ๐ผ ๐พ๐๐พ ๐ฝ๐พ๐ผ๐ ๐ฟ๐พ๐ผ๐ ๐๐พ๐ผ๐ ๐๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ฟ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ ๐๐๐ญ ๐๐ญ๐พ ๐๐พ๐ ๐๐พ๐ฏ ๐๐-๐ ๐๐-๐โฃ
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p.s. To my family, friends, Dr. Gerrish, Dr. Honeckman, and clients who already knew before this farewell to Zephyr, I cannot thank you enough for your love, support and sympathy.
Edited to add: although I did not opt for a necropsy, for a variety of reasons, his veterinarians strongly suspect Zephyr passed of a heart attack, possibly brought on by a pulmonary thromboembolism.
I am a standard red and white Alaskan Klee Kai. I am also a Gluten Detection Service Dog.
