Kinley 1998-2008

Not many here will know who Kinley was, but most people reading this blog own a dog directly related to her. She is Halo's mom, Raimi's grandma and yesterday her owner Erin made the difficult decision to say goodbye to Kinley with diginity.

Recently Kinley had been suffering what they suspect was a brain tumor. It had affected her temperament and personality and while she was still 'living' she just did not seem alive. She was not who everyone knew her to be and she did not recognize people she'd known her whole life. When a dog is to that point you must do the right thing and send them to wait for you at the Rainbow Bridge.

Here she is napping with a 5 day old Halo. I met Kinley for the first time when I went to pick up a 9 week old Halo in Great Falls in 2004. She was one fat momma! She was friendly and food driven! She didn't mind that I was taking a puppy away and certainly if she was anything like Halo she'd ask 'You're only taking one? Today is a twofer deal! Take them away!" I met Kinley again about a year ago when Erin brought her to pick up Halo and take her to California. Halo spent the bulk of her time bossing Kinley around at Erin's house.

Kinley achieved some pretty spectacular things her her life. Out of only two litters produced Kinley has produced 8 American champions which also include 2 Canadian Champions. In 2006 she was the 2nd ranked brood bitch in the USA by producing 4 champions of record in a single year, one of whom was Halo. She also had her Register of Merit which means she has a minimum of 5 champion puppies to her name.

Kinley was the start of it for me, I happened to catch Erin at the perfect time just prior to the birth of Halo's litter and she was kind enough to allow me to take one of the puppies. I'm quite sure she could have found Halo a different home closer to Utah but she had enough confidence in me for Halo to be the start of my breeding program. A better, kinder and more helpful breeder I could not have been blessed with.

doGspeed Kinley.

The Rainbow Bridge

Animal lovers believe that when an animal lets go of it's earthly ties it stops before crossing the Rainbow Bridge to Heaven to wait for the person it loved the most on Earth. If on Earth the animal was lame, or old, or sick the moment it gets to the Bridge it is whole and young again. There it will find lots of friends with which to play, big fields to run in, shadey trees to nap under, clear creeks to drink from and splash in (but not the Ridgebacks), comfy couches to lie on (for the Ridgebacks) and warm sun to bask in. But every once in a while a dog will suddenly stop it's playing, look up with it's head cocked, ears pricked and nose twitching. Full tilt it will run with glee toward its person who has finally come to join it. Such a reunion as never seen on Earth. You know your dog, and your dog knows you, and once the reunion is complete, side by side, you will walk across the Rainbow Bridge and never again be parted.

Rena, Katie, Style, Jaffa, and Nike all wait patiently for me at the Bridge with Kinley who now waits for Erin.