Kaiser

Kaiser the Newfoundland, came into our life and brightened it forever. His time here with us was a short one year, he was not even able to grow to his full size.

There are some souls that come into your life and change you completely. Kaiser is such a soul.

He is the cutest goofball to ever happen! With his bed head when he woke up, to the silly way he would look at us, to his goofy howl, and even how he would bite half his lip when he closed his mouth. He made us laugh and smile every time we looked at him. Instead of just sitting when he was told to, he would walk backwards a long ways and than sit almost every time. Because of that we were able to teach him to walk backwards on the command of moonwalk very easily! But it helped he is so smart! Truly a one of a kind!

Nothing got him down. Even his disease did not take away his strong will to be happy.

He had a disease that made his legs paralyzed that progressed over the course of his short life. He first began to have trouble walking, then getting up. He would crash around and step on the front of his paws instead of the pads. And as time went on it got much worse. He could not swim like he was meant to, go upstairs or even jump on our bed. Towards the end, despite getting him a wheelchair, he got injured very badly from his inability to walk.

But not one time time did he cry in pain. Instead he loved his family, food, toys, chewing, being outside and playing. Instead of being depressed, somehow he was always loving, happy, appreciating everything, and in the moment.

The ability to say anything in past tense about him is almost impossible for me, but so much of him lives on. Such as, in how he changed me to be a better person, or how he showed me, and his other pet parent, how to love unconditionally. He taught us what it means to be noble, proud, loving and strong despite everything hard that comes our way. We learned to appreciate every moment, even the very hard ones. He taught me more lessons in one year than I have learned in all of the rest of my life combined.

I don’t know what I did to deserve the love of the best creature that was ever on this planet. I feel like I should have given him more. We always thought we would have more time to give him the best, to make up for harder times. We were in denial about how short his life would be, and regret that we did not give him a better life. We were too worried about making sure he did not get hurt and taking him to the vet all the time… But, unfortunately, there was no cure for his illness. It is so rare that it is basically an unknown disease. We wanted to give him everything and to save him… but he was the one that gave us everything and saved us instead.

I will not say goodbye, because his spot by my side will always be here, and is only his to fill. And because a part of my soul is with him, and I feel a part of his within me.

Instead I will say, “I will be waiting to see you again all my life, until we meet again on the rainbow bridge.”

You are the best!!! Goo’ Boy!!!

I love you best!