Their essence remains: memories of shared lives, the impacts they made, lessons learned, and the love - so much love. Be it days, weeks or many years gone ahead, we remember.
"Kale, Kalester, Mister Kale - ambassador to the world. He was an old soul who opened souls with his quiet, insistent charm. On his first plane trip, an observer of his calm demeanor asked whether or not I had drugged him prior to the flight. The answer was no...
Living in Central Asia, a region that values sight hounds' hunting skills, folks would stop their cars, ask to examine his teeth, prod his muscles - one hunter even offered to trade his car for my dog. And Kale, he just took it all in stride.
Goofiest moment? Central Asians hobble their donkeys when letting them loose to graze. Kale used to love to run up and provoke a hee-haw with a play bow. He loved that crazy sound, racing around like a nut head after hearing the donkey bray. His name was Kale, my first NBRF pup. He traveled the world with me, literally. The photo in a field of poppies is from 2007, taken in Kyrgyzstan, outside the capital Bishkek; it is how I remember him.
Lida, Lidullia, Lidok, my little goon hound. Lida was lightness - effortless in movement and charm. One night in the early summer, I looked outside and Lida was standing in a literal aura of light, surrounded by fire flies. Magic - my neighbors' children called my dogs the "magic ponies".
Lida adored Kale from the moment she saw him - kissing him, deferring to him in all things. After he got too old to catch squirrels, he would track them with his eyes, and watching him, she would choose her target. If a young boisterous dog approached our aging Kale, Lida would dance around - distracting the other dog and leading him/her away from her mentor, Kale. She was a terrific huntress - one week she killed 12 squirrels, 3 ground hogs and a rabbit all before 7 am.... but she was our cat's best friend and play buddy. When battling cancer, she never lost her effortless grace and joy in life. Indeed, she was magic; she was my girl.
I think of these two beauties, Kale and Lida everyday - I remember them with gratitude, with joy, and with a profound sense of loss. They charmed the most fearful of souls; they took joy in every moment to their last.
Thank you NBRF, thank you."
Thank you, Irene, for giving Kale and Lida a magical life of adventure and for remembering them well. They live on in our hearts. They live on through their stories. Until we meet again.