Over The Rainbow

"Four-Feet" by Rudyard Kipling

I have done mostly what most men do,
And pushed it out of my mind;
But I can't forget, if I wanted to,
Four-Feet trotting behind.

Day after day, the whole day through --
Wherever my road inclined --
Four-feet said, "I am coming with you!"
And trotted along behind.

Now I must go by some other round, --
Which I shall never find --
Somewhere that does not carry the sound

Of Four-Feet trotting behind.

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 Annika~

5-17-2012 - 1-26-2023

1-15-2021

The pain of losing our little Buhund girl is almost too great to bear...  

 Fall of 2021, Nika experienced bouts of vomiting.  It started out so seldom I passed it as off having eaten something she'd found & shouldn't have.  But by October, the problem had continued.  I asked Mari Jo & she recommended George Darnell, DVM.  We both liked him right away.  He reminded me of our friend & Vet in Washington.  The clinic was on his farm outside of town.  He had a calm, relaxed manner & Nika was at ease with him.  He suggested a fecal & urine sample - we did both.  The fecal came back negative & the uranalysis - normal.  We made a change in her food, hopeful that would solve the issue.  When it didn't, the next step was blood work.  We received the results from that in February of 22, everything was normal...

Nika turned ten in May!  She seemed so healthy & happy!  Through the summer, Nika was fine - the bouts weren't too frequent & she didn't have any other symptoms of a problem.  She'd traveled with Butch for four-months & lost some weight.  She'd also had more frequent bouts, which we both passed off as truck sick since it seemed to happen when they were in stop & go traffic.  

Once she was home, she started eating two-full bowls of food a day & quickly gained her weight back.  Along with the weight, her muscle tone returned & she was back to running the yard many times a day.  Her fur coat grew thick & shiny.  She was still experiencing episodes of being sick though. Through November, she held her own, but the problem still hadn't resolved, Dr. Darnell decided to try ulcer medication.  

The medication seemed to have no effect.  Through December it was a rare morning when she hadn't been sick during the night.  Now, she wasn't finishing her food.  That had never happened before.  I tried many different things, adding broth, etc.  She was forcefully vomiting, even during the day.  

Dr. Darnell suggested we have her teeth cleaned - just in case she had a cracked tooth.  I drove her to Omaha January 3rd.  The dentist said if every dog who came in had teeth as good as Nika's - he wouldn't have a job.  Dr. Darnell also decided to try a totally different type of protein & we switched her food over to Lamb.   For the first time in weeks, she finished off a bowl of food.  The next day though - she lost everything she'd eaten the day before.  There wasn't a morning when I didn't find a spot of bile.  Her weight had dropped & she had not been herself for many weeks.

Butch returned home 1/26/23 & could see right away Nika was failing...  I called Dr. Darnell & also called Dean in MX.  They concurred that Nika was probably suffering from cancer.  (Going the route of surgery wasn't one we wanted for her.)  We'd been fighting a battle we were sure we'd win...  The drive out to Dr. Darnell's farm was the most difficult we'd taken in many, many years... 

It was Nika, who helped us made the transition from living on an acreage to living in town.  The first of our dogs to live inside with us 24/7. Now, home alone - I feel her loss every step I take...  I'm reminded of how she would wait a few minutes - then quietly follow & pick a spot where she could keep an eye on me.  She attended Mat-making several times & was a regular at bible study.  She loved visiting her "Grandma Doris"!  Evenings, she was to sleep on her pillow in the family room.  Every night, once we were in bed, there would be a little thump as she settled herself on the rug at the foot of our bed.

Rest in peace Nika~ We love you so very much...  The love you gave us & the memories we share - will reside in our hearts forever... 

Our Buhund girl~

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Kittaka - 10/1/97 - 4/1/12

Our hearts are broken at the loss of our Golden Girl, our Pack Leader.  Fourteen years & six months old - to the day, Kitt still enjoyed every minute of her life with us.  We knew her time on this earth was growing short, her hearing was gone, vision going & her hips very arthritic.  We never expected her life would be cut short by a freak accident.  After being knocked off balance & falling under a tire that ran over her hind leg, she managed to regain her feet & run after me, as I was running to call the vet.  X-rays showed no damage.  Kitt amazed the staff at Pilchuck, by walking in & back out of the clinic on her own.

Once home, she held her own for three days. (I was so sure she would pull through, I went ahead & left for a ride.) Returning home, I knew even with the fluids she'd been given & Butch helping her in every way, she was in too much pain.  Unable to stand without help, the time had come to end her suffering.  She accepted the end with a grace & dignity I can only hope to match when my time comes.

Our lives are changed forever without her. She was our protector, my shadow, my soul mate.  I promised we would always be together & know we will.  Her memory will be alive in our hearts & minds until we meet again.  She will find us, wherever we go in the afterlife... jumping high in the air - with her happy cry & Coyote smile.  I pray we will again know the sheer love & joy of her warm golden eyes looking deep into ours ~

Our Golden Girl~

Prologue~

Kitt was one of those animals who come only once in a lifetime - if you're very lucky indeed.  Sharing our lives with her was a blessing beyond compare. She had such presence - all who knew her will never forget.

10-8-2008

Kitt absolutely adored our first Grandson Ben. He was hers & she only shared him with us :-) They had a special bond.  The two of them were happiest when they were together.

Kitt & Ben - 6-23-2008

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Jasrada   6-7-88 - 7-13-09

Our lead mare for over seventeen-years, Jas graced our lives with her presence.  Looking through ads on rainy morning in 1992, one for a herd dispersal sale caught our eye.  We drove to Puyallup on a whim.  Butch had a yearling gelding, but needed a horse to ride in the interim. One look, one ride & Jas came home to stay.  In the early days, she & Butch earned many blue ribbons in Competitive Trail.

9-2-1995 Bully Wully Endurance Ride~

From 1995 on, Jas became my partner for Endurance.  In 2005, she carried me to my first 1,000-miles of completions. Anyone lucky enough to have seen her on the trail – will tell you of her reputation as an incredible athlete with a huge heart. Once retired – Jas loved teaching our three Grandchildren the basics of horsemanship :-) Carrots anyone?

Ben riding The Christmas Pony, 2006 Arlington, WA

When The Fireworks Pony & eldest Grandson Ben Hurt teamed up again, riding in the Lake Stevens Aqua Fest Parade, they received the first place trophy - Mounted Horses Division.

Mason & The Fireworks Pony!

That same month, June 2007 - with Grandson Mason Peters in the saddle, she led the Duvall Day's Parade, in front of the marching band!  Jas's last parade was the Fourth of July 2009 in Darrington. She proudly carried our favorite nephew; Chase Keeney of Gilbert, AZ down the main street of town.

The thunder of her hooves could be heard on Earth, and in Heaven -- when she trotted over the Rainbow Bridge, neck arched & tail carried high ~

Tribute to Jasrada~
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Rowdy Yates Hoge - 9/27/03 - 6/6/09

My Boy from the first day we brought him home, one week after we’d lost Abby.  Rowdy was related to Abby through the Whiteacres blood lines. Smart as a whip from the start, he loved his Aunt Kittaka, wooing her with his good looks & boyish charisma. He would tumble over her, attack her & never did he realize other dogs cowered in fear of her!

Rowdy & Kitt, January 2005

His charm & confident manner always managed to get him through. Whenever he was in trouble, he would come, sit & look at me with those large, brown, warm eyes as if to say; “I did it, I’m sorry, I don’t know what got into me!” Who could be mad at that? 

He had an incredible “hunting cry”.  It was also his happy cry!  He did it every night when Butch came home.  After all - you had to make it look like you’d been busy all day!  Each morning when I sat on the swing with my coffee, it was my belly rub time.  He would lay beside me & adjust himself until I could reach his favorite spots.  If I left on horseback – he would Find a way to get OUT!  Catching up to us by the time we'd reached Pat’s house.  His ears flying & in Beagle heaven to accompany us.

July 4, 2008 In the Sauk

Summer 08, was his first trip to the river at Jentry, Joe & Ben’s. He absolutely Loved it! I took some of my favorite photos of him there.  The loss of Rowdy, at such a young age... brought home to me the unpredictable & chaotic nature of our universe.  I had taken it for granted he would be with us at least as long as Abby. We were so blessed to have him in our lives....  The heartache we feel at his loss will only be soothed by our memories of the love in his warm eyes, the kisses on my nose & happy flying ears ~

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Whiteacres Abigale Gwen Hoge - 11/25/89 - 2/1/04

Abby entered our lives, as a present for Jentry, her 13th birthday. As a tiny puppy she made the move with us to the Homestead, where she lived her entire life.  In the morning, Abby would greet me at the door & visit with me while I had a 5 a.m. cup of coffee.  On weekends, she would wait for the foam off the top of my latte. When I was sad, she would always find & comfort me.

Kitt & Abby, February 2000

When Kitt came home with us in November of 1997, Abby thought we were nuts! She'd been the only dog for so long & wasn’t willing to share.   Kitt followed her every move.  Eventually, Abby accepted Kitt & they became fast friends. 

When the Grand-kids started arriving – Abby was thrilled.  She was especially fond of her boys, Ben & Mason.

Her nose took her on many adventures & she experienced many close calls.  Her courage & determination pulled her through on all occasions.  Old age struck her hard, first with the loss of her hearing, then vision & finally arthritis in her hips.  Even with everything we could do, it wasn’t enough to save her from a series of strokes. The last immobilized her & frightened her to the point where we both knew it was time.  Abby lived her life her way.  In doing so, she made us smile every day our ours.  Abby will remain in our hearts & with us in our memories, forever~