Kobi

When I was twelve years old I found the cutest puppy the world had every bred! I found him with some friends on the way back from camp, among a litter of six puppies. I was attached immediately (even though I had two other dogs at home) and convinced Grams to let me keep him until my parents got back from Canada. My parents resolved to give me the pup for my thirteenth birthday. He was the best gift in the world and the love of my life. I named him Kobi.

I was obsessed with him (and that is probably an understatement). My life revolved around this dog. Next to running, Kobi helped make the move to South Carolina and later Georgia bearable. Bringing him was like bringing a friend along. We ran. We swam. We went to the dog park. We took lots of pictures. We laughed. We moved (twice). We cried. We roller-bladed. We hiked. We took baths. We did dishes. We combed our hair. We checked for ticks. We rode our bikes. We played in the snow. We jumped on the trampoline. All these things we did together, just me and my pup.

We were not always alone though. Before the trek to SC, we had M.E.C. and her dogs to hang with. Life was perfect! Everyday after school we met at the KOS Trail (named appropriately after our dogs; Kobi, Olivia, and Sadie) to run, jump, skip, and play! Olivia is the C's adorable golden retriever (often questioned as the mother of Kobi and Sadie), and Sadie was one of the six pups we found--Kobi's sister. M.E.C. and I were practically sisters so it was only right that our dogs were related as well. Needless to say there was major separation anxiety from all parties when Kobi and I left.

Unfortunately, we never recovered. During my sophomore year of college on a hot Georgia afternoon Kobi bit C.A.'s friend, requiring ten staples in his leg. Kobi had never hurt anyone before. We were always extremely careful because we knew he had aggression issues. He was especially protective of my dad and me. My parents could not tell me about the incident until a few weeks later when I came home for summer break (with high hopes of spending the summer with Kobi). They knew I would drop out/fail out of school and fight for his life. We ended up having to put Kobi to sleep as soon as I got home from college and said goodbye. My parents tried to do everything in their power to keep him. The sheriff was not having it.

I think everyone in my family would agree that despite moving four times in six years, encountering sport-ending knee injuries, and being diagnosed with gout that saying goodbye to Kobi was the hardest thing we ever had to do. To make matters worse, I headed to Kansas to spend a week long planned out before the "incident" with M.E.C., Olivia, and Sadie the day we put Kobi down. Their cute faces, cold kisses, and muddy paws served as a reminder to what wouldn't be there when I returned home.

"Dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. They are the role model for being alive." (Gilda Radner)