The Adventure Pup
Who Saved Who?
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Shelter Life.
Michigan born, Jersey raised. Navigating from wherever she came from to her short day at the shelter. Leaving shelter life behind and headed to her furever home.
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Home.
Kona’s new life, her fresh start, our new beginning together. Gaining a whole family after her rough start to life. Being loved unconditionally and realizing she was finally home.
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Forever.
Finally settled in, memories made and it was only the beginning. Our adventures had only just begun. Who saved who? Well, we’ll never really know the answer to that.
Love at first sight.
I had waited all day at the shelter, in search of my new best friend. As I was about to leave, a shelter volunteer said “We have a litter coming in, you’ve been here all day, you might as well wait”. And so I did just that, “wait” and it was the best decision I’d ever made.
The start of both of our new forevers, began when her little nose popped out through her pack of sisters who were towering over her. Tiny yet mighty, she made her way to the front of the glass window. I asked to see her and her sister but the attendant just so happened to bring her first. The shy, yet spunky little girl stole my heart the minute I saw her. The attendant came back but before she could say anything I said “Don’t even bother showing me her sister, this little girl’s coming home with me”. It took .01 seconds for me to completely fall in love.
Filling out paperwork, I was so anxious to just have her with me. I constantly asked “Is she coming out yet?”, “How much longer till I can have her?”. As the attendant carried out my 9 pound, hound looking, reddish coat accented with black covering her face, stripped through her back and all the way down her tail I knew right then and there she was my girl.
There had never been a time I truly believed in fate, until that moment.
furever.
Once we made it home, she took a look around, met her aunts and realized she was home. After much debate, she went from “Patty” to “Kona Kai”. She went from homeless to gaining a whole family and huge fan club within a matter of minutes.
From not being able to get close enough to me, wrapping her tiny little body around my neck to sleep, to becoming the tailgate pup who attended every outing she could with me. Kona Kai never left my side.
She attended, pregames, hang outs, sleepovers, parties, travels throughout Michigan and that was just the start of it all.
Kona and I made the gruesome 13 hour trek home to New Jersey whenever it was time to go home. Being so small, most trips she slept on my lap for the ride, occasionally sitting up to stick her head out of the window. But as she grew up she became a co-pilot, sitting passenger seat, keeping watch when we stopped for gas and keeping me company on the long drives.
Those long treks across the country were only going to be the start of our adventures together.
ADVENTURE PUP.
From our 13 hour road trips home to New Jersey for school breaks and holidays, to traveling around the state of Michigan, to snowboarding trips to Lackawaxen, to nights on the beach, friend reunions in Boston and so many more, Kona was living her best life as an adventure pup.
Having her with me for all my greatest adventures and experiences throughout life, made them that much more memorable and enjoyable. Besides the fact that not only was I getting to experience the world, but so was she. Kona got to see different places and faces, unlike some dogs. She got to experience the beautiful Fall as well as the hardened winters of Michigan, the peaceful snow from the Lackawaxen mountain, the hot summers in Boston and the crisp fall weather in New Jersey. She’s a seasoned pup!
Experiencing all those seasons in so many different states, left us wanting to travel more. So hopefully, that’s what we’ll do, continue enjoying the world… together!
