THE DOGGIE DIASPORA AT THE KUVASZ RANCH

Hello all my friends and those who showed such fine interest in my Kuvasz Kodi and the "Doggie Pack" of the Kuvasz ranch.

It is with sadness I let my friends here know that this past week I gave up the last of but one of my dogs for adoption.

Things here at the ranch settled down a bit since Kodi's passing, but I had been having continuing problems with one of my dogs. Luckie was digging under my fence and running through the neighborhood. She really started doing this when I began taking Kodi to see the vet and she has done it to the point where I had to get rid of her because it is upsetting my neighbors. Lucky is a very sweet dog, she was Kodi's shadow for all the time Luckie lived with me, but now with Kodi gone Luckie seems to be bored and more inclined attempt to escape from my yard. I have even placed barbed wire around the bottom of the fence, but she still digs her way out.

What caused the Diaspora is that four weeks ago I had a bad stroke that destroyed the motor skills in my left leg, mostly from the knee down, I am just regaining movement in my toes this week. and my left arm is working at about 50% of what it should in movement and strength. As a result, I had to give up all five of my big dogs. And it is breaking my heart right now to lose them.

I visited a physician for what I took was a pinched nerve and not a stroke (stupid me) in late March and was set to get an MRI the next day but when I returned home from the doctor, the pup, Raja got out of my yard because my neighbor came by to help me unload my groceries and left the gate open. In fact all five big dogs got out that night and it was pure hell dealing with collecting them up while my neighbor threathened me and my dogs with violence. It was a very bad day for me.

Raja ran up driveway and chased another neighbor's boy on his bike. It was the very first time he ever got out of my yard in the 5 months I had him and it took hours for him to come back although he stayed within 25 yards of my fence the whole time. My neighbor called my landlord and was screaming at me that he was going to harm Raja. Raja would never bite anyone, but he is big for a pup, @ 80 pounds now and now I had to be worried about him too disrupting the neighborhood and my neighbor shooting him and Luckie and Dr J.

And in the physical shape I was in I could not even repair my fence in an manner adequate to stop Lucky from digging out, but bad leg and all I tried with a flashlight to guide me in the dark.

The next day I awoke to find both Luckie and Doctor J had dug out of the fence in another spot. And I had to limp around 1,000 fence line to find out where and repair the hole they made. It was then that my entire left arm went numb and I knew right well it is no longer a simple pinched nerve, but something more serious I had afflicting me.

My appointment for my MRI was in sn hour or so, and I hoped that my dogs would come back inside the fence when I called them but that did not happen. So I decided to get in my car on the chance they would come to the car and jump in if I opened the door, luckily, Luckie and Dr. J both did. And I drove directly to the vet who I called from my car with my cell phone to please come out and get my dogs so they would not be roaming outside my fence. I was in tears when I told the vet that I would have to board them until I could find them a home.

An hour latter, I had my MRI and the neurologist immediately placed me in the hospital for five days until the threat of another, and worse stoke was abated.

While I was in the hospital my great neighbor watched the four remaining dogs, Abba, Aja, Raja, and Little Bit.

While in the hospital it was revealed that I had suffered several stokes and could barely walk and had less than 50% of the mobility and strength left in my left arm and even less in my left leg, but that I was lucky, so the neurologists told me.

So I had to find homes for all the big dogs, and I emailed everyone I knew to help me: the vet who had treated Kodi, my own vet, the crematorium where Kodi remains were cremated. For two weeks recuperating at home I was a fine physical mess, but all I was worried about were how could I find homes for the dogs. Last Saturday Dr. J was adopted by a fine family in Anderson, SC where he joins a woman, her husband, and child. Also in their family is a one year old female German Shepherd-mixed mongrel so he will have some "four-legger" company he can play with. Doc is getting on well from what I was told and is said to be happy, so I am too. I miss him and of all the dogs I had and loved he was the one I wanted most to remain with me, but that is not to be.

That left Luckie still at the vet waiting... waiting... so I was surrounded at home by three hundred and fifty pounds of Kuvasz… and my mom.

Two days after my mother flew out from California to help me in my recuperation and therapy the kuvasz kennel owners said they could met us half way (300 miles) and take Abba, Aja, and Raja until I recuperated and could handle them. But then, on Easter Sunday the only dog who I could catch was Aja, both Raja and Abba ran away from me. So we had to call off meeting the kennel owners. So I was stuck with the big dogs for another week and I was getting scared on what I could do since Abba and Raja are not easy to catch even by me and I if could not catch they would run away from another person who would try to catch them.

Finally my mom drove me to the vet to get some sleeping pills for the dogs to knock them out or slow then down enough to catch them and get them into my van.

The kennel owner was great in that they offered to come to my house and help collect the big dogs. They showed up at my house last week and we were able to catch the three kuvasz, and they went away, again with me in tears at losing them.

Raja has grown so big and strong that even me 100% healthy I would have to work to train him now, and I am working on only 50% of my past physical strength. The kennel will keep Raja until he is adopted, likely for protecting livestock on a big farm. Abba has a home if I give him up (but I love him so and I want to see what happens to me first before I give him up) with a family who was looking for a mature neutered male kuvasz who is gentle (he is such a sweet boy) and Aja, well, the kennel people broke my heart when they told me how much she misses me. And when I recover, I hope to get her back too.

They told me a few days later that they found a home for Luckie too! I just broke down crying when I found out that all my dogs could be placed in good homes. While I am still sick and limping around I haven't even thought about my own plight, but where my dogs would end up. Luckie is going to be adopted by a nice family that had lost to illness their own female black Labrador Retriever. So a few days ago my mom and drove to vet to get Luckie and we drove Luckie to meet the kuvasz kennel half-way between our respective houses and give her away. The whole time Luckie and I sat in the back seat showing our affections towards each other and I took an hour of video tape of her sitting next to me as I hugged and petted her. When she got out of the van and left I cried like a baby.

In January I had 7 dogs with a mass of over 700 pounds. Now I have one a little bitty dog who weighs less than 7 pounds.

As I recover over the next several months it is my hope that someday I can bring back Aja and perhaps Abba

The house is empty now and the yard is very still, yet out of the corner of my eye I think I catch a glimpse of them looking at me and smiling. I can
still feel their fur on my fingertips and I miss them very much.

All but one of my dogs were rescues and it made me feel so sad, as if I had broken a promise to them, to have give them up them and adopted away from me, but I just could not protect them and care for them as I know they needed. Someday, I hope they will forgive me.

I got more than I gave in the exchanges with them and I feel blessed to have shared a part of their wonderful lives.

I thank God for the efforts of those who helped me try to place my pack-mates. I will never forget the kindness and consideration of those whose only link to me is the goodness in their hearts and the care we show for our dogs.

Bless you all.

My pack, gone now, but never, ever to be forgotten Long may they run.

Luckie and Aja



Abba in the foreground, Dr. J in the background.



Raja




The bed's too big without them.