Kaizer is our July 1, 2018 Pup of the Week

Baron is one of the first of our online friends to come to Rainbow Bridge.  He was a giant of a dog. He was so popular people came from all over the country to celebrate a day for him, called Baron Fest. Seven years ago Baron went to the Bridge, but his presence is still felt in the mortal realm.

Baron knew his mom was a spectacular dog parent, and that she needed another pup who would make the pup's life, sister Chey's life, and his momma's life better.   Momma Monica, guided by Baron, found the perfect dog, Kaizer, who we liked to call the K-Man.

We watched him as a pup and experienced many firsts, his first walk, his first doing business outside, his first training, enjoying them all in the same manner a human takes delight in a baby’s first step, smile, and laugh.

Together we saw him grow from a puppy into a fully grown dog, from a wilding to a well-trained boy, and the impossible, to be a worthy heir to Baron.

Momma Monica shared every important moment of Kaizer’s life with us.  He was part of all our families. She did this for seven years as Kaizer reached his prime, no longer a puppy, but not yet a senior.  It should be the best time.

But the best-laid plans got waylaid.  Cruelly Kaizer became ill. After some initial misdiagnosis every parents’ biggest fear was realized, Kaizer, who belonged to all of us, who we watched grow up, had terminal cancer.

I have been part of dog social media sites for ten years, and I have seen many of my friends cross the Bridge.  Kaizer is the first dog I have watched grow from a pup into a strong dog only to shed his mortal coil. I have seen parents lose their beloved dogs, be brokenhearted, get a new dog, and have their heart repaired.  This was the first time I witnessed the entire scope of a dog’s life, from beginning to end.

Momma Monica was losing another baby way too soon.  She dutifully reported on his ups and downs. You would have to search in between her words for the heartbreak. But we who experienced her losing Baron knew the devastating sorrow she felt with Kaizer, maybe worse, because it brought back memories that were not buried far enough down.

On Thursday Momma Monica let us know that the horrible disease had finally taken control of Kaizer’s body and he made his final journey to the Bridge.  All of Baron’s friends lined up across on either side of Baron and me while we waited for Kaizer to come to his final forever home.

Of course, that goofy boy who filled his mom’s heart, and her Facebook page, with so much joy, came clumsily charging up the stairs, brushed past me, and dove on Baron, who he had only met in his dreams, and who was instrumental in bringing Kaizer and their mom together, and gave him 1,000 kisses of thanks for choosing him to have the best mom in the world.

Baron let me swear Kaizer in and then took the little K-Man under his wing.  There is no wiser angel than Baron. Very few moms were as lost and broken as Mama Monica was when she lost Baron but her angel was able to help heal her heart.  Now his task is twice as hard, but he has his brother to help him.

I still cannot believe that a dog who I honored as being Pup of the Week when he joined his family is being honored again when he leaves.  I don’t know how Momma Monica has the strength to go on, but humans are amazingly resilient. Someday she will open her heart to another pup and a new sibling for Chey, share that dog’s life with us, and hopefully get more time than she did with both her angels.

I see Baron and Kaizer running in the hills together, Baron looking at his brother with all the love in the world, and I think of him as a puppy, the way every parent always think of their children as babies.

Kaiser is now an angel, the immortal world will keep spinning, people will do their work, and dogs will give their parents the love they need.  But, with kind Kaiser’s passing Earth became a little bit worse place to live.

If everyone loves their dogs a little more now than they did last week maybe we can make up for loss of love generated between Kaizer and his mom until she finds the strength to get on the ride of being a dog mom again which is filled with joy and ends in devastation.


But, as my friend Willie said, it is better to love a pet and lose them than never to love a pet at all.