She will be waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge when I cross over, as Ki will be there for you...

>> SJB wrote: And, get this... he came to me in a dream a few weeks after he passed to find out if I was OK because I had to be OK before he went on the rainbow path.  I kid you not about this...

With reciprocated love so powerful, yours and his, the veil is pierceable. Ki made certain you were okay. Such a loving act to make sure that you knew he still lives.  

Ua `ike pono `oe i ke ola pau`ole o `Îlioki`a`ihipa (Ki). 
You knew with certainty of the never-ending life of `Îlioki`a`ihipa (Ki). 

I had never felt such heartrending pain. The thought of Laki's body laying outside under the deer and fawn statuary ensured that we were not going to spend that first night without her in the bed that we all shared. 

It proved to be an agonizing, sleepless night. 

That night, there was no way, no how that was I ever going to open my heart again to any more profound losses. To subject myself ever again to such emotional devastation was masochistically insane. Never again!

A deer and her fawn statuary marks Laki's gravesite

As my husband and I wallowed in our huge grief, I swore off any future dogs. 

Forget the ridiculous pact that we made that we would seek out another dog for Hau`oli (also known as Happy or "Miss Independent," as was her nature) or Laki (Lucky in Hawaiian, aka "The Love Bug"), whichever dog survived the other. One year apart, Happy and Laki had spent their lives together; the loss of the first would leave a huge void for the other.

Back then, we had no way of fathoming the pain of losing a love so deep.

"Lomia a wale I ka wali lima `ole a ke aloha."
Squeezed and crushed by love without hands.

Said of heartrending grief.

Happy and Lucky did everything together.  Here, they're getting ready to go on their last walk together...

Her loving act of piercing the veil was even more touching to us, as Happy had been vexingly aloof to her since her arrival, twelve years earlier. 

Not taking kindly to giving up her only dog-kid status, Happy never ever reciprocated Laki's "sisterly" devotion. 

In fact, Happy was most often a snotty sister to Laki, while Laki, the solicitous oversized "little sis" was always looking over her shoulder, making sure her runty "big sis" was okay.

And now to update you on the events that have happened since Laki's story was posted on the 'Net:

Within hours, my husband was scouring the Internet and on the phone, searching for a rescue Sheltie in need of a home...  

The breeder who had brought Happy and Laki into the world, Mona Simmons of Simmore Shelties, had moved away from the LA area. Taking Laki's communication to heart, my husband was not easily deterred and persisted in finding her again.  He succeeded in reaching Mona through our neighbor, Eddie.  She now lives in Arroyo Grande on California's central coast with wide open spaces to raise her dogs, 200+ miles away and a two hour drive from us. 

She had kept this particular female and had been raising her as her little girl's personal little pup -- as her own little "Dolly" -- with hopes that she would also be a breeding bitch. The puppy was being raised in their home, and not as a kennel dog. 

Unfortunately, at the last measuring, the puppy was more than a smidgen too petite for breeding purposes.  

The puppy had to go. 

Sometimes, practical decisions work out just fine and for good reason. 

My husband could not believe our timing and luck and told her we'd be right up. We drove those hundreds of miles up the coast to check her out, the entire way in tears, still in shock and deeply mired in our grief.  

I still wasn't sold on the idea of another dog, especially so soon, but Laki's explicitly expressed wish for her sister would not go unheeded. I firmly kept my options open. If this pup showed any of Happy's aloofness and not enough of Laki's lovey-ness, I was going to be very okay about turning right around and heading home without her.

She met us at the end of the gated driveway and greeted us with a friendly, but husky little "Woof!"  

She assumed that "Oh, that feels so good" puppy freeze when my husband reached down and rubbed her tummy.  

Her comically awkward stance put smiles back on our tear-stained stricken and wan faces. 

See that gleam in `Oli's eyes?  It reveals her streak of naughtiness. This is one kolohe (rascal) little girl. 

I like to think that Laki was giving her a lot of "lay-on-the-puppy-charm-thick" coaching from the sidelines, especially when my husband put her in my arms. `Oli stayed put and confidently licked me as Laki did and didn't try to wriggle away as Happy often did. 

That sealed her fate.  

Mona proudly showed us her champion dogs, including the puppy's parents.  

`Oli's `Ohana (The Simmore Family) in Arroyo Grande
That's her mom, second from the left. 
Pictures of her relatives on the 'Net:

>> Champion Simmore Scarlet Fever ("Ruby"), 2003
>>  Champion Denali's Trouble Afoot ("Jared"), 1996
>> Champion Denali's Concede Nothing ("Kobe"), 1996

There would be little doubt that the little puppy would grow up into a beautiful dog. And this, she did.  Sweet-faced, she now looks almost exactly like her mother. 

Moreover, she is the sweetest dispositioned dog with a robust spirit. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, as Mona's Shelties are known for their beautiful type and expression, as well as outstanding temperament and personality.  

`Oli's mother 

 `Oli

The confident little pup was going home with us that day. 

Although she was truly a baby doll --  and I now see that it would be short for "Dolphin Girl" -- then, I nixed her nickname, "Dolly."  I was a runty little kid, myself, and was euphemistically nicknamed "Dolly" by a friend.  I never warmed up to it.  

This was not an easy leave-taking for Mona.  As we were leaving, Mona filled our hands with a bag of the pup's favorite biscuit treats as well as the pup's favorite toy. It was clear to see that Mona had grown personally attached to this little girl. 

At the last minute, as we were backing out of the driveway, she informed us that she had intended to register her as "Happy Heart."  I liked that name.  But since we had a Happy already, we named the puppy, Kapu`uwaihau`oli, Hawaiian for "Happy Heart";  `Oli, pronounced "Oh' lee," for short.

In Hawaiian, `Oli means happy, but more specifically, joy. Our nickname for her is "Dolphin Girl" -- her life is about being joyful and she has a perpetual smile on her face.  

Hmm, "Dolly" would have been an appropriate nickname after all.  

On the way home, I looked back to see the most heartwarming scene. `Oli had snuggled right up to Happy.  We were pleasantly shocked. Laki always gave Happy a wide berth.  Happy did not like being crowded. If Laki had attempted that move, she would have been nipped soundly by Happy.  

But miracle of miracles, Happy not only let the little one snuggle right up to her, but let the puppy rest her little chin on her flank before they both fell fast asleep! Like her humans, Happy didn't get much sleep either the night before and puppies, well, they're always napping.

Turns out, Laki was right. Getting spunky and playful `Oli was the best antidote for Happy's grief. Happy was not the emotionally independent dog she pretended to be with Laki.  

`Oli lived up to her name, 100%. She brought much joy to Happy.

Mona knows well that we are dog-loving softies. Two months later, she called us to see if we knew anyone who might be interested in yet another reject. Perhaps, us? 

She didn't beat around the bush.  She said that he was such a terror that if we wanted him, she would drive him down to the LA area.  She was going to be in the area to debut his show dog brother, the one with champion potential that the runt kept scrapping with.

We accepted him, sight unseen. What pushovers!  

That's Freddy to the left, going at it with his (much) bigger twin brother.  I snapped this picture in Arroyo Grande, totally unsuspecting that one day he'd be a part of our family.

His scrappiness was part and parcel of being the runt.  He had a Napoleon complex.  I should know...

Probably picked on by his litter mates, he learned not only to defend himself but be aggressive enough to vie for his share of puppy chow.

What a total contrast he was to his glorious, full-coated docile Sheltie brother! 

His goofy looks, I'm sure, had not won him much favor with his former humans, and his scrappiness was more inclined to invite swats, rather than hugs and tummy rubs, to curb his nature. Mona had even voiced her concern that he might break the spirit of his champion-potential brother.  

Unlike `Oli's departure, no tears were being shed by Mona.  There were no biscuits.  No favorite toy. And when asked if she had a mind in name for him, she said, "No, he was just the generic "Fred."  We could almost hear Mona's sigh of relief as we drove off with Freddy. 

And that is how Freddy came into our lives. 

Right away, a uniquely strange behavior of Freddy's amused us to no end. Whenever we carried him, he'd literally contort himself into a protective tight ball, earning him the nickname, "The Pill Bug."  And sometimes he was just  "The Pill" when he was being a pill.  Like I said, this dog came with lots of 'attitude.'

We spent his first few years just loving and cuddling him to bits. With patience, we won his trust and devotion. I've decided, like me, he's just highly sensitive...

Five years later, Freddy has completely loosened up and is now a sweet, gentle love of a dog.  He is no longer  the "Pill Bug" or "The Pill."  And like the Ugly Duckling, when it was his time, he blossomed into a handsome, albeit little, Sheltie -- the perfect size for my lap. 

Freddy the Swan, the former Ugly Duckling and Pill Bug

Both `Oli and Freddy needed "rescuing," yes, but we hold no illusions.  We know full well the real situation:  we were the ones who were in desperate need of emotional rescue. They rescued us.  Laki knew the depth of our grief, and being on the other side, knew more than we could ever guess.

A Trio of Shelties:  Happy, Freddy & `Oli

Within six months, Happy, mourning the loss of her sister, passed on peacefully, with little warning, of a broken heart.  We know `Oli was a joy and a comfort to her in those months that death kept her apart from Laki.  But `Oli was not enough to keep her on this plane.  She wanted to be with Laki, and we think she willed herself to be with Laki.

We lay her little body to rest next to Laki's.  They share the deer and fawn statuary as their headstones. 

Happy and Laki:  
The day before they parted...for six months. 

So, to this day, we remain grateful to Laki. Within hours of her death, she made sure her sister had a companion until it was her time to join her at the Rainbow Bridge, six months later.  

For us humans, Laki put in a solid wedge to keep the portals of our battered hearts open not just for one dog, but two, who were in need of a loving home with owners who could care less that they were too little or too goofy-looking or scrappy.  

 Pals: Freddy and `Oli 

`Oli and Freddy did not replace Laki and never will. There will always be one -- and only one dog -- -- as dear as she.  But like Happy, `Oli and Freddy have their own unique personalities and we love them without conditions or reservations. 

It is clear to me that my life on earth would be incomplete -- empty -- without a dog. Or two. Or three. As we did with Laki and Happy, we aim to make `Oli's and Freddy's lives with us the best and most loving ever. We aim to please.  

My late father would say, "Next time, I'm coming back as your dog.  What a life!"  Unfortunately, `Oli and Freddy came right before his passing, so he'll have to wait his turn.

By the way, no aloof games here.  Laki and Happy are making sure of it. `Oli and Freddy love each other... 

>> SJB wrote: I am Hawaiian and my name is Ke-ala-o-Anuenue, The Path of the Rainbow.  I weep with sorrow and joy just writing this to you.

As I am mostly at heart, since "the quantum" may be crammed into my little pinkie. Your Hawaiian name is absolutely beautiful.  How appropriate.

Your heartfelt letter prompted me to reread what I had written about Laki's passing.  And yes, again I wept, but with no small amount of joy.  I realize with the passing years how blessed we were to have Laki, whose generous, loving spirit that knew no bounds. 

Her time with us was just twelve years.  However short it was in the big scheme of things, her presence made all the positive, life-long difference in the world -- as Ki made it for you.  

Mahalo for your e-mail, as it inspired me to sit and write this, the long overdue afterword of Laki's story.

 
>> SJB wrote: Mahalo for your website and all the wonderful paths it opens. I will share it. Me ke aloha pumehana, SBJ

It is the least I could do to honor a Spirit so dear. 

From the e-mail received over the years, the EMERGENCY Dog Links Page - Keep Passing this URL Along to Dog Folks - ... has literally saved scores of dogs. I like to think it is Laki's spirit that guides their owners to the page in time to prevent premature crossings of the Rainbow Bridge . 

And, now because of your communication, Laki's saga is more complete.  She's flying high with Happy and Ki.

Sheltie Angel 
~ Marie Crane

May your life be filled with the joys that only dogs can bring!

Me ke Aloha,
Author Unknown