Kodiak
Born December 16, 2007, Kodiak (“Kodi”) came into the world as one of seven puppies.
When we picked him up, he was 7 weeks old. There was snow on the ground and we had a long 2 hour ride home.
Kodi lay cradled in my arm, against my chest, on his back, sleeping most of the way home. He was a sweet little boy, full of kisses and soft whimpers, nuzzling and cuddles.
He quickly assumed his role in the family, one of clown, playmate, companion and youngest pack member, having to learn everything expected of him.
He seemed to know instinctually that my power chair was not something to fear and that it was essentially part of me. He was comfortable being close to it.
Kodi was a sick little puppy for quite a while, being diagnosed with a severe case of round worms, coccidia, diarrhea, an abnormally high temperature that later proved to be related to a bladder infection.
He was attentive and quickly started to learn simple commands. “Sit” was mastered in a matter of moments. Housetraining took us approximately 6 – 8 weeks.
Suddenly my boy was growing up.. getting bigger and stronger. Finding his Husky voice, talking and singing on a regular basis, ever the comic.
It was time to visit the Veterinarian yet again and be mircro-chipped, as well as neutered and have his rear dewclaws removed. We had never known dogs could have dewclaws on their hind feet (the extra toe on the front foot in the ‘thumb’ position) and quickly learned they are often not attached by bone and can be ripped off causing injury, therefore should be surgically removed.
His Right Rear Dewclaw Before Surgery
Left and Right Rear Feet After Dewclaw Removal
When they did pre-surgical blood work they discovered he had a low red blood cell count and his hemogloben was low, so we started vitamin supplements twice daily to get him back on track. It did the trick, so that by the time we had the surgery he was well within normal levels.
Today, Kodi is healthy, playful, energetic and learning something new every day. He’s an incredible companion, protecting me, tending to me when I cry by licking my tears away and shows me love constantly in so many ways.
