"Our Gentle Giant"

Kilty our 120 lb. gentle giant.  She was a bundle of love wrapped in a Rhodesian Body.  She was beautiful both inside and outside.  Yes she was a little over weight but she loved food.  Her only weakness was her nose because it would get her into trouble.  When we got her she could fit in a laundry basket.  She was a happy curious puppy.  Her paws were huge her heart even larger.  When she first met Porter she immediately let him know he was boss.  They had a very yin/yang relationship.  The two of them were two peas in a pod.  They would steal my tomatoes, I knew because they never let them ripen and I could smell tomato on their breathe.  Together they chased squirrels, chipmunks, rabbits and anything else that was wild in our yard.  Porter was just curious about the animal, Kilty saw it as an afternoon snack.  The stories I could write about tweedle dee and tweedle dum would take volumes.  They were the best of friends.

As a puppy Kilty would sit her bum on Porter as he lay on the floor.  He was her stoop.  She continued to do this much into adulthood and as she got bigger the groans from Porter increased.  You could hear him go "uuuhhhh" when Kilty would sit on him.  After she reached her ideal weight, 120 lbs., Porter became wise in his years and would get up and move...no more stump sitting for you big dog.  At night when she wanted to cuddle with him she would lie in the crook of his stomach. She would plop her body right down next to him, he would groan, she would sigh with happiness, together they would cuddle.  Kilty always liked to be by Porter which is why I think she missed him so very much after he died.  She missed her cuddle companion, her accomplice, her comrade, her best friend.

Kilty went to join Porter on March 31.  I would like to think she died of a broken heart.  Ever since Porter had passed in October, she hadn't been the same.  She seemed sad.  She came around a lot more and hung out where I was but I knew she missed him.  The decision was hard but I listened to her and knew that she would be happier joining Porter in heaven and having access to all the food her little heart wanted.

After we put her down I prayed to God to let me know that she was OK.  I needed a sign.  I needed to know that our gentle giant was at peace and was happy.   I needed to know that the decision we made was the right one.  I got it.


The very next day, I was driving around doing errands.  I decided to stay on the road that I was travelling vs. taking a different route into town.  I remember specifically thinking to myself, no I don't think I will take the back roads I'll stay on the main street.  As I approached the intersection to make right heading into town, I saw a woman walking her dog.  No one was behind me so I slowed down and realized it was a Rhodesian.  My heart began to flutter.  I pulled up next to her and was able to talk with her as she continued walking her dog.  The light turned green, cars moved on but I was able to stop and steal these few minutes of conversation.  We talked about her dog and I told her about Kilty.  The light turned red, we finished our conversation, the light turned green, I thanked her and traveled on.

I cried.

I called Rob immediately and told him what I just experienced.  He was pretty speechless.  It is fairly rare to see a Rhodesian Ridgeback being walked in the center of town, at 2:30 in the afternoon on a sunny Thursday.  I thanked God.  I thanked God for the gift he just gave me. My heart began to slowly heal.  I knew Kilty was OK and with her best friend.   After this experience, I told anyone and everyone I could about it.  My neighbor began to cry because in all of her years, she has only seen a Rhodesian once in her life other than ours.  It validated my faith in God even more.  How grateful I am for his gift to me, my sign.

I told my daughters about the experience and they too began to look for signs for various reasons.  I explained to them that signs will not come on command but when you open your heart and mind they will appear.  Usually when you least expect them to.  When they do, be grateful, be appreciative, and enjoy each and every second of it.  They are usually fleeting.

I look at pictures of my buddies everyday, everyday I miss them, everyday I am thankful they were in my life as long as they were, everyday I reflect on what they brought into my life.  Someday we will all be joined together but until then, I will continue to remember them and love them.

As Kilty's engraving says it best on her urn, "You a good girl." She was.   She was a love, she was our gentle giant.  She is missed every single day.

"To love a dog and be loved by a dog is one of life's greatest riches."