Appreciating the moments

I started writing this blog as a way to capture the memories, and it all began with our heart pup Kodo.  Somewhere down the line, my posts slowly dissipated, but I thank Beck with all my heart for keeping up with it.  Since the news yesterday, we've been going through the posts and in a way, we find a bit of solace seeing all the amazing memories and joy that Kodo has brought us through the years.  I know we both cycle back and forth with stability and being a complete wreck.  It definitely has not been easy for either of us.  So as Kodo gets ready for his final chapter, I thought I might pick up my slack and add a few more happy moments.

Today was going to a cold and rainy day, while Sunday's forecast looked to be warm and dryer.  So, the plan was to save Kodo's park trip for the latter.  But that didn't keep us from trying to spoil the crap out of him.  Now he's been a pretty picky eater since his appetite starting failing.  So, beck and I finally got out of trying to give him the boring, dry kibble...instead we went out and bought cans of the good stuff, Paw Lickin' Chicken by Weruva.  I can't lie, it smelled so good to me that beck had to remind me that it wasn't meant for human consumption.  (been down that road...don't ask)  So it's basically just a big bowl of chicken and gravy.  Kodo was a little suspect since we've been trying different brands...but he seemed to taken a liking to this one, thankfully.  So he snarfed down the can, which led to Beck and me taking a quick trip to buy a bunch more for the week.  On the way back, of course we had to stop off at Starbucks and picked K up a Puppaccino.

Morning's seem to be a little better than evening for the old bear.  He can't get up on his own, so we rely on him asking us to help with a "boof."  But even these days, he doesn't ask much, so we have to kind of test the harness to see what he thinks of the idea.  He did get up and decided to lie on the patio today.  It wasn't raining and was probably closer to Berner than human-comfortable temps outside.  He had a small hint of energy for literally about a minute.  But even a minute of playtime is worth it right now:

He eventually just plopped onto the patio and just soaked in his domain.  Beck and I took turns keeping him company.  What was even more special than our company, though, were the salmon treats that accompanied the company (again, only the good stuff!)  He perked his head up and seemed like his appetite came back.  I ran him through some of his simple tricks like "Chin", "Speak" and "Boof" which he remembered....well, he actually switched "Speak" and "Boof", but I have a feeling he did that on purpose.

"Chin"

Afterwards, my mom and dad asked to come by to visit Kodo.  They, of course, brought gift of food for the old bear.  Just a plain hamburger, but once again, K's appetite didn't seem to have any problems horfing it down.  I'm really glad they came to visit.  Kodo even perked up a bit when they arrived...and this was before the burger was in view!

After my parents left, Kodo was pretty exhausted.  He went back to his normal spot at the base of the stairs and slept for a few hours.  I had to coax him up to eat another can of food.  Afterwards, we had to get him up again to go outside for his evening bathroom break.  As is the norm these days, Kodo, just plopped again on the patio in the evening.  He usually winds down alone in the dark, away from everyone else.  Beck wins parent of the year award for spending the evening with the pooh-bear.

I'm not sure how tomorrow's hike is going to go with Kodo's mobility.  But hopefully he'll have enough energy to visit his favorite rock at the very least.