In Loving Memory of Kenda
We were recently notified about the sudden loss of former CAGSP Rescue dog, Kenda, and are deeply saddened by this news. Our hearts go out to her owners, Dan and Teri who were kind enough to write a memorial for their beloved Kenda, and we would like to share their beautiful love story with you."In early 2011 we decided it might be time to bring another dog into our family. We already had an older lab and a tiny Maltipoo but my husband, Dan was looking for a more active dog to go running and mountain biking with him.
After a lot of research Dan decided that a GSP might be a good fit for us. Fast forward to July 2011 when we went to the CA GSP Rescue to "look" at a few potential fur babies that we had first seen on the website. Unfortunately, we didn't click with any of them. Dan asked if there were any other dogs we might see. We were told there is Sugar, but she's sick and kept isolated until heathy. And then they brought out.....Sugar. Poor pitiful Sugar. She was balding, skin inflamed, scarred underweight, shaking etc. She had obviously been neglected and abused. She had absolutely no reason to trust, let alone love a human being again.
But there was something behind those soft, sad brown eyes. Dan knelt down on one knee in the dirt. She slowly walked up to him and put her nose right in his arm pit and she stayed right there. Dan looked up at me and said, We'll take her. SHE CHOSE HIM! I swear she did. A month later we were giddy with excitement as she was well enough to come to her forever home with us.
Sugar became Kenda. She was named after the mountain bike tires and the Kenda Cup Mountain Bike race series. She was a runner, a marathon swimmer, a hiker, a camper, a boater, a restaurant eater, a movie goer, a lizard hunter, a car rider, a skunk hater, a vegetable eater, a sweater wearer, a lizard hunter, a bed sleeper, a lap sitter, a blanket snuggler, a fire watcher, a dragon fly catcher, a baby lover, a slipper stealer, a popsicle slurper, a time teller, a rabbit chaser, and truly, the love of our lives. We became that whacky dog family that planned our days, vacations, time off, literally our entire lives around our dog. It's often been said the German Shorthaired Pointers are known as "Velcro Dogs". Truth is, we became her "Velcro Humans". She went everywhere with us. How in the world did God make such a wonderful example of pure and unconditional love in a canine form? One of my favorite verses in the Bible is from Song of Soleman 3:4 "I have found the one whom my soul loves" If there was ever a book written for Kenda it would surely be called this.
As I write this, I have tears in my eyes, as our beloved baby girl unexpectedly died on Christmas Day. Our hearts are broken and aching as we mourn the loss of the sweetest (sweet as SUGAR) kindest, most gentle soul that has ever graced our lives. We love and miss her beyond measure. Godspeed Baby Girl. Godspeed.A huge and heartfelt thank you to Ca GSP Rescue and volunteers for all you do to give these fur babies a second lease on life".