The day Koda’s family brought him home was one of the best days in 2020. Even as they were filling out the adoption papers, he was inside their van, jumping around the kids and trying to steal everyone’s attention. No sooner had they arrived at their house than he started exploring every room, something they took as a sign that he would fit in wonderfully with their lives. And they were right.
He’s enhanced their already-happy home in numerous ways. He makes them laugh, gets them moving on his twice daily walks, entertains them with his antics, and excels at licking away sadness. But what makes him unique is his passion for hugs and affection, his many facial expressions and his fondness for food. Obsessed with physical attention, he’s never shy about asking for more love with his demanding paws and adorable faces. But he saves his most popular face when begging for treats. And although it always manages to get a laugh, it doesn’t always secure him the fine cuisine he wants.
Simply being with his family, garnering as much attention as possible makes Koda the most contented of dogs. If that means jumping up on a bed and pressing his considerable weight into someone, he’ll do it. If that means running back and forth through the yard to get a toy and garner some head pets, he’ll do it. Any time he’s being loved on is a good time in his books, and his entire family loves nothing more than obliging him.
On several occasions, though, he’s risked it all just for some extra attention. One evening, when his mom was sitting in the hammock swing in her daughter’s room with her legs on the bed, Koda, who had leapt onto the bed, chose to climb onto her legs and, from there, into her lap. After a few chaotic moments of his kissing her face while perched precariously on her legs, he was able to navigate himself back down without issue, leaving his mom breathless with laughter. Another time, he leapt from the couch to the rocking chair she was in, causing similar chaos and laughter all around as everyone shook their heads at their lovable goofball.
Two of his favorite pastimes are going for walks and taking car rides, and whenever the family returns home, he promptly lies down, inconveniently but adorably, in the middle of the floor to recover from the excitement of it all. He also loves his “baby” (a squeaky hedgehog) that he carries around and retrieves on request.
Last summer, the family spent five days at the Blue Ridge Mountains in Georgia, and while they often take summer road trips, it was doubly thrilling this time since their beloved Koda was with them. Not only did he enjoy exploring their rented cabin, he also enjoyed hiking with them (this surprised them as he can be quite clumsy) and even had the chance to chase after some deer during a walk.
Koda’s greatest challenge when first adopted was his leash reactivity towards other dogs as he was being walked through the neighborhood. Luckily, the family found an excellent trainer in their area who helped remedy the situation after only a few sessions, and because Koda’s so bright, it proved the old adage that you can teach an older dog new tricks!
Unfortunately, though, he’s had several, concerning medical issues. In August 2021, he was diagnosed with Immune-Mediated Thrombocytopenia after receiving his vaccines and a dose of flea-tick-heartworm medication. Although he fought through that very frightening illness and is currently in remission, the family not only watches him very carefully for any signs of it returning, they’re now dealing with his hypothyroidism. While he’s just on the bubble and being monitored closely for it worsening, he’s lost his beautiful, fluffy tail and a lot of hair, but, to his adoring adopters, he’s still their beautiful boy. As his mom told the vet, “Because he’s so loved in our home, if love alone could cure him, he’d be healed!”
