Lipoa Point Hike: Video of the Day

Video of the Day:
Hiking Lipoa Point & visiting Nekita's memorial.

Our dog Nekita passed away unexpectedly last year.  It was extremely difficult for all of us.  It has now been just over a year.  To honor her this year, I bought a rose on the anniversary of her death that we kept in the house, then dried.  When the time was right, the family and I took the rose to Lipoa Point where we spread her ashes.  This was one of Nekita's favorite places to hike and it will always hold a special place in my heart.

This hike is through the old Pineapple fields.  It is just past Honolua Bay.  There is a dirt road referred to as the Surfers Road.  If you take that road all the way to the end, there is the start of a trail that goes along the ocean through the old pineapple fields.  It is amazingly beautiful and a great place to hike and then watch an amazing sunset.


Related Blog Articles:
Goodbye Nekita
Remembering Nekita

Video Adventures:  
Pineapple Hill
Maluaka/ Maui Prince Beach
Launiupoko Hike, south side
Hiking the L in Lahaina

Remembering Nekita

When a family pet passes away, it is important to do some things for yourself to help remember and honor them.  When I had to say Goodbye to Nekita, it was the most difficult time of my life.  It has now been almost a month, and I am finally getting to the point where I am not continually filled with sorrow.  It is important to find ways to help yourself heal after such a loss.  

For me, I have chosen to remember Nekita by getting her portrait tattooed on my arm.  Furthermore, her paw print will remain part of my Such Good Dogs logo, and her picture will remain on our Such Good Dogs car, even when we re-do it.

We also finally received her ashes back last week.  We took the other two dogs hiking in one of Nekita's favorite spots and spread her ashes from the rocks into the ocean.  It was hard and sad and I cried, but it was also very helpful to get a little bit of closure.  Nekita's favorite thing was the ocean, and it brings me comfort and joy knowing that she will forever be part of the ocean.

The spot where we spread Nekita's ashes at sunset.

Nekita's is the middle paw print in my Such Good Dogs logo.

Such Good Dogs car.

Nekita & Caravaggio with the car after a hike.

Nekita memorial tattoo by Monica Painter.

The picture the tattoo portrait was based off.

This is also the picture of Nekita currently on the SGDs car.

Devo, Nekita, & Caravaggio at Kapalua Bay (not long before she passed).

Athena with Nekita, Devo, & Caravaggio.

Goodbye Nekita

This will be my one and only blog for this month, simply because this has been the most difficult month of my life.

On March 8th 2016, six days after her 11th birthday, my oldest dog, Nekita, passed away.  Sadly Nekita had developed an unknown tumor on her spleen that ruptured.  There was nothing we could have done.  Her death was very unexpected for me.

Nekita was the most wonderful, loving dog I have ever known.  Her and I had a very special relationship.  I first got Nekita as a new college graduate after starting my first real “professional” job.  For three years, it was just her and me.  We did practically everything together, including an hour hike every morning and night, visiting friends and family, and even visiting my work on several occasions.  The bond we shared was very close.

When Nekita was three years old, I first met my husband.  When we first started dating, he used to joke about how he actually fell in love with Nekita before he fell in love with me.  That’s just the kind of amazing dog she was.  Everyone that met her fell instantly in love.  In fact, she became known as the “Gateway Dog.”  So many people that met her and fell in love with her then went on to adopt a dog of their own, including my husband (then boyfriend).  He loved her so much, my husband adopted his own dog, Caravaggio.

Nekita continued to be her amazing self and mothered Caravaggio as a puppy.  Their bond grew even more when my husband I first moved in together.  Over the years, our two dogs became inseparable.

After we got married, my husband and I made a huge life decision and moved to Maui, Hawaii.  Both Nekita and Caravaggio were flown from the mid-west to Hawaii.  Nekita has always been a huge fan of swimming and instantly fell in love with the ocean.  Going to the beach and playing in the waves quickly became her new favorite activity.

A few years after living on Maui, we decided to adopt a third dog, Devo.  When Devo was a puppy, Nekita decided to pass the torch to Caravaggio for the “puppy raising” assistant.  Caravaggio stepped up and became the favorite big sibling for Devo.  Although it was obvious that Nekita loved the new addition to the family, as she was getting older she just didn’t have the full energy to keep up with him.

Although her passing did come as a huge surprise to me when it happened, looking back I think it may have been coming.  Over the past few months Nekita had started to really slow down.  I just assumed that she was starting to feel her old age creeping up on her.  Now I can see that her slowing down was probably due to the tumor growing inside her.  I wish I would have made more of the time we had together.

Dealing with the death of a pet is a very difficult thing for any family.  Although I have lost other pets in the past (my childhood dog, 2 cats, and several smaller pets), the loss of Nekita was the worst of all.  The bond we shared was one I can not fully explain.  She was my girl.  She followed me into another room in the house all the time.  She automatically came to the bedroom with me when she knew it was time to sleep.  She was and always will be my baby girl.  I will miss her more than I can possibly say.

When she first passed away, I cried all day for about 5 days.  Worst 5 days of my life.  After that I finally gathered the strength to compose myself and return to work.  It has now been 3 weeks since she passed, and I still have not gone an entire day without crying.  It is getting easier as time goes on, but the pain has not gone away.  I’m sure the pain will not go away for quite some time.

In the meantime I am trying to focus on loving and being there for my other two dogs.  Caravaggio took her death just as hard as I did.  He has been very sad.  Devo is still young, not quite 2 years old, so I think he may not fully understand what happened.  He has been a great in helping keep his big brother happy though.  To help both of them, I have been trying to keep as close to our “regular schedule” as possible.  This has also been difficult for me.  About a week after she passed, I finally returned to my regular morning hour hike with the boys.  As I said before, Nekita was nicknamed the “Gateway Dog” because so many people fell in love with her and then got their own dog.  Along with that, many people on our morning walk know all my dogs and would always stop to pet them, especially Nekita with her happy smile and exuberantly wagging tail.  As if venturing out into the world wasn’t difficult enough, I had to field numerous questions of “Where’s Nekita?”  I broke down and cried every time.  Her fans were very nice and offered their condolences and told me how much they loved her and that they’ll miss her also.

In the end I’m just taking it one day at a time.  That’s all I can do for now.  

I miss you Nekita…and I love you forever!

Breed of the Month--Springer Spaniel

English Springer Spaniel

Colors:  Black & white, liver & white, blue or liver roan
Height:  Males:  20 inches/  Females:  19 inches
Weight:  Males:  50 lbs/  Females:  40 lbs
Life Span:  12-14 years

Breed health concerns:  ear infections, hip dysplasia, progressive retinal atrophy, and epilepsy.

Coat:  Double coat with straight, medium-length, weather-resistant outer coat.
Country of Origin:  England

Visit the American Kennel Club for breed standards and more information.

Used to flush game from cover in England, this breed gained the name "Springer" from the way they jumped into the brush.  In the late 1800s, the Spaniel breeds (Cockers, Fields, and Springers) were officially separated.  The English Springer Spaniel was official given breed status in England in 1902.  Today there are two types of English Springer Spaniels, the field and show varieties. 

The English Springer Spaniels are very playful and affectionate dogs.  They are quick learners, even-tempered, and respectful of their owners.  Springers make excellent hunting dogs.  These dogs are very attracted to water, and will gladly swim in any body of water.  Springers are good with kids but may sometimes become overly attached to the person they spend the most time with.  Because Springers become so attached, they can sometimes create a barking problem when left along.


Exercise:
To keep a Springer happy and healthy, several energetic walks per day are required.  The more exercise a Springer gets, the better.  Springers are happy to accompany their owners everywhere.  And of course swimming is always a favorite for the Springer!

Grooming:
A Springers' ears should be kept clean and frequently inspected for signs of infection.  The Springers coat needs regular brushing, and the long fur on the ears must be kept free of tangles and knots.

Training:
Springers very quickly catch on to training because they aim to please their owners.  This breed is very athletic and loves to participate is many activities like hunting, obedience, agility, flyball, tracking, swimming, and anything else the owner might want to do.  Springers need good socialization from an early age.

Water!  Yippy!

I will bring this to you because I love you.

Our oldest dog, Nekita, is a Springer Spaniel/ Lab mix.  She most definitely exhibits the love of the water from both breeds!  Nekita's most favorite thing in all the world to do is go swimming.  Nekita also exhibits the Springer Spaniel's breed characteristic of being very happy-go-lucky.  Most Springer Spaniels or Springer mixes I have come across tend to be very happy dogs that enjoy meeting new people and playing with new friends.  Nekita is also very attached to the person she first bonded with, me.  

Here is Nekita (right), our Springer Spaniel mix,

playing with some friends at the beach.

Someone please throw this ball!

Caravaggio loves cats

Many people ask me if my dogs get along with other animals.  Now most of the time I get this question because their dog does not get along with others very well.  Dogs in generally are very capable of getting along with other species, many other species.  Its all about training and socialization.

For example, when Nekita was a puppy, I had pet snakes.  I had a Ball Python snake named Nia.  She was a fabulous pet in her own right, but she (the snake) helped teach Nekita at a very young age how to deal with other species.  Basically its about respect and boundaries.  Nekita was taught from day one to keep a certain distance from the snakes, as well as the cats in the house.  Since then, Nekita has always approached other animals with respect and has given proper distance.  I am very thankful for that.

Caravaggio happens to love cats.  When Vaggy was a puppy, he was raised with an older, de-clawed cat.  So Caravaggio thought that being batted in the face by the cat was some sort of fun face massage.  Obviously this is not always true.  Caravaggio unfortunately learned early on that its best to get right up in the face of other animal, not what we were going for.  Since then, we have had to do some extra training with him to teach him to respect other animals.

Now for Caravaggio, it is not that he wants to ever harm another species, he just gets overly excited to meet and make friends with others.  He forgets his boundaries.

Below are some pictures I caught the other day of Caravaggio practicing how to calmly greet some of our neighborhood cats.  He now has a few new friends.

Caravaggio saying HI.

You can see by his body that he's still a little too excited.

Calmly sniffing orange kitty.

Orange kitty then got up to say hi and rubbed up on Caravaggio's face...

then pawed him in the face (just to remind him the cat's in charge here).

Trainer Tips--Island Dogs & Socialization

Properly socializing your dog is very important, but many people don't understand what that actually means.  Proper socialization is not only exposing your dog to as many situations, people, and other dogs as possible, but more importantly, making all of these positive experiences so that your dog becomes easily comfortable no matter what happens.  In order to do this, it is important for you to allow your dog to take his time exploring something new.  Never quickly force a dog that is not comfortable into a new situation.  The dog should appear mostly relaxed, not tense or afraid.  This is why it is so important to begin this process as soon as possible!  This means the day you get your dog, or as soon as your new puppy has all his shots and is vet approved to meet others.

Beyond a properly socialized dog, I believe it is important to keep an "Island Dog" mentality.  If your dog is a true "Island Dog" he should be able to enjoy your favorite island spots WITH YOU.  Some of the places we enjoy with our dogs include the beach, various hikes (we have even worked our dogs up to hiking out on some cliffs), and accompanying me to work.  Lucky for me my job is working with dogs, or in dog environments, so taking my dogs to work is easy for me, whereas it may not be as easy for you.  It never hurts to ask your supervisor, even if its for an hour, it will help socialize your dog.

Below are some various pictures I found of our dogs accompanying us around the island
(and elsewhere).

Athena & Nekita at Camp Olowalu.

Athena & Adam at Napili Bay.

See the pups in the background, behaving well.

Caravaggio & Nekita hanging out in our car full of stuff.

Look how relaxed Caravaggio is!

Caravaggio & my mom back home in Minnesota.

Caravaggio & my aunt's horse, back in Wisconsin.

The pups at our friends house.

Caravaggio & Nekita swimming at Napili Bay.

Caravaggio sandy face at Napili Bay.

Nekita playing in the water while I look for sea glass.

Caravaggio laying in the sand while I look for sea glass.

Athena & pups at Kapalua Coastal Trail.

Caravaggio drinking out of a cooler for the first time.

My pups leading the pack on a hike in the pineapple fields.

Nekita is hiding in the background grass :)

Caravaggio met a new friend on the surfer road off Honolua Bay.

Nekita & our neighbor dog, Jack, in our apartment courtyard.

The whole family at Honolua Bay.