Remembering Koda, the Goodest Boy and Adventure Partner

     On November 17th, my wife and I had to say goodbye to our dog Koda. I can't even begin to describe the type of bond that we had, but he was truly my companion. We hiked together, chased bears together, and took on the wild adventure of life together. He was a year and a half old when he passed, but I can confidently say that he was living in GSP paradise when he was here. 

    I've significantly delayed posting because I knew I had to give him a proper tribute, but I didn't even know where to start. My family has never owned pointers or hounds before, and as long as we live on land, we will continue to own German Shorthaired Pointers in honor of Koda. 

    It all started when I wanted to socialize our older dog, Tucker (then a 3-year-old mini Goldendoodle). We tried bringing him to dog parks, but he would never play with other dogs. That's when I knew that Tucker needed to have a little brother. I also wanted a dog that was more than a homebody and could take long days on the trail. So on a Friday afternoon, I searched for a lab or lab mix at a nearby shelter. 

    My family has a long history of owning labs, and I felt comfortable with that breed.  A shelter a mile down the road had a litter of Labrador and English Springer Spaniel mix puppies available for adoption. One of the puppies shared a name with my brother, and I instantly contacted the shelter and showed up to their adoption event the next day. I wanted the pup I saw online, and nobody was getting that dog from me. So I showed up right on time and went right to the puppy. He was a little older than the picture showed, and at this point, he was thinner and more athletic than your typical lab. I was totally in love with him and adopted him on the spot. I just knew he was the one.

    After a few more months of ownership, we quickly realized that the Labrador and Spaniel claim was totally a shot in the dark. He was a pointer, without a doubt. He was quicker than lightning and had endless energy. He would pull on his leash on every mile of every hike we went on. Even after 8-mile day hikes, he was still pulling me across the hills of South Carolina. 

    Last summer, I decided it was time for his first real adventure. So Koda and I embarked on an overnight trip from Sassafrass to Caesar's Head on the Foothills Trail spur. About two miles in, the weather forecast shifted, and we got pelted with rain for the next 14 miles on the day. We were supposed to set up camp about 10 miles in, but between the ticks we kept pulling off and the bears we ran into, I made the decision to get us out of the woods and got picked up that night after 16 miles. And yes, Koda did chase the mother bear and her cub through the woods.







    He was a trooper and big-time cuddler. He kept good company with my wife while she worked from home, cuddling up on her lap while she worked on the computer. 


    He was one of a kind in character and temperament. A truly amazing best friend. Here's to Koda and the unconditional love he gave our family.










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