The Seal
One year ago, we drove down to Wilmington NC to pick up a beagle that we hoped to rescue. By then it had been 5 months since we lost my soul dog, Kirby while we were halfway around the world while we were on a cruise to Australia / New Zealand. Losing Kirby was hard enough, but not being able to be there to hold his paw during the last moments of life was absolutely devastating.
You see, Kirby was one of a kind. While we’ve rescued other pets in the past, Kirby found us at the time when Hubby & I were finally able to fully accept that human children were not in our future. I’ve said it before, but Kirby was the son I never had.
What I hadn’t told you is that the day after Kirby got his wings, we were at port on Kangaroo Island, South Australia. One of the excursions we went on was to Seal Bay, home to a colony of endangered Australian sea lions on the coast of the Antarctic/South Ocean. We walked down the boardwalk where we could see these beautiful creatures at close quarters.
At the end of the boardwalk, we noticed a seal pup that was likely trying to find his mother. He was alone and every few moments, he’d wobble closer to the boardwalk and let out a squawk as if he was looking for his mother. He eventually moved past where we couldn’t see him. However a few moments later, when we had left that part of the boardwalk, I heard that same squawk again. Looking down, I saw that same seal pup had seemed to follow me.
That’s when I was able to get a clear view of this pup’s face and I couldn’t believe what I was looking at. There was Kirby looking directly at me with those big eyes wearing the same facial expression he would give to me as if he had something important to say. I felt as Kirby, telling us that he was doing fine at the Rainbow Bridge and that he didn’t want us to be sad. That Kirby was telling us it was okay that we weren’t holding his paw during his last moments. Even though I was heartbroken, I felt as if Kirby was saying “Good-bye” in a way that he couldn’t do so in person.
The Approval
A few months after coming back from our trip, we put in an adoption application to Triangle Beagle Rescue. When describing what we were looking for in a beagle, we specifically said that we wanted a small dog with a big personality — much like Kirby had been to us. When we saw this blue-tick beagle named “Benny,” who shared Kirby’s big eyes, we knew we had to meet him.
A year ago today, we met “Benny” for the first time. The minute he saw me, he immediately to jump onto my lap for snuggles. He was such a happy beagle with so much personality that we knew instantly that he’d be a big part of our family. And thus “Benny” became Kona.
Kona had a very distinct bark / beagle bay which went from a volume of 1 to 10 in a matter of seconds. It initially took us by surprise. Kirby and Kira could be “talkative” but never to the extent and volume of Kona’s bark. His voice is so distinctive that whenever he meets new people, they are stunned by the sheer volume of his bark. In fact, all the employees at his daycare know he’s our dog that we no longer have to tell them who were picking up. As startling as his voice is, we’ve come to believe that he actually is saying “Hello!”
Kona’s bark — though not quite the same, brought me back to that seal pup on Kangaroo Island. It was as if Kona was doing the same thing, trying to look for his parents. And that’s when it hit me — that perhaps that seal pup was Kirby telling us that he already knew of a dog — recently surrendered by his previous owners — who would be a perfect fit for our house.
To this day, we think that Kirby picked out Kona for us. He knew that I would be devastated by losing him that he found a dog that LOVED to cuddle with me. He knew that we wanted a beagle whose personality shines so bright around other people. He knew that we would love Kona’s ability to make us laugh.
The past year had been difficult after losing Kirby and then Kira. But when Kona came into our lives, our home seemed less lonely or sad. There was definitely more laughter! And so today, as we celebrated Kona’s First Gotcha Day with us, I also thank Kirby for bringing him into our lives.
Feel like comparing the seal squawk to Kona’s bark?
Watch the videos below