In the fall of 2015, while my husband was out of state for work, I saw a picture of an adorable black and white female puppy and her brother on Facebook; Border Collies, it said, and they needed homes. Their backgrounds were questionable, but I went anyway because I had to have one. They were located on a dirt road in Pearl City, HI from a somewhat suspicious couple in a rundown duplex apartment. Knowing I was going to "the ghetto" of Oahu, I even took a kind male neighbor with me who agreed to serve as my bodyguard. When we arrived, the male puppy was already taken, but the female was available. She was roughly 9 weeks old and 11 lbs. I took her to the vet immediately. She was covered with fleas and had every kind of intestinal parasite you can imagine. I loved her anyway, and I couldn't wait to surprise the kids when they got home from school. Armed with all kinds of medications to make her healthy, I set everything up at home before walking to school to get the kids at dismissal. Walking home, I informed them that I had a surprise waiting for them. Hunter & Maddy, ages 7 & 5, were excited and begged to know what it was. 9-year-old Tally immediately said, "It's a puppy, isn't it? I know it is cause I know YOU." (She really burst my bubble, but I kept her guessing the whole way home.) As soon as they met her, they loved her, and she loved them. We named her Nani which means beautiful in Hawaiian.
As the months passed by, it became clear that Nani was NOT a Border Collie. Her legs stretched well beyond the length of a typical Border Collie, and she eventually topped out at 75 lbs, much heavier than a Border Collie. She was our Hawaiian poi dog (mutt).
She had beautiful light brown eyes with long white eyelashes. She chased light and pounced on shadows. She ALWAYS greeted us at the door with a smile and a sneeze. She was a chronic counter surfer, and nothing was out of reach. We had to put a strap on the kitchen trash can or else we'd come home to a mess. She hated snuggling but always wanted to be near. She detested anyone touching her feet. She was perfect in the bathtub. She loved being brushed. She lived for car rides, bones, ear rubs, walks, and her people. She always told us when she needed to go outside and when the clock struck 5pm (dinner!). She filled our house with fur. She constantly watched out the window for passers-by and alerted us when she saw a threat. She followed me EVERYWHERE. I was her person. She blessed our family for 6 short years, from Hawaii to Louisiana to Maryland, and it will NEVER be long enough.
