I’m sure we can all agree that 2020 wasn’t the year we hoped it would be, to add to the mental stress of a global pandemic, political divisiveness among friends, and economic strife, I lost my best friend. It’s taken me a while to write this post, I thought as time went by and an adoption of a new pup would help me miss him less — but what I’ve found is that his little furry being will be missed for a long time to come.

Koa has been my adventure sidekick for 12 years and my heart broke into a million little pieces when he passed in early June 2020. Even though I quickly jumped in and have found a new pup friend, I miss the furry little guy every day.

Our love story started twelve years ago when I decided to adopt a dog.  I wasn’t sure what kind of dog I wanted, so I borrowed a shelter dog and went to the Furry Scurry.  I figured if I was going to find the breed that was right for me, it would be at the local dog-walk where 2,000+ four-legged best friends show up for a walk and fundraiser for the Denver Dumb Friends League.

I have always been drawn to labs and golden retrievers…but I feel like they are the Subarus of the Colorado dog population, meaning there are just as many labs and retrievers per capita, in Colorado as there are Subarus. (which is a LOT).

At the Furry Scurry, I saw dogs of almost every breed, size, and color…but the dog I couldn’t stop thinking about was the super furry long-haired Chihuahua.  Who knew I was a small dog person?!

I promptly started searching for my new dog-buddy.  In a short search on the interwebs, I saw this little guy. He was a 10-pound long-haired chihuahua with a personality of a vicious pit-bull.

In his description, he said he was part of the Colorado Corrections program.  I’d never heard of this program.  Off I went on another search of the interwebs.

Evidently, the Colorado Corrections program is a self-supported program where program administrators rescue dogs from kill shelters and puppy mills and Colorado inmates rehabilitate them and train them. This was perfect! Adopting a dog that was already crate and house trained?

I set-up a meeting to meet the little guy in the parking lot of a local prison. The name they had given him was “Tru” and asked me if I wanted to change his name. I hadn’t thought that was a possibility and wanted some time to think about it. The little pup couldn’t come home with me that day because he was still in training, but I could pick him up in a few weeks. In that time, they would train him with his new name. Koa.

Koa means “brave warrior” in Hawaiian. I feel like the life Koa survived made him a brave warrior indeed. The prisoners told me that when Koa arrived into the program, he was 3lbs, had no hair and had been left to starve to death because the puppy mill was no longer in need of him.

This is particularly heartbreaking, because Koa had the most beautiful coat of long silky hair.

The day I picked Koa up from the same local prison, they let all adopters and training program parents attend what I like to call a puppy recital. The inmates showed us all of the training and tricks they had taught the dogs before the dogs were able to go home.

It took Koa and I about a week or so to get used to each other, but after that he and I became inseparable. He was my partner on many adventures and stayed home on the rarest of occasions. He accompanied me at work, went camping and hid in his “go bag” when pups were not invited.

Almost all of my pictures from the past 12 years either are solely of Koa, or you can see Koa in the background or foreground trying to stay close and a part of the action.

He made so many friends, his facebook page was a popular place for friends to follow his adventures. I have many stories and memories from the time Koa and I spent together — I just wish we’d had a little more time for snuggles and puppy kisses.

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They say that dogs have a way of rescuing their humans, and in Koa’s case I believe this is true. He opened my heart and comforted me through hard times. I have been forever changed and his mighty personality will be missed for years to come.