Hearts in Hawai'i
A Tribute to Kimo (2015)
3/24/2025
These entries (and the ones on following blog entries) are mostly pulled from Facebook posts I made at that time.
Monday, January 5
When Patty brought me home from Essentia-St. Mary's Hospital (if you want to read about my adventure there, click here), Kimo backed all the way to the back end of his kennel. No growling, no barking, just looking at me very suspiciously as in "Who the hell is THIS?!". I didn't say anything to him until I hobbled over to the couch, sat down and put up the footrest. Then I said "Hi Kimo!!" and he flew through the dining room and living room, launching himself through the air and landing right on my stomach! Yeow!! But man, his butt was wiggling like I'd never seen before and he covered me with kisses.
Friday, January 9
He reeks. Seriously. Maybe he did for a while and I didn't notice because I was around him every day, but damn!!!! I think a bath for him at Bark Avenue needs to be on the short-term schedule.
He keeps looking at me like he's worried. Cute. He slept at the foot of the couch today while I dozed off and on.
Monday, February 2
Kimo loves spaghetti. Maybe too much. He's funny as heck to watch as he jumps up, devouring a single long noodle I'm holding up before him like a shark rending its victim. Tonight, I got the rest of the leftover spaghetti and sauce mixed up, fixed myself a big plate of this tasty stuff, and then went and put the rest away in the fridge.
With my head in the fridge, I become aware of this smacking sound, look up and see Kimo up on his hind legs with his front paws on the counter, attacking the plate I had "apparently" left too close to the edge of the counter! A bellow from me ended his quick feast without too much damage.
He did have the decency to work from the outside in so I was able to rescue most of the plate.
So it turns out he likes spaghetti but REALLY likes it with sauce mixed in.
Wednesday, February 11
The vet doesn't know what caused the reddish, slightly oozing sore on Kimo. He's on antibiotics and we need to apply a salve to the sore three times a day. He's moping about--might be a reaction to the antibiotics. Good energy when he wants to, otherwise he keeps going into his kennel and sleeping (quite unusual for him). Poor Little Dude.
Thursday, February 19
I didn't know Kimo was into healthy eating until he grabbed my granola bar off the kitchen counter and ran around the dining room table, eluding Patty until he had finished the bar. Wrapper and all, of course. He sat in his kennel looking out at me while licking his chops after completing his snack.
All he needs is time and opportunity. Very little time, it turns out.
Sunday, February 22
Kimo retained his middleweight title in the All Remote Controls class last night after dispatching the CD player remote with ease. I was surprised he went up to the third shelf on the Entertainment Center to grab it. He had previously only gone to the second shelf.
Round one, Kimo came out and bit a hole through the remote. At least the remote didn't suffer; it was a quick death. He didn't even give me the chance to give the thumbs up/thumbs down to the remote.
So now we have to move important stuff to a higher shelf. Kind of like putting sandbags higher and higher on the Red River during flood season.
Thursday, March 26
Sir Craps-A-Lot became Sir Eats-A-Lot this morning. He had just finished demolishing his breakfast when he took a fancy to the styrofoam container on the stove, housing my leftover Doc Holiday sandwich from the Buffalo House. I had to explain to Patty that there is a difference between watching him and WATCHING HIM. He can't be left undisturbed in the kitchen. Ever.
Tuesday, April 7
Kimo is getting smarter. All it takes now is for me to open the bedroom door and say "C'mon, boy". He runs down the stairs and straight into his kennel. And why wouldn't he? He knows the reward is a tasty Greenie.
Friday, April 10
Kimo's first visit to Keane Dog Park went very well; after sniffing everything in the park for awhile and avoiding the other dogs, he crapped. After that, he was ready to roll. Made quick friends with Butch, a Pit Bull about his size and energy. They had a good time. He got caught up in a friendly scrum with about four other dogs--I was wondering how he'd handle being in a large group of dogs at once, but he did fine. I didn't bring a camera because I was focused on how he'd do. We should be there again tomorrow morning!
Sunday, April 12
Kimo's second visit to Keane Dog Park was a blast for him. He's socializing very well with the other dogs.
Monday, April 14
Another romp at Keane Dog Park for Kimo tonight. Tried to hump two other dogs and was rebuffed both times. Yeah, I still remember that feeling.
He was sort of all over the place, not knowing which dog or human to approach next. And now he's crashed out in his kennel...heh.
Thursday, April 17
Play time at Keane Dog Park!
Kimo meets Loki (a White Shepherd) for the first time, getting in those first sniffs!
Time for a quick drink!
I don't know what Kimo did to Loki but it sent Loki airborne over Kimo!
But Loki got his revenge courtesy of Kimo's ear!
We learned today that Kimo loves to be chased by other dogs! He figured out how to goad Loki into the chase 
Kimo and Loki sharing a parting kiss
With Loki gone, it was time for Kimo to run around the park like a little maniac!
Saturday, April 26
Another afternoon at Keane Dog Park for Kimo, making new friends.
Saturday, May 3
Kimo has the nightime routine down cold--he starts off in bed with Patty, and eventually I come upstairs and open the bedroom door. He jumps off the bed, runs down the stairs and goes straight into his kennel. This is done without me having to say a word. He's also at the point where he will go out into the garage with the door open and rarely stray. If he does, a simple "go for a ride?" brings him back to the car. All bets are off if he sees a neighbor dog, however.
Sunday, May 4
Another visit, another friend made!
With Lance, probably checking out another dog and deciding if it should be chased
A mini-showdown
Checking out Xena, who allegedly was "Keane Park Royalty" or some such label
He did it! Got Lance to chase him!
Taking a quick drink which sizing up the crowd
Friday, May 23
The texture of Kimo's coat of fur has changed significantly over the past few weeks, getting much softer! We're both surprised by this--his fur doesn't have the length but it certainly has the texture of a Chow Chow. Which doesn't change his Lab goofiness or his Pit Bull strength one bit, thank God.
He peed in my bathroom this afternoon!! In hindsight, we should have seen it coming, with all the water he drank at the Dog Park. We thought he was whining because he wanted to hang out with Patty, and he did. Just long enough to puddle my bathroom floor as she was cleaning it! But at least he had the courtesy to not pee on the carpet.
Maybe he didn't like me calling him a "cute little Chow".
Tuesday, May 27
Kimo got to meet the meter reader today. He went from "stay away from me!!" to "I love you!!" in about two minutes. She gave him a cookie--he gave her a sloppy kiss.
Thursday, June 19
Kimo got to meet a bunch of my co-workers this morning. He had a blast going back and forth from person to person. Then Elaine (Patty's co-worker) got out of her vehicle. She said "Hi, Kimo!!". Kimo ran over to her like they were long-lost friends, giving her a big smooch. And then immediately shoved his snout into her bag, sniffing about. She had her lunch in the bag and apparently Kimo wanted to test it to make sure it was safe for her to eat. He's so helpful that way.
She later told Patty that Kimo "made her day". He's been doing that with us for nearly three years.
Sunday, July 26
Kimo is back home from a short staycation while we were in the Twin Cities, happily gnawing on his Nylabone. We missed him more than I thought we would, considering he was only kenneled for five days. I knew Patty missed him when she was petting a goat at the Minnesota Zoo on Friday and exclaimed "his fur feels just like Kimo's!"
Tuesday, August 4
Three years ago we had the good fortune to find Kimo (the dog formerly known as Harold) at the Chequamegon Humane Association in Ashland. He's been enriching our lives ever since, and we like to think we've done the same for him.
Friday, August 14
Duluth broke it's August 14 temperature reading today with a scorching 93 degrees so it was a perfect day for a swim! But no swim would be complete without taking Kimo with, so off to Chub Lake we went. I was curious to see how he'd handle the water but he did just fine, proving to be a strong swimmer. He was happy to be out there with me--until a Golden Retriever showed up off its leash near the shoreline and Kimo's mission suddenly changed.
Wednesday, September 2
Taking a break from his bone
Saturday, September 5
Kimo has been itching and scratching himself a lot the past few days. He tends to do this every year in late August-early September. Gave him a bath tonight with medicated shampoo (great smelling stuff, smells like White Shoulders perfume!) and he seems to be better for now. We're switching him to a mix of his normal dog food and grain-free dog food next week (when the grain-free stuff arrives from Amazon)
Tuesday, September 15
Holding what was left of my cookie, absent-mindedly reading Facebook posts when I felt a tugging sensation on the cookie. Guess who? Yeah, he got the rest--I wasn't putting that in my mouth after his teeth were on it.
Thursday, September 24
Kimo has been enrolled in some new dog training taking place up at Petco. The class sizes are much smaller than they were at Duluth Dog Training Academy so the training is more personalized tailored to the needs of the dog.
Kimo enjoyed this? Why? He met a potential new girlfriend!
He was giving her (a chocolate lab) the googly eyes at pet training tonight. At first, she gave him a slight snarl when he got close. Eventually, she let him sniff her. Then she sniffed him. Finally she started initiating contact. At the end of the class, when her human walked her out, Kimo whined. Cute. They'll get together five more times in the next month.
He's got sit, stay and down handled pretty well, but needs a lot of work on the "come" command. Next week, we'll work on "leave it". He tends to possess what's his until you give him a tastier treat. We'll bring his favorite toy (a squeaky rubber egg) to the class.
Saturday, October 3
Kimo is to the point where "leave it" gets him off the counter, "leave it" has him waiting for the treat on the floor until given the okay to get it. We've started work on the jumping thing (usually when he first gets out of the kennel) by either turning away before he jumps or using the "sit" command. He's a smart dog. The "stubbornness" thing has more to do with our inconsistency in dealing with him than anything else.
Thursday, October 8
Kimo had a great night at training! Tempered by him getting too close to Nikki who responded with a snarl and a snap at our Little Lover. Then they stood apart growling at each other for about ten seconds. I don't recall Kimo ever growling at another dog before. Nikki wasn't impressed.
Wednesday, October 21
Kimo now has the run of the upstairs after we bed down for the night. Our bedroom, the loft, my bathroom. My office is still off-limits to him at night. For us, it's nice to sleep with the bedroom door open. Kimo has only spent one night in his kennel in the past month. He just needs to figure out whether he wants to sleep on the bed with us or on his blanket on the floor--he goes back and forth during the night.
We would like to have one room he can stay in while we're at work instead of being confined to his kennel, but we can't agree on which room that would be. Maybe we'll start leaving him alone for ten minutes and then gradually increase the time. Right now, there are simply far too many chewy temptations for him throughout the house.
Friday, October 30
Last night at training, Kimo acted like he spent the day drinking Starbucks coffee studying for an exam. Little focus, very skittish around almost every human he encountered. And tried marking his territory several times while in the store. I need to run him until I'm tired today.
Thursday, November 5
Here is what Kimo's trainer had to say about his time spent at Petco in training: "Kimo graduating Adult 1! Kimo was great! Kimo is a great example of why small classes are so good for some dogs. We did a lot of work on alternate things like greeting strangers, and taking treats from them, because he needed that!"
Looking so proud of himself as he graduates dog training at Petco!
Saturday, November 7
Living room and half the stairs are shampooed. Tomorrow morning we finish the stairs, and hit the bedrooms and loft Monday night. It'll be nice to vacuum without the house smelling like Kimo's paws afterward. Oh, he got bathed today courtesy of the wonderful ladies at Bark Avenue. Met a pit bull who promptly tried to mount him. "Now you know how other dogs feel when they're around you" I told him
Wednesday, November 11
We went and checked out Birch Hill Kennels yesterday. Very nice people, comfortable facility for dogs to stay. Cheaper than Harbor City Kennels and a lot closer to our house. We think Kimo will like staying there while we're on Maui.
Once again, one of Kimo's favorite activities is when I get done using the Kinetic. "Oh boy, Dad's sweaty and salty again!" Lick lick lick lick lick lick lick lick lick. Good thing I had to take a shower anyway.
Friday, November 20
Kimo's day started with his humans singing the Kitty Forman (That 70's Show) version of Happy Birthday to him. He's four today! He's grown better-mannered in the past year. Which is to say, his humans are better trained to handle him
Saturday, November 21
Patty bought a picture today of a wolf set in a winter setting and set it up on the wall in the loft. Kimo looked up at it and started growling softly.
Tuesday, December 1
Kimo had his annual debut in the snow this morning. We had a nice 3-4" layer of sticky, undisturbed snow in the driveway. It's disturbed now! He ran back and forth for several minutes, biting the snow, chasing snowballs I was tossing. Then he came back inside and rampaged up and down the stairs for a few minutes.
Thursday, December 10
Come home, open the door, dodge a black dog flying by me in mid-air. Get mugged on the couch, get howled at when I'm not quick enough to give him some lovin'. I think that's one of the best things about getting home from work.
Thursday, December 24
Kimo wearing his Halloween bandana, courtesy of Petco
Tuesday, December 29
One of my favorite Kimo pics--no flash used on the 35mm lens, he looks great nekkid (no dog collar). What a cute little dude!
Previous: 3/23/2025--A Tribute To Kimo (2014)
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