All of my memories keep you near. In silent moments imagine you here. All of my memories keep you near. Your silent whispers, silent tears.
If you either know us or have been following our posts you know that besides each other and our kids our Akitas are our top priority. We love them in this life and honor them for the next. I even plan on being cremated and having my dogs ashes spread with mine so we will always be together. So it should come as no surprise that I have a tattoo with a dog paw.
This tattoo is very special to me, as are my others, but the placement of this one is a big part of what makes it so special. After losing Kayko I knew I wanted to do something really special to honor her and decided that I wanted to do a paw print but not just any paw print it is her actual print that MedVet took for us. So as with any tattoo you not only have to decide what but also where. I had several thoughts that were immediately shut down because it didn't feel right and then it came to me. Kayko was a big girl and when she would jump up on me her paws would hit my shoulders and when she was with us she always had my back, so I now have her pawprint on my back right shoulder. Now she will forever have my back and added bonus whenever I think of her or miss her I can just reach my left hand to my right shoulder and its almost like holding her paw.
P.S. The young man who did the tattoo told me afterwards that when he placed the stencil on my shoulder her pads perfectly aligned with some of the freckles I have on my back. He thought that was so cool, like it was meant to be. He also loved that I wanted the tattoo just like the pawprint with all its imperfections.
P.P.S. A couple of quick stories to elaborate on the part about Kayko having my back. The first is when someone was walking their two rottweilers while we were walking Kayko. The rottweilers made a beeline for us and Kayko stood her ground until the owner could get them back under control she never once let either of them get anywhere near me. The second is one of my favorite memoires of Kayko. This one is also while we were out taking her for a walk but this time it was a human coming toward us that she had never seen before. He was coming towards us but he was on the other side of the street so you would have thought that would have ben enough for her. Nope not my 100% loyal girl. She managed to position herself in between Larry and I and then proceeded to use her 100lb body to push Larry closer to the "danger" while simultaneously pushing me away. I mean Larry was at the bottom of the pack order in her mind so he was expendable.
Larry’s Perspective:
Looking up Hachikō videos back in the day I came across this video which featured the song Bittersweet - the first song I ever heard from Within Temptation. So it's more than appropriate that Shannon picked this song from them for today.
Yes Kayko meant a lot to all of us, but she meant the most to Shannon - because Shannon meant the most to her.
I cannot express enough gratitude for MedVet Columbus. This was the first pet we ever had to say goodbye to and they handled the whole experience with grace and reverence. When we got the phone call that Kayko's ashes were ready to come home that was tough. But the thing that struck me most that day was when we arrived and let the team know who we were and why we were there, they got up, got Kayko and walked around the long counter to hand her to us. They didn't just hand her to us over the counter or set her down for us to pick up - they treated her and us with dignity. Since Akitas are a Japanese breed, it's almost like they handed her to us and bowed out of deep respect. Here I am all these years later and this memory is not present or etched - it is carved into my memory...
Memories Within Temptation
In this world you tried Not leaving me alone behind There's no other way I'll pray to the gods let him stay The memories ease the pain inside Now I know, ooh, ooh-ooh
All of my memories keep you near And silent moments, imagine you'd be here All of my memories keep you near And silent whispers, my silent tears
Make me promise I'd try To find my way back in this life I hope there is a way To give me a sign, you're okay The memories ease the pain inside Now I know, ooh, ooh-ooh
All of my memories keep you near And silent moments, imagine you'd be here All of my memories keep you near And silent whispers, my silent tears
Together in all these memories I see your smile All the mem'ries I hold dear Darling, you know I'll love you 'Til the end of time, ooh-oh
All of my memories keep you near And silent moments, imagine you'd be here All of my memories keep you near Your silent whispers, my silent tears All of my mem'ries
Ghost of a Chance 