"Daddy, I Miss Kilo"

Random comment from the mouth of babes when our hearts are feeling exactly the same. One year ago, he was with us. I still feel the weight of him walking around and his protective eyes on me. We find his long, stiff black hairs in the dryer lint. When weeding out toys from the kid's toybox, I could hardly see through tears falling on my glasses as I pulled out handfulls of black fur from the corners. A friend of ours summed it up, "He was a local celebrity". He really was. My heart swells with pride when I remember all the connections he made. Kilo was known by school children, Boy Scout Troups, Special Olympians and demonstrations at Vermont State Parks. Also, he is remembered by lost people that he found, by some bad guys with scars from a well deserved bite, or by seizure of something they should not have had in the first place.

Our family has been overwhelmed and moved by support from the community who shares our great loss. Next month we will note the anniversary of his passing. It's hard to believe he has been gone nearly a year. At the same time it seems like an eternity since I've touched him.