February 7, 2012

Kekoa was a popular, well-loved dog. Before even hitting the RAGOM website, he had a facebook page with over 300 followers. Very few of those have even met him, myself included, but all loved him. Unfortunately, Kekoa did not live long enough to meet all those fans. His story is not a particularly happy one, one that shows the sad side of rescuing. But in order to tell his story, I must go back to the beginning.

Kekoa, whose name is Hawaiian for "the brave one, the soldier" and is pronounced "kay-KO-ah", was a 7 year old purebred male golden retriever. He lived with his big brother and best buddy, Kainoa, in Fond du Lac, WI. Here is a picture of Kekoa (left) and Kainoa, and one with him and his sister Tasia:

Unfortunately, Kainoa died in August from cancer, and poor Kekoa didn't know what to do without his best friend. He developed severe separation anxiety and began destroying his owners' home when they were gone. They didn't know what to do and it broke their heart to see him so stressed out so they turned to Golden Retriever Rescue of Wisconsin (GRRoW) for help. Unfortunately, GRRoW didn't have any open foster homes so they contacted RAGOM, and we arranged transport to get him into our care. Kekoa was clearly very loved by his family and it was a difficult surrender, but they felt that we might be more equipped to give him the help he needs to overcome his anxieties and grow. A couple GRRoW volunteers helped transport him to Eau Claire, where some RAGOM volunteers picked him up. Here are a couple pics taken during the transport:

Unfortunately, Kekoa was traumatized by the change in his life and was scared and didn't know who he could trust. When he arrived at my home on Saturday night, January 14th, at about 9:00 pm, he yanked the leash from the transporter's hand as soon as the car door was opened and bolted across the street. They were not expecting this because he had to be coaxed from the previous car when they picked him up from the previous transporters. I came out to meet them and learned that he had broken loose and looked across the street where they were pointing and I saw him standing there. We yelled for the neighbor to grab the leash, but unfortunately, he was just starting his car and didn't hear us. We all ran over to try to get him, but he took off. We followed his tracks through neighbors’ yards and into the woods behind my house. We even saw him from afar a couple times but he was too frightened to come to us and ran away each time. We spent the next several hours searching through the woods, calling out to him softly, trying to entice him to us, trying to convince him that he could trust us. At one point, he came within 15 feet of one of the other volunteers; he seemed relieved to be found and started coming towards her but he was afraid to trust her and turned and ran away again. That was the last time we saw him. We looked until about 2am and finally called it a night.

The next morning, several more volunteers came out and helped search some more. We found some tracks in the snow that we followed, but no one actually saw him. Over the next several days, the search effort grew: flyers were printed and distributed, calls were made, ads were posted, and a facebook page called Find Kekoa was created to keep everyone updated on the search efforts. Lots of people came and combed the vast woods and neighborhoods and helped search for this boy, and for that we are extremely thankful. A few possible tips and sightings were called in and later that week, some more tracks were found, and although there were no definitive sightings, it indicated the direction he was heading.

Unfortunately, on Saturday January 21st, one week after he disappeared, Kekoa's body was found in the ditch along the highway about two miles south of my house. He had tried to cross the highway. The only saving grace was that he had most likely died instantly and did not suffer through the cold nights. It was a very sad ending and a lot of people shared in the grief of his loss. Kekoa's surrendering owners had come down to help search for him and brought him home with them and laid him to rest in their backyard, with his brother's ashes. I am saddened that it ended this way and am only comforted to know that Kekoa found the peace he was looking for and is in Heaven with his brother and best buddy Kainoa.

I am extremely thankful for all the help that was offered in searching for him and am amazed at how much can be accomplished when a caring group of people come together in pursuit of the same goal. RAGOM volunteers, and dog lovers near and far, are truly special people.

And finally, here is a poem for Kekoa from his would-be foster mom, and on behalf of his surrendering owners, the volunteers who helped search for him, and all the caring supporters on his facebook page:

We miss you Kekoa and hope you have found happiness and peace in your Special Place.

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Please consider donating to the Kekoa Memorial Fund that has been established to prevent lost foster dogs and enable a faster, more effective response should another RAGOM dog go missing. Donations will be spent on search expenses such as flyering, call services, poster printing, etc. RAGOM is also exploring the use of GPS collars for dogs at risk of flight. You can donate online by clicking here or sending a check to:

Kekoa Memorial Fund
c/o RAGOM
5800 Baker Road, Suite 120
Minnetonka, MN 55345