We didn't even know how to begin this post. We write this with heavy and broken hearts but we wanted to let you know why we have been a little quiet lately. Our beloved fur baby Aiko lost his battle to cancer. He passed away on Wednesday the 30th of January. He was such a special family member, alway happy to see and greet you. He loved spending every moment curled up next to us or laid across our couch with his head on our laps. Whenever either of us were down or stressed he was quick to notice and try to cheer us up with a paw on our arm. just sitting next to us or "singing" 'til we started playing. He was so so special to us. It's been very difficult these past few days to say the least.
Aiko was only 6 years old when the cancer was finally too much for him. We adopted him from Alabama and he was only a little puppy when we got him. The day we went to picked him up, we drove to a loading area in SFO Airport and they walked us into a huge warehouse and that's when we saw him being pushed in a crate towards us. He was scared and alone, but the moment he saw us he knew he was home. His little tail started waging as we opened the crate and he jumped right into our arms. In that moment we became his and he became ours. On the way back home he feel asleep in Cassidy's lap. Since that day forward this little guy completely stole our hearts. When he met our German Shepard Bear who was already old and didn't have much energy, it was like Bear had a new lease on life! They loved playing and hanging out together and 'til this day we believe Aiko helped Bear live another 3 years because of how much fun they had. Any time we had people over Aiko wanted to meet everyone, he'd greet you with a "Chewbacca" howl. He wanted to socialize with all the humans and was more interested in people even than other dogs most of the time.
When Bear passed he helped us through the grieving process. He would cuddle with Cassidy all day sometimes and the second David sat down, he'd be right there next to him. He was more than just a pet to us. He was an important family member. He was our fur baby. When we found out he had cancer after his surgery, Cassidy did everything in her power to help him feel as he good as he could and give him quality of life for as long as possible. We cooked his meals and his treat became cucumbers which he absolutely loved! We did our best for him and so did he. He really held out as long as he could for us. On our last road trip with Aiko we took him to Pismo Beach, Santa Barbara, and Solvang. We wanted to give him a big fun road trip before his body became too weak. He had so much fun running on the beach, biting the ocean water, meeting other dogs, but his favorite just being with us and family.
He knew how much he was loved and we know he loved us. He was the best dog we've ever had and we will love carry him with us in our hearts forever. It's an incredibly difficult thing to lose a loved one. We are just grateful to have been able to have him in our life for the years we did and give him the best life we could. Even when he was starting to weaken he wouldn't never pass up a walk. The moment he heard "walk" he'd pop up and charge toward the front door, like he was himself again. We learned so much from Aiko. He taught us to be loving, enjoy the little things and live in each moment. He would sit outside and stare at the giant Redwood tree in our backyard where birds would sing and enjoy being in the sun. When he started to get really weak and couldn't go outside as easily, he'd stand out there and look up at the tree when the birds sang and we'd tell him "they're singing for you". Saying goodbye was hardest thing we've ever had to do and we will forever miss him.
Many of us have pets in our life that are considered our family. We care for them and love them, but many pets worldwide don’t know that feeling. Many die without ever knowing that kind of love and likewise many people never get the chance to learn what it means to be loved by a pet. We can change that. We as humans have the power to change the lives of people and animals alike. Many of us can’t be the ones doing the dirty work of rescuing animals and helping them find their forever homes. However everyone of us can help organizations which are made of amazing individuals who give their time, energy, and resources to saving and giving a second chance to animals of all kinds. We can change the lives for millions of animals that need our help. Its our duty to help them. We are the only ones with the power to do something.
Thank you buddy, for the happiness you brought to us the past 6 years. You really were the best boy we could have asked for. You taught us so much. No other animal could ever replace you and we wouldn't even want to. We love you so much and always will. Goodbye precious boy. You are forever in our hearts.
Love, Mama and Daddy