Every so often, something comes along and changes your life forever. In this case it was a tiny little three legged puppy with big ole floppy ears and eyes that could melt your heart or break it depending on the situation. We met Kona by chance, when we went to Straydog to interview with them and meet another dog named Miley. Miley was more interested in going in the house than hanging out with us so they sent for Kona (who was then named Charlotte). The hope was that Kona could get Miley to play as they typically did. That was either a huge mistake for them or a huge blessing for us, because when that little puppy came bounding across that yard with ears in full flop…we all fell in love right there. That moment changed our lives forever. We had to have her.
I will never forget Juana and Charity walking up to our house with her, and the permanent smiles that we all had as we watched this beautiful little dog hop around our backyard, and Juana realizing that she had found a forever home.
We were admittedly a little over protective of Kona at first. She is missing one of her front legs after all. But we soon realized that she has no idea there are supposed to be four of those things. It would not be fair to the rest of the world if this dog had four legs. The rest of the world is just not ready for that.
She is so smart. With a Treeing Walker Coonhound, Catahoula mix you should expect intelligence. But I have never had any dog that solves problems! She uses tools, ie. bones, toys etc. as she needs, to reach things or move things around. She will pull a bed outside so she doesn’t have to sit on the wet grass. She is athletic, agile, fast, and can do anything she wants to do.
It is always such a huge deal when one of us comes home. She meets you at the door like she hasn’t seen you in a week, and you can tell that she is just as happy to see you as you are to see her. I have never had a dog give me a hug before I met Kona. When I say hug, I mean you can feel her squeeze you with her head and her leg and feel the love pouring out of her. She is something special… we have truly found something special.
Thank you Straydog for the work that you do. Like you have done for so many others, you saved this sweet girl from a terrible fate. We are truly grateful to have found your organization and to have this amazing dog in our lives. The world is a better place because of you.
-The Wassons
