Kawailoa Borzoi on Instagram (@plumaei)

Are any of you on Instagram?  I am.  I use it mainly to post pictures of the zois and our cats, plus some landscape shots from hikes and other beautiful spots around Hawaii.  I thought I'd share on the blog a few of my recent pics from outings with Hana and Pali.  As you can see, we've been having lots of fun at the beach lately :)

...follow me on Instagram if you want to stay connected :)

@plumaei

Birthdays!

Hana and Pali both had birthdays within the last few weeks!  Hana's was November 22nd, and Pali's birthday is today!  Reflecting, I am overwhelmed with gratitude that I have these sweet souls to share my life with.  I would be so incomplete without them.  They are such a part of who I am, and what makes me tick.  Pali is my shadow, following me from room to room, going to bed when I go to bed, rising when I do.  He bathes me in the warmth of his love all day long.  Hana is my little angel, sharing deeply touching moments with me throughout the day, making me laugh, filling me with joy when I look into her soulful eyes and feel her gentle energy.  The love of a Borzoi is something truly special - anybody who has been so lucky would unhesitatingly agree.

ROMAN HAS BEEN FOUND!

It is with unmeasurable joy that I am finaly able to write this post.  Roman has been found and is safe at home with his Mom Alexis and his brother Boris!  (If you are not familiar with the story - Roman's disappearance as a result of a hit and run car accident has been chronicled in detail on this blog here and here.)  

Roman went missing on June 10 when he was just 4 months and 2 days old...just a baby!  Four months and 20 days later he is finally back home.  This means Roman spent over half of his short life lost in the wild!  What a tale of survival!  I will quote the story from Alexis' roommate:

(From this morning:) Just got home with Roman, our roomie Alexis's dog who has been missing for almost FIVE MONTHS. He was spotted in a field a few miles from her home where he's been living on wild chickens and occasional handouts from nearby residents. We set the trap on Friday night but eventually all he needed was to see his mom... after all that time, he just walked right up to her! He was just a puppy when she lost him (he escaped her car which got totaled in a hit-and-run accident). He's super skinny but otherwise healthy and SO happy to be home. I love him already! Welcome home Roman!! ♥ :) ♥

We are all so overjoyed.  There could not be a happier ending to this story.  At first I was in shock when I got the phone call from Alexis...then I was in tears.  I'm still in shock, but I have such a wonderful sense of closure and peace now.  I am so thankful to Alexis for never giving up, and to all the friends who helped put up flyers and spread the word.  I'm thankful that Boris gets to be with his brother, and that Roman gets to be back with his family, warm, safe, fed, loved, and cared for. 

Miracles do happen. Sometimes you just have to wait for it.

And here is amazingly sweet picture of Roman reunited with his brother Boris...

 

Hiking Manana with Pali & Hana

Last weekend I got the chance to take Pali and Hana on a hike.  We went to Manana, a favorite of mine, stopping a few miles in at the beautiful helipad landing.  Hana was off-leash for the whole hike (she is SO good), and Pali got to go off-leash for a good portion of the hike too.  Pali is good boy too, but more independent than Hana for sure.  It makes me nervous to have both dogs off-leash right at first when their energy is super high and they are all riled up and wanting to run.  I've read so many times that you can't let a Borzoi off-leash in a non-fenced area...I'm careful about it and feel like I usually err on the side of caution, but my pups have earned their trust and I am so grateful to have such good babies.  Anyway, here are some fun pics from the hike...

The celebratory romp once Pali was released...

Where are they now?

The puppies are just over 8 months old now!  It’s amazing how time flies. I have been meaning to write this post for sooo long!  I don’t have any good excuses for why it’s taken me so long, so I’ll just dive right into it.  Going roughly in order of when the puppies departed from our hale, here are some updates and photos on where the puppies are now...

Our sweet little Kidney Bean was the first to leave us.  She has moved on to the Big Island where she lives a good life with her new parents Vince & Jane.  She has been to puppy school and is blossoming into such a beautiful little miss.

Below are several pictures I have received of this sweet girl, who now goes by the name "Tasha"... 

from April 2012:

from June 2012:

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The other two girls, Lima Bean and Jelly Bean live on Kauai now with their new parents Liz and Dick.  Liz and Dick are long-time Borzoi owners, very dedicated to the breed.  (Tying in with my update above about Kidney/Tasha, Liz and Dick's last Borzoi was also named Tasha :)   Jelly's new name is "Anna" (short for something that I can't remember at the moment), and Lima is now "Lilly" (also short for something longer, and very fabulous I might add.)

I don't have any recent photos of the girls to share, but I do have two photos I took at the airport from the day I sent them off to Kauai.  We got to the airport a little early, so I let the girls out of their kennel and spent some precious last few minutes with them in the car... it was raining outside as you can see (and inside too...the tears were flowing!)

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Cocoa was the next pup to leave our house.  He is pictured above at left with his brother Garbanzo.  Cocoa went to Maui and was renamed "Roman" by his new mom, Alexis.  I have already posted several updates on the blog telling Roman's story (if you haven't already read about this, PLEASE DO - here is the link: Please Help Find Roman!).  It breaks my heart to say that we still don't know where Roman is.  

I have also reported previously on Garbanzo, who we we had renamed "Kawailoa's Bonzer Swell" ("Bonzer" for short) and decided to keep (here is the link to that post: The next chapter unfolds...).  As noted in my last post, Bonzer is now with Alexis on Maui, something that absolutely warms my heart, and her's too.  He is now called "Boris".  We will never stop looking forward to the day that Boris and Roman will be reunited once again under Alexis' roof.  Hugs to you Alexis ~ you have been through an ordeal and I know you have done, and continue to do everything you can for these boys.

Boris is very happy in his new home, with his new girlfriend Phoebe the cat...

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Getting back to the historical order of departures from our hale, Soy was the next pup to leave us.  We sent Soy off to the Big Island of Hawaii to his new parents Cliff-Ann and Ronald, who were so very excited about their new boy.  Soy was a huge favorite of mine.  More than I let on, and more than I should have allowed.  When it came time to say goodbye to Soy, I cried my eyes out ALL DAY.  I still get choked up thinking about him.  Ugh!  Unfortunately, I don't have any recent photos of Soy to share, but I do have a few pictures from the airport drop-off.  You can just barely see in the 2nd shot the tiny little collar I crocheted for him as a safe-travels charm...  

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The next boy to leave us was Pali-II, now called "Jazz".  Jazz lives here on Oahu with his new parents Lori and James, and his dog-brother, Miki (a Groendal!).  Jazz is growing into such a handsome boy, so much like his father.  Here are some photos of Jazz, starting with when he first went to live with his new family, and some more recent shots where you can see he has now surpassed Miki in size!

July 2012:

September 2012:

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Next to leave us was Lentil, who is now "Kuhio".  It was hard to part with Lentil, but he has gone to a wonderfully loving home here on Oahu, with his new mom Maria.  Maria once owned a wolf, and now she has a wolfhound :)  Kuhio has been to obedience school and is growing into a tall elegant hound.  We met up with Kuhio once at the dog park in Mililani and it was so amazing to see for myself how handsome and sweet this boy remains!  A few pictures...

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Adzuki, now "Mischa", remains here on Oahu as well, with his wonderful new parents Kathleen and Jean.  Mischa is their first Borzoi, but they have owned Irish Wolfhounds in the past.  Like many of his siblings, Mischa has attended puppy classes and is growing into a handsome, well mannered hound.  When we went on a trip to the Big Island to celebrate our anniversary this summer, and when we still had Bonzer (now "Boris"), Kathleen and Jean took Bonzer for the long weekend.  The brothers had a fun reunion and I am sharing below a few pics from that weekend, plus one other...     

 At puppy school:

 

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And that's it for now!  Warmest aloha to all the Kawailoa Borzoi owners and pups!