At 6 months old Tonka met the doggie love of his life, Ms. Nala Rose.
The cutest little Australian Shepherd, her and her mom Carol were friends with Steve and his St. Bernard mix named Henry and that is how I met Carol. She was out walking Nala one day and Tonka and I ran into them and discussed setting up playdates. That encounter led to almost 6 years of fun and adventure. Carol, Steve and I were both just looking for a way for these youngsters to burn off energy, but Nala and Tonka became so much more than wrestle buddies. From that day on Tonka and her were the best of friends. We called them the three amigos and we all met at the playground pretty much everyday for years. If Henry wasn't there then Tonka and Nala would wrestle and play and then would walk her home.
I have been apart of Nala's life since that first encounter and she was so true to her breed. Sweet as could be, she was a whirlwind of fur always on the move and feisty as all get out. She could adapt to playing with any size dog and more than once would pull the 145lb Tonka boy across the field by his ear. If she loved you she would leap straight up to kiss you on the face which if you were not ready for was a bit of a shock. She would then want some love while her wiggle butt wagged in constant motion. She was always rounding all the dogs at the park up and making sure everyone played nice. Spending many a night at my house when Carol traveled or had to work a strange shift she preferred to sleep with CM, but loved to play with me and Tonka's toys.
Always well mannered and happy, her and Tonka were known by everyone within their two neighborhoods. She soon joined Tonka at all the local Appalachian Great Pyrenees events and later became an ambassador for the nonprofit Companion Bridge. The two of them went to dog fairs and walks for the animals as well as the local parks.
Always in cahoots they once even tried to pull down a tree together. They played tug with anything they could find including items that had been left on the ball field. Carol ended up bringing her sons old hockey socks to the field so they could tug and destroy those.
Once they tried of wrestling, tugging and romping in mud puddles the two would always cuddle up for a rest or to share something yummy.
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They walked and played no matter the weather and always had fun with friends.
Everyone and everything loved the Nala girl she was great with dogs and with cats. Always very protective of Tonka, I believe she knew he was blind and kept him away from the fence at the park. She would also put herself between him and any new dog until she knew the dog was OK. Whip smart and always ready for a trip in the car she was the perfect traveling partner for her mom. Over the years she traveled to many different states and even to Disney.
Later when Tonka had to be in wheels she did not miss a beat, she still walked with him and played with him like always. There were lots of times that their friends Duke and Jake would join us.
After Tonka passed Nala still came to play and walk with my boy Isaac. They would play but the relationship was so very different.
Isaac was more like an annoying little brother as you can see in this picture. Nala is trying to kiss the Big Dog and Isaac is biting her feet.
Always looking pretty in her bandanas and usually sporting bows as well, she was a good sport about allowing us silly humans to dress her up as well.
In her later years Nala became fascinated with playing fetch. She had certain balls that she really liked and could leap like a deer to catch them in mid air. She would come through the gate to my backyard and immediately grab that ball and want to play. If you were too slow she would bark at you non-stop till you threw it. Even as she got older and started slowing down and not jumping as high she still wanted to play.
It is absolutely heartbreaking to lose our furkids. It is the cost we pay for all that unconditional love and companionship. My friend Carol loved her girl fiercely and had to choose the ultimate act of love and let her baby cross the bridge in August. Nala had a great and happy long life, she could not have asked for a better mom. Time always steals our animals from us and Nala was no exception. Her health had declined and she was ready to go. Her and Tonka and Henry are back running and playing again. I know this with all my heart as Tonka sent me a 4 leaf clover to let me know she had made it to him.
Thank you so much Carol and Nala for being such a huge part of our lives. It was a pleasure to have known this amazing girl and my honor to have shared so many great times. Hugs to you Carol and although I don't believe time heals all wounds, I do know that one day your memories will start to bring you smiles instead of tears. They are never really truly gone from us and will always be near, until we see them again.
