How Kai got her boots … and a new family!

Kai, my beloved German Shepard, is the inspiration behind one of the main characters in my children’s adventure story, The Spider and The Butterfly.  Kai is very special to me in so many ways, but exceptionally unique because she wears boots on her back legs, yes boots!

This is her story….

In 2006 a friend I worked with in Cape Town bought a German Shepherd puppy. He was not sure what to name her so I decided to help and do some research.  I went to the local library in Hout Bay and looked up a couple of names, and found the name Kai which means beautiful, rejoice, ocean, victory and keeper of the keys. I immediately felt this name would be perfectly suited to this little pup, because you could not help but rejoice when you saw her beautiful little face.  My friend, her owner, agreed with me wholeheartedly and so he aptly named her Kai. She really is a beautiful dog with a beautiful nature.

Later that same year, I moved to Port Elizabeth so I did not see Kai for a few years. Then one day in 2010 the owner called me to ask if I could help Kai. Kai had puppies of her own and after raising her pups, the owner sent her to the vet to be spayed. Unfortunately Kai experienced complications during surgery and lost the ability to stand on her back paws, she was paralyzed at the joints of her paws. She then used the area between the hock and hind foot, on which to walk. Not being able to walk on her padded paws created huge health issues on her feet, many sores and lost toes. The owner did previously go through extensive measures to help Kai, but what Kai eventually needed was 24/7 care and regular bandage changes. Kai’s owner was travelling quite extensively at the time and asked if I would be interested in taking over caring for her, which I agreed to do. In 2010 the owner flew Kai to me in Port Elizabeth, and from that day on we have never been separated. When she arrived, it was a shock to see the state she was in—she was heavily overweight and her back feet were in a terrible condition. I thought “what have I got myself into?” I had not had a pet for many years and looking after Kai would be a huge responsibility. However, I accepted the challenge because I knew Kai really needed me. If I hadn’t agreed to take Kai, the alternative was to consider putting her down, which the owner did not want—and it was not an option for me either.  I eventually adopted Kai, which proved to be one of the best decisions I ever made. I was single at the time and so Kai filled a hole in my heart, and gave me the companionship I needed—a match made in heaven. It became such a joy to wake up knowing I had an animal to take care of who really needed me, but I soon found out that her presence in my life healed me in more ways than I could ever have imagined.  Dogs are the most loyal and trusting friends you will ever have, one of the most treasured gifts from God.

When I first got Kai she weighed over 56kg, so I had to put her on a diet—which is tougher than you may think, but so necessary for her health. She really needed to reduce the weight on her back hips and legs as much as possible. We also made countless visits to vets and pet specialists; I took Kai for acupuncture, and many different types of medication to assist her with her feet.

The picture below is me drying Kai in 2010.  You can see the sores on her feet that needed constant care and bandages:

I had been putting socks on Kai’s feet to help protect them, but she would still get sores and I knew she needed an alternative protective measure.  By the grace of God, I found a specialist in Port Elizabeth who finally came up with an innovative solution. He helped design two pairs of leather boots for Kai which would protect her feet from sores, and help her to walk. We had a few prototypes made before we finally came up with the perfect pair, and then after much anticipation and excitement… Kai got her boots!

The boots proved to be a great success, they looked fantastic, and really helped prevent further damage to her frail skin. I also opted to use various natural remedies to heal the open sores, still put socks on her feet, and then the boots over the socks, with lace up ties—much like human shoes. They were a great solution and brought Kai extensive relief.   Kai became my companion and best friend and she awakened my soul to a different understanding of unconditional love. The look in Kai’s eyes when she stares at me just melts my heart.  If you have never owned a dog, I would highly recommend you do. Their devotion and love for you is beyond words, and they make life’s journey so much sweeter. Kai journeyed everywhere with me, visiting as many pet friendly places and restaurants as we could.  Our favourite pastime is definitely walking on the beach, and these days Dolphin beach is our favourite, being where we spend most of our time walking together.

Wherever I take Kai for walks, people stop and ask about her awesome boots, and her story is inspiring to everyone who meets her.

In 2011 I moved back to Cape Town and Kai was right beside me in the car, our first long road trip together. We are inseparable and have a bond that no one will every truly understand. She brings such joy to my world and I thank God for the gift of experiencing the beautiful, unconditional love that dogs bring to our lives.

In 2012 I met my wonderful husband, who had a little Beagle called Bella (also a main character in The Spider and The Butterfly). She crept into my heart, as dogs do— the photo below says it all—and she instantly became Kai’s new friend.

In 2013, Bella gave birth to four beagle puppies. We could not decide which puppy to keep, but Kai was trying to show us all along which pup was ‘the chosen one.’ Kai, with her cool boots, would follow this one pup around all the time and ignore the other three puppies. During this time Kai lived up to her name sake as ‘keeper of the keys’, as she had the key to the pup that was meant to be ours from the very beginning.  My husband almost chose a different pup, but then his heart was stolen by the pup Kai had chosen all along… In came the third addition to our family, the super cute little Roxy.

Our three dogs, in the picture below, Kai, Bella and Roxy, are still with us today and are the inspiration behind the characters in The Spider and The Butterfly. I could not be more delighted!

I know my beloved dogs won’t live forever and a time will come to say goodbye, but how wonderful a tribute to have their lives embedded in a children’s adventure story for all time.  The other day Kai looked deeply into my eyes and we communicated intuitively.  She said “remember me.” I replied with tears in my eyes, “I will always remember you.”

Kai and her boots are a true story and I pray her story will inspire others for many years to come. I trust that when you read about her character in The Spider and The Butterfly you will grow to love her just as much as I do!

This is our family at Dolphin Beach. Bella, Roxy, my husband Sven & I, and Kai (her boots are off here, because she loves to run in the water).

If you have any inspiring stories to share with me about your pets, please leave a comment, I would love to hear from you.

Take care and God bless you endlessly,

Debbie-lyn