I wasn't interested in getting a dog but a friend dragged me down to the Humane Society in Phoenix Arizona to look at some anyway. I saw two dogs that I was interested in, Dodi being one, and we went to a get acquainted cage. Dodi was more interested in the other dog than me and it was a very difficult decision. I actually wanted both but finally decided on Dodi as she was so soft and huggable. She was 4 months old and I had to wait to see if anyone was going to claim her since she had only been found a few days prior. I waited 2 weeks and since no one claimed her, I took her home. At first she wasn't interested in me at all and almost seemed to be unhappy that she was with me.

We started hiking together and that seemed to instantly create our bond. I would come home after work, pick up Dodi and we would drive to our favorite hiking trail. One time I was running late and did not go across town to pick up Dodi after work and instead went alone on the hike. I will never forget how lonely and sad I was without my Dodi girl that day and I swore I would never go without her again and I didn't. I started taking her to dog training classes and she received her degree. I was so proud of her! We hiked constantly and she always was so happy when I came home and put her in the car to go hiking. One day I went on a multi day hike in the Superstition mountains in Arizona. There were other dogs and they and Dodi were always way ahead of us, scouting the trail. I will never forget when we were coming out of the desert, I had this huge backback with tent etc and I was so tired. As usual Dodi was way ahead of me and I couldn't see her as she was over a hill. As I started climbing up the hill, I looked up and Dodi had run all the way back, stood at the top of the hill and was looking back at me, I was the last one alone in the group at the very end. She had come all the way back just to see if I was ok. Once she saw I was ok she went back to her other dog friends. She did this a few times that day, checking to see if I was ok. At that instant we completely bonded and became soulmates. I knew then that she loved me and I surely loved her.

Dodi and Pugly also bonded and she became his "mother" when he first came to live with us, see picture album below. Pugly, Pepper and Dodi and I went to a huge fenced school yard near our house almost every day when school was out and we would run and play. They loved that school yard so much and were always together running and having a wonderful time, me included as I loved to see them so happy. It made me so happy. I even trained them at that school yard to sit and stay, then I would walk about 100 yards away and they could only come to me when I gave a certain hand signal. When the hand signal was given, they would run so fast to me. This took many many days to get it down but they did.

In August 2004, Dodi got sick while we were in Montana. A few days before, I noticed that she had to be right next to me, almost laying on my feet, following me everywhere I went, she had to be with me. One morning she looked at me and her eyes were saying "Please help me, I am so sick". Then she couldn't get up. I rushed her into the vet and a few days later they did exploratory surgery and found she had cancer. She made it through the operation but had a difficult time in recovery and was in so much pain she would cry even with morphine. I layed next to her in her cage and the vet told me I should say my goodbyes. The vet took her home that night and I got a horrible call that she had passed away.

Dodi comes back to tell me she is ok:

In Montana, I had no doggie door, so when she was really sick those last 2 days and if I was asleep in the middle of the night Dodi would open the sliding door with her paw and go out on the deck and open a spring loaded gate little by little until she could squeeze through and go to the bathroom or get sick outside rather that get sick in the house. I could hear the gate slam closed when she squeezed through and would get up and let her back in and see if she was ok. About a month to the day she passed away, I was laying in bed and about 1am in the morning heard the gate slam shut. It was unmistakeable when this happened that it was indeed the gate as it was spring loaded. I got up and thinking it might be a mountain lion or bear, went outside to investigate. There was nothing there and no wind not even a breeze. I thought, well the only thing it could have been was a quick burst of wind although wind couldn't open the gate as tight as the spring was. Nevertheless, I thought I better lock it (it had a latch lock that fit into an eye screw and couldn't move an inch when it was locked). My hair stood up and shivers went down my back when I saw the gate was already locked and could not have possibly moved an inch. I then realized it was Dodi answering my request to her when I last saw her alive, to please give me a sign she was ok! I knew then she was indeed ok and thanked her.

I love you with all my heart and soul Dodi and you will always be "My Dodi Girl"!

1/28/2009 - Thank you Dodi for coming to see me last night in my dreams. You made me so happy!
I remember even in my dream, I shouted "It's dodi!!" and took you in my arms. Find your little boy pugly and our little girl pepper and bring them with you to see me again soon!

12/5/2009
Dearest Dodi,

It's been 5 years now since you left me and I still miss you dearly. I have thought about you and every single day and for months and months after you first left, you were on my mind and in my thoughts every minute of the day. I hope you were with me in our room when I lit a 3 light candle each night for months and offered a prayer for all of you, pugly pepper and dodi.

I would give anything to have you back. I think about our hikes, just you and me at shadow mt all the time dodi and I miss that so much. If only we could do that now. I always hope you are aroumd me. I hope you are with me everyday and I wonder all the time where you are and what you are doing and if you are near me and still love me.

I'm sure you know that on 2/15/2009 I adopted 2 boys, brothers, noah and cyrus. They are wonderful boys and I know you all would love them as I do. They will never take your place but they have helped me tremendously through my loss of you, dodi. They are such good boys! We walk in the park everyday, the same one you me, pugly and pepper used to go to. They are so cute and have underbites like little werewolfs. They are little so they can't go on the hikes you and I used to do.

I still have all your pictures up and look at and talk to you everyday, I hope you know this.

Once in a great while now I will briefly see you in my dreams. I have seen you more dodi than even pugly and pepper, even after all this time. I wish this would happen more and for longer periods of time as I feel when I see you, that you really have come to see me and you do it through my dreams. Please come more often as I miss you so!

I pray that you, dodi are very happy and are having fun and getting lots of your favorite foods and treats. But, most of all I hope you are around me and are waiting for me and will be right there when I leave this earth; my heaven will be an eternity with all of you! I love and miss you dearly my dodi girl!

7/25/2010

hi dodi, i think of you still everyday and i miss you, pugly and pepper here in montana this summer once again. i have no one to hike up the hill with me anymore since you left. i hope you are having a wonderful life and tons of fun wherever you are today and always! come and see me soon in my dreams..

8/24/2011

hi my dodi girl, i came by to visit and remember you today, but then i remember you everyday and i look at your picture every single day! i still miss you so and love you with all my heart! i wish i knew what you were doing right now and where you are. i hope you are very happy wherever you are today. find pugly and pepper and give them a kiss and hug for me! love forever, me!

8/24/2012

hi my dodi girl. Even though you left me 8 years ago now, I still think of you everyday and look at your picture everday.
I still miss you and love you with all my heart forever. I hope you have a wonderful life now in heaven and I can't wait to see you and hug you again someday. I hope you are with pugly and pepper. My new boys, Noah and Cyrus and myself love you very much!

8/24/2013
Hi dodi girl. Just yesterday you popped into my mind and i started thinking about all the great hikes and fun we had. I know it was no coincidence that you you would suddendly come into my mind, one day before your passing. I wish i could see you and be with you now. I hope you are having a wonderful life and pugly and pepper are nearby. Noah and cyrus say hi and will see you someday, as will i. Love and miss you dodi, forever!

12/4/14

hi dodi girl. i'm sorry i am so late this year but i still thought of you in august. with michael and my dad passing it was a tough year and i hope they are with you pugly and pepper. i still miss you very much dodi and wonder where you are. much love my dodi girl...love dad

8/27/2016
Hi dodi girl. Thinking of you today and evryday! I love you and miss you still very much. Find pugly and pepper and give them kisses for me! I look forward to the day we are together again!

8/24/2018
Hi dodi girl. Still missing you and thinking of you, especially today. Remembering today all the great hikes we had together. I shall forever miss you and love you! Tell pugly and pepper I miss and love them as well!

8/24/2019
Hi Dodi girl. Still thinking of you today and miss you very much! I hope you are running like you used to do with me in the meadows at hawley lake!
I look forward to seeing you again some day. I miss you and love you Dodi girl.

8/24/2020
Hi Dodi girl. Still missing you and love you with all my heart. That will never end! Please come and visit me in my dreams again. I miss you dearly and please take care of my cyfy (cyrus) who we lost in may. Protect him and watch over him and show him around at rainbow bridge. I love you Dodi girl! Love my cyfy for me till I get there.

8/24/2021
Hi dodi girl! Still miss you much! I'm here with just Noah now. Please help me protect him and watch over my cyfy, pugly and pepper! I miss you so much amd will always treasure the great hikes we had and beautiful memories. I love you Dodi girl!

8/24/22
Hi Dodi girl! I miss you and sometimes still see you in my dreams. Those times make me very happy to even see you for a few seconds. I am near where we used to go every summer with pugly, pepper you and me at Hawley Lake. What great times we had there over the years. I am planning to go out to our cabins and remember all those wonderful hikes and fun we shared and I will be thinking of you three. I stiil after 18 years miss you dearly! Much love Dodi and thinking of you forever!

8/24/2023
Hi dodi girl! I still miss you after 19 years. I will always love you dearly and can't wait to be with you again forever! Much love to my dodi girl and hiking buddy.
I love you dodi girl!

8/24/2024
Well my precious Dodi girl, another year has passed since you went to heaven and I still miss you dearly, after 20 years since you left. I love you soooo much!!
Please wait for me and bring Pugly and Pepoer! Until we meet again, i love and miss you with all my heart and soul!! Dodi girl!

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