Jasmine and Anna
Everyone should have at least one best friend in their life. Karlie was lucky enough to have two, her sister Anna and me. We adopted Karlie a few months after saying goodbye to Jasmine, our 16-year old Border Collie mix. Although Anna had only lived with us and known Jasmine for a few months, she was lost without her. She seemed lost and sad to be the only dog. That led me to start looking at rescue sites to adopt another young dog so they could be best friends.
Anna and Karlie
After a short time, I found a young Border Collie, Muffin, but unfortunately someone else had started the adoption process. Luckily Karlie’s foster mom contacted me to see if I thought Karlie would be a good fit for our family. Previously I had looked at her profile, but thought she might be too rambunctious for Anna. Despite that I decided to meet Karlie and her foster mom with Anna in a neutral area. The two dogs hit it off so we decided to take Karlie home for a sleepover. That afternoon and evening was the happiest I had seen Anna since Jasmine left. The two girls wrestled, chased each other, and then fell asleep before starting it all over again. It didn’t take long for us to decide Karlie would make a perfect addition to our family.
For the next nearly 12 years Anna and Karlie were best friends. Anna always looked out for Karlie and made sure no one was bothering her little sister. She also herded Karlie like she was her personal sheep. The girls loved to chase each other. When Karlie chased tennis balls, Anna would play defense making it more challenging for Karlie to bring the ball back to me. When kayaking Karlie always encouraged me to paddle faster so Anna and Art would not get too far ahead of us. These girls liked to be near each other. I have hundreds of pictures of the two of them laying on their bed or ours with some part of their body touching each other.
Karlie and Andie
On Anna’s last day the four of us celebrated her by doing all her favorite things. We explored Kate Sessions Park off leash, spent time in the backyard, had ice cream and cake, lounged on the bed, and took one final walk to the vet. The four of us sat on the floor at the vet with Anna and Karlie sharing cream cheese while we said goodbye. We gave her endless kisses and whispered sweet nothings in her ear and then she was gone. On the walk home we missed our sweet Anna Banana and I started to think how lonely Karlie was going to be. That’s when I decided to keep Karlie and me busy by taking adventures. We traveled all over San Diego exploring beaches, canyons, and trails and after we moved to Bloomington, Indiana we did the same thing there. These are all detailed in our book, Adventures with Karlie, available at Amazon, Applebooks, Barnes & Noble, and Kobo.
Who is your dog’s best friend? Does he/she have a doggy best friend or a human one or both?
I just received your book in the mail. I can’t wait to start reading it. You are a wonderful writer Andie. This is a great website that will be so beneficial to others who love dogs and love life. I am so impressed!
I thought of you yesterday when I attended the SDHS Volunteer Forum. Gary spoke about all the upcoming changes. What a wonderful organization that both of us have enjoyed. Good luck with all your very exciting projects and I look forward to reading your great book. Congratulations Andie, we still miss you at the San Diego Humane Society.
Thank you for not only your kind words, but for purchasing the book. This website is truly a labor of love, as was the book. It has helped me deal with the loss of Karlie and I hope it helps others give their dogs their best lives and handle the grief after saying goodbye. Can’t wait to get back to SDHS in the fall…I miss all of you and spending time with the dogs.