Two years ago this morning, Raven passed.
He didn’t hold onto whatever happened in his life before us, and despite how much pain he lived with, he didn’t let it hold him back. He was just so happy.
I will always be grateful for that happiness he brought to our life and to the world.
May he always be a reminder that our energy is contagious.
Happy heavenly birthday, Creaky Dog. 5/6/24
I want to be born again,
in exactly the selfsame life,
aware this time from the inside out,
and to stand this time
as a beautiful un-worrying witness,
living beyond the need for this or that.
Born Again | David Whyte
Raven was like an old bastard from biker gang
on oxygen and still smoking.
For some reason—which I could never figure out,
most dogs were afraid of him
which was funny to me
because he really didn’t give a shit about other dogs.
Expect for Loki, whom he trailed behind.
Loki was never the same after Bailey died.
He had lost his brother.
He’s rarely played with dogs since, even Raven.
But over time, they became two men who had found each other late in life, after both had seen more heartbreak than they could remember.
Raven’s, though, remained a mystery.
And in the end, Loki spent the last few weeks of Raven’s life lying beside him in the yard.
These are my favorite seconds of the day…
in my favorite place on the planet,
beside you.
We have almost never been apart this year.
I stopped doing nearly everything I could where he isn’t with me.
And I will never regret that.
I was raised on a campground in the redwoods where campfires were an integral part of my childhood. In my mid twenties, I became a chimney sweep in Colorado. Today, I tend campfires for groups doing healing work. Needless to say, the beauty and benefits of sitting around a fire has been a love of mine throughout my life.
In 2020, we started dreaming up a new way to build a portable propane firepit. That led us to cofounding @howlcampfires with a few friends.
We invented a completely new way to stay warm during fire bans when propane devices are still allowed, and we patented a technology that’s similar to the heat of coals in a wood fire.
Since, our company has proudly grown, and I’m damn proud of our team and this incredible journey. In many ways, it’s become Loki’s legacy.
Built in Colorado, Loki has been a legendary shop dog in this chapter of our lives and has gladly taken a backseat to much of my creative projects that I’m working on in his golden years.
My mission with Loki’s account has always been to inspire others to get out and explore their world, and HOWL is now helping to achieve that too.
We want to give people a way to safely have a campfire while protecting the forests for generations to come. It’s my firm belief that everyone should be able to gather around a fire, because in the firelight, they tend to look at their phones less and talk about their feelings more.
It’d mean the world to us if you follow along the unfolding saga at @howlcampfires . Camping season is almost here, and we’ve got some big stories to tell around the fire.
-Kelly & Loki
I don’t know how to say any of this, so I’ll just say it, because I know you can sense it. Around the first of the year, Loki’s health started to take a significant turn quickly.
The last time I shared anything about his health we were still taking walks around the block, and that is no longer possible.
We saw several specialists
but didn’t get a lot of answers,
and those vet visits were really hard on him.
Loki’s health and mobility solutions are complicated at this point as anyone might know who has experienced a dog with kidney failure and neurological deficits. I’m not going to get into it all, but please pray for him and for our time together.
I’ve started needing to carry him if he needs to walk more than a short distance. We’ve mostly been at home and go on daily car rides. We sleep on the floor together, and
I help him in and out throughout the night.
Life if beautiful,
and life is not always going to be beautiful,
but right now it is,
in spite of watching my sweet boy’s body fail him.
He’s always had a way of putting life into
perspective and right now life feels more
clear than ever, because to be in the
presence of the dying,
is to be in the presence of the truth.
I am grateful,
and I have tears.
