Pohaku at 2 weeks & Pohaku and Poki'i a ka La w/Santa '98

Pohaku & Pohaku with Lokelani

One day we got a call that originated in West Virginia. Apparently an SPCA group up there had found some dogs that were owned by a couple who lived on a property that had no running water or electricity. The dogs were being kept outside without any water or food. They were told that if they were to allow the dogs to be confiscated by the SPCA, then they would not be prosecuted for animal cruelty. So, the people let the SPCA take the dogs and that was when we were called.

So, on October 29, 1998 at almost 8 p.m. we met in VA and picked up the dogs. One dog was a cream purebred Chow and the other was a red Chow Shepherd mix. The cream Chow is now named Gretchen and the red mix is named Rosie.

Gretchen is a wonderful little girl who at the tender age of 1 year was already the mother of at least 2 puppies, Poki'i a ka La (her daughter) and Pohaku (her son). We were told initially that the pups were purebred. As we got them with their mom when they were just two weeks old, it was not evident if that was so or not. However, as they got older, it was very obvious that the pups were Chow/Retriever mix. There may have originally been more puppies in the litter, but we will never know.

Gretchen was chained up outdoors with no food or water. She was sacrificing her own bodily fluids to keep her pups alive. When she came to us, Gretchen was terribly underweight...her ribs were sticking out, weighing in at just 32 pounds. Obviously, the puppies did not receive the proper nutrition needed to grow strong, healthy bodies. So there was strike one. But once we got, we made sure that they and their mom received all the proper nutrition they needed.

We took the pups to all of our adoption days so they could be with their mom while we tried to find her a home to go to as soon as they were weaned. Poki'i and her brother grew into beautiful little fur kids with the sweetest of personalities. Both of them were so very much like their mother who would slather you with kisses. And they both loved to give the greatest hugs.

One day one of our adoptive families came in to see the puppies and fell in love with Poki'i. We of course warned them that the two puppies, being mixes, were big time chewers and would probably be so for quite some time. But they were not concerned since they'd already been through that before, so we took the pups over to their home to visit with them and Lokelani who they'd adopted from us a while back when she was but a pup herself. It was decided that they would try each of the pups for a weekend at a time in order to see which one would work best with their family. In the end it was decided that because Poki'i was more of an alpha dog just as Lokelani, it would be best if they adopted Pohaku instead. So, mid January Pohaku moved to his new home where his Lokelani adores her little boy.

It was found that Poki'i had hip dysplasia in May. So, we immediately called Pohaku's mom and dad to let them know. We took him in to the vet to have him checked out and found that yes, he did have hip dysplasia just as his sister, but he also had luxating patellae of both knees. Pohaku was scheduled to go in for surgery of his one hip in September, but ended up only needing to have the knee surgery.

4-3-99

4-7-99

Pohaku recovered well from his surgery. He runs and plays just like all the other fur kids. He loved playing with his fur sister Lokelani. But one day came in their household that things changed and the fur kids began fighting with one another a lot. Pohaku was getting hurt and his mom decided that it was best if we were to find a new home for him. So, we took Pohaku back. Unfortunately, in the time that he lived with his adoptive family, Pohaku didn't get much socialization, so he is very skittish of strangers. He will bark and growl at people he doesn't know and gets snappy if they reach out to him. If he walks over to them and kisses their hands, etc., he is fine as long as they don't make any moves toward trying to pet him. Once he gets to know a person and trusts the person, he is alright. Pohaku is better in his socialization now than he was in the beginning, but still has a ways to go. If anyone wishes to adopt him, they will need to understand his limitations and be willing to give him the attention and time needed to bring him around.

2002

Pohaku has been doing really well in his foster home. He is such a sweetie. He comes to you wanting to get pets, scratches, and hugs. He loves giving kisses as well. He enjoys running with the other dogs he lives with, but is rather awkward playing with them at times. He is rather shy of strangers and doesn’t like them to touch him without permission. But once he gets to know someone, he is really very loving.

Pohaku 4-20-03