Help Leilani Live Her Best Life

On July 22nd, my gorgeous ten year old baby girl was diagnosed with kidney disease and I am really struggling to process all the feelings. Mostly I’m just so angry. Angry at myself for not knowing sooner. Angry at the universe for choosing her to give bad kidneys to. Angry that this horrific disease is going to steal her from me before her time.

Leilani was never supposed to be mine. I picked her and her sister up when I learned that the parent dogs of my soul pup Nalu had had another liter and these two were struggling to find homes. They were almost 4 months and the dad was starting to become aggressive with them. They’d had almost zero socialization and it took 4 of us almost an hour to catch her.

I had homes lined up for both of the pups, Leilani was supposed to go directly to be the personal dog of a woman who ran a working dog rescue and I dropped the pups off with one of her associates. But when the woman saw in person that Leilani had a double mask, she decided she didn’t want her for her own and was going to place her into her adoption program. I asked to foster her until a home was found and went to pick her up again, I found her hiding in the far back corner of a dog house in a yard filled with other dogs.

When I brought her home, she hid under furniture any chance she could get, she was clearly terrified. I realized rather quickly that I wanted control of if or where she went and called the rescue to tell them that I’d like to keep her. I was met with extreme resistance, the rescue stating she had already been promised (sight unseen) to an elderly couple that had the lost their female and had been looking for a female replacement for months. After the few days I’d spent with Leilani, that absolutely did not sit well with me, to promise a dog that clearly had fear issues to a family that had never met her and just wanted to replace their former dog. I did not give her back.

I named her Leilani because it means heavenly blossom and I wanted her to have a name that was strong and empowering. And over the years, she has done just that. Blossomed into the most wonderful little adventure partner I could ask for. It took almost a year for her to actively seek love from me and I still vividly remember the first time she pushed her nose under my arm for comfort. Since then, she has continued to grow into the goofiest little ball of buttery love. She is still fear reactive to other dogs, but she has taught me so much about dog behavior and how to be a responsible and respectful dog owner.

After Leilani, I ended up with a third pup from the same parents. I have three siblings who have basically never known life without each other. I’ve heard horror stories of multiple dog homes having to keep dogs separate to avoid fights, or coming home to one attacking the other. These siblings love each other with a bond I’ve never seen. They actively choose to lay together, they share meals and high value treats, they clean each other when wet. I am of course mourning for myself, but I am also mourning for my two that will be left behind.

My vet is wonderful and helping as much as they can. That of course means I’ve wracked up quite the bill… I am also hoping to fundraise for a consultation with UC Davis Veterinary School to seek nutritional counseling and a diet tailored directly to Leilani’s specific needs, we do not have assess to such services locally.

Thank you to anyone who is willing to help me give her the best life possible for whatever time she has left.