Blog Post Title Two
Our beloved Bala died unexpectedly of cancer on 12/1/24 a month before her 10th bday. We are heartbroken and miss her in a million ways. Our dingo baby, princess, fruit bat, Mary Lou Retton, sunshine shark, Ms. B, and Tasmanian devil. Moki Gambala, our little fox.
Bala taught us many lessons including to live life to the fullest and happiest. Born in Georgia on 1/5/15, she became a NYC girl whose incredible trainer Jenny, taught her behaviors like “put ‘em up” and “bang” to be more confident, learning how to put on winter booties even though it was summer, escaping from a baby gate by chewing through the wooden bars, woking us at 5am to go run and play at the dog park, until she turned into a gremlin at 2, sitting in her window seat high above the city watching her minions, running the halls with Tully Alice and sleeping on the roof deck, her playdates with Xak her basenji friend who helped teach her the ropes; a Hamptons dog next who loved loved loved the beach (well, mostly running with Thony possibly illegally chasing piping plovers) and a Jersey girl, living in a college town commuting weekends in her bat mobile to Sag Harbor; a mountain girl in the summers, spending time enjoying horses and her cows; and a Tucsonan where she became part of the breast cancer recovery team for me shortly after we moved here, overseeing my recovery. She couldn’t believe we knew of a place with 350 days of sunshine and only recently moved.
The loss is immense. Bala is A LOT to miss: from her swinging at us when we came home, following the sunshine as it moved thru the house, her absolute affection for farm animals. the way a barkless dog could still tell you her demands, impatiently waiting every day for her teeth to be brushed, standing over me until I’d lift the covers to snuggle, no fear at times when some would have been good, pretzel shapes she slept in that didn’t seem could be comfortable, getting an ice cube for dessert, stealing toilet paper when no one was looking, our many, many road trips with her, her beautiful “white gloves”, like Jackie O, and her oversized ears, her sassiness, including gurgling at us when she had to wear clothes or when we’d wake her before she was ready to get up, and the endless love and joy she brought to everything we did together which for most of her life was everything we did.
Her company simply made everything better. She was an anchor through joy and sorrow. I feel the absence of her presence in everything I do. She was truly remarkable and the quirkiest little princess. She was elegant, but an inner dork. She was gentle and cuddly, but had a prey drive with no off position. She was extremely skeptical of new people, but instantly bonded with us. She showed affection, until her final day, by offering “love kerchomps”.
Our dingo baby. No amount of time would have been enough with you, Bala, but I’m grateful for every single moment we had together. I’m grateful you chose us to shepherd you through life with us. Thank you for loving us so fiercely. Life will never be the same but in every new adventure I take a moment for you. Miss you every day, precious baby girl. Run free. Chase all of the plovers, gallop with the horses and be friends with the cows. Be nice to the beagles please.
You’ll always be with me as I carry you with me. Love you forever.