It all started many moons ago…a terrier mix named Echo came into my life. Our eyes met across the shelter lobby, his tail thumping loudly and my heart melting open. Echo was my first dog post-college – we navigated life together and had fun doing so. He had great emotional intelligence and an even greater appetite for food and adventure. Those adventures changed trajectory though, when, at the age of 14, he was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. The cardiologist gave him 3 years at best. That was not good enough for me, so I asked the cardiologist and my regular veterinarian along with some friends for leads to an esteemed holistic veterinarian. They all mentioned the name of a well-known veterinarian --- Dr. Deva Khalsa. With her care, Echo thrived and had a full life- he passed at age 21.

        Echo

Dr. Khalsa opened my eyes to a whole new world of alternative therapies and shifted my paradigm of health and disease. I sought out organic food for Echo. This was back when you had to go to specialty health food stores for organic food; regular grocery stores didn’t carry them, and commercial organic dog food was virtually non-existent. Echo and I went on this health adventure together, and we both became much healthier in the process. He lived to the stately age of 21, and up until the day he passed, he thrived --- he had a robust appetite and wasn’t senile, arthritic, or blind.

Shortly thereafter, Dr. Khalsa moved to New Zealand. She would come back to the States once a year to give a lecture, and I would always clear my calendar in anticipation, because her lectures are not to be missed!

ROMEO

Around the same time, Romeo came into my life by way of his human dad. I had just met John when he adopted Romeo, a Pomeranian puppy.  Romeo was one of the most loving dogs I’ve ever met. He and his dad were inseparable – they would go on twice daily car rides and walks. On their walks, they would do “manly dog stuff” like find squirrels or snakes to chase. As soon as they would get home, Romeo would lick John’s face for a good five minutes in the car, as if to say “Thank you --- that was a fun walk! Can we go again right now?”

When Dr. Khalsa moved back to the States a few years ago, Romeo was an old dog.  We were thrilled and quickly got Romeo on her calendar for adjustments, acupuncture and all sorts of wonderful treatments. She helped Romeo’s persistent cough go away, and greatly improved his quality of life. We all felt so safe with Romeo in her competent care.  He had lived a long life but we did find that he had a brain tumor and he passed..surrounded by love.

Our lives were to feel empty... but not for long!!!!

Our task after Romeo passed was to find the form he wanted to come back as.  The best animal communicators (Maia Kincaid from Sedona and July Berin from England), along with Dr. Khalsa, guided us on this journey.  Romeo gave us lots of clues. One clue was that I've lived in this area for almost 15 years and never came across a single Samoyed. Then, lo and behold, I see two different Samoyeds within the span of a week. What are the chances of that happening? 

The  message was clear — Romeo wanted a form like his former self but with a white coat. A Samoyed, which can weigh 65 pounds, is more than we can handle, so we found a wonderful breeder of American Eskimo dogs (think smaller Samoyeds), and that’s how Romeo came back to us! 

We found the breeder, and with those special bonds of love in place, Romeo knew just where to arrive back so he could be with us again.

He was born on Star Wars Day so the name “Luke (Lucas) Skywalker” stuck, but we all know he’s Romeo. 

It was one of the most incredible moments of our lives

when we picked up Lucas at the breeder’s  —- that moment when we first saw him —- we knew instantly that he is Romeo. It felt like a family reunion.

It was no doubt one of the most incredible moments of our lives. 

Our family is whole again. 

He has the same mannerisms and favorite food, sleeping spot, etc. He looks at us with the same deep knowing eyes. 

Even before we picked him up and the breeder sent a picture of five almost-identical fluffy white puppies, we easily identified Romeo by the expression on his face and his “ready to take on the world” stance. 

Romeo loved being in nature and could spend hours sleeping outside on the grass or even directly on snow. Lucas is the same way — he’ll roll around on the grass, nibble at every interesting plant, and just smile the exact same that Romeo smiled. 

What a wonderful world we live in with our beloved animal friends!