Meet The Instigator & The Enforcer, aka Kodi & Clara

IT ALL STARTED WITH A TRADE - SOMEWHERE IN THE SOUTHWEST CORNER OF FROZEN, FREAKIN' NORTH DAKOTA.

(Please forgive me, North Dakota, and don't take it personally. It's just that for me, your beautiful land will always be a reminder of My Shattered Heart.)

To be fair, though, it started a few years before when my husband began trying to convince me I could love a Chiweenie. "They're not yappers like Chihuahuas are," he said. He loves big dogs best, but he also knew I wanted a lap dog.

WHAT I ABSOLUTELY DID NOT WANT WAS A CHIHUAHUA OR ANY OTHER TINY YAPPER ON PAWS.

My husband had met a well-behaved Chaweenie, but I wasn't buying and held out for quite some time. I curse the day we visited a friend together and played with their quiet and adorable little dog.

"This is the kind of dog I'd like to find, honey." Oh, how he beamed when I asked the breed, and the answer was, you guessed it, Chiweenie.

SOON AFTER, WE ADDED CLARA BELLE TO OUR FAMILY FOR THE COST OF A 46" TELEVISION.

Born October 10, 2017, she was a delightful, spry, and peacefully quiet addition to our group. She was so tiny at six weeks old that she had to be weighed on the postal scale at the vet's office.

We were told she'd been weaned and were surprised to discover she didn't appear to understand how to eat. For weeks I ground her puppy kibble to powder, then fed her tiny puddles of soup made from the dust and water. Slowly I thickened the 'gruel' and worked her toward solid food.

At the same time, I worried that she still hadn't mastered drinking from a water bowl. Talk about proud parents, you should have seen our joy when we realized she was copying our very aged lab/pit, Blue Belle!

SHE TOOK HER FIRST FEW TINY LAPS OF WATER, STANDING BESIDE THE GIANT.

Clara's tiny tongue, the size of a bee's wing, darted in and out, trying to copy the patient rhythmic lapping of our Blue!

Our gentle old girl taught Clara Belle so much about being a good girl before she crossed the rainbow bridge, leaving Clara an 'only fur-baby.'

THEN WE MOVED BACK DOWN SOUTH, AND CLARA BELLE MET THE HOUNDS FROM NIGHTMARES SHE'D NEVER HAD, MY POOR PRINCESS.

Shortly before her first birthday, we found ourselves living under the same roof as three Rhodesian Ridgebacks! Unlike our quiet 'Empty Nest,' this home also sheltered a full family, including a small child, a tween, and two teens. The setting was often filled with their boisterous activity as well as the sound of the large dogs' usual barking conversation.

In fact, it was quite common to come upon an engaging conversation between Dog and Human. (*If you've ever been owned by a Rhodesian Ridgeback, you know I speak the truth about their verbal prowess! Please back me up on this and tell the people in the comments below.) Our Clara Belle quickly found her high-pitched voice and added it to the din!

FORTUNATELY FOR NERVE-WEARY CLARA, ONE OF THOSE HUGE INTIMIDATING RIDGY'S MOVED OUT OF THE HOME WHILE WE WERE THERE.

Unfortunately for Clara, sweet Tootsie moved into the home we were moving to next.

My sister's family included a magnificent breeding pair of Rhodesian Ridgebacks she raised from pups beside her children. Their third was a runt nursed back to health and very much a fifth wheel, though all were beloved members of the family. (*Read Moe's Story for the backstory on why we were moving in with her family.)

IT SEEMED A PERFECT SOLUTION WHEN MY ADULT SON WANTED TO ADOPT THE ADULT DAUGHTER FROM THEIR FINAL LITTER, AKA ONE BELOVED RIDGY TOO MANY.

When we joined Tootsie at her new house, she and Clara seemed happy to see each other again. Then a Daddy Black Lab moved in, Clara's friend Tootsie got VERY BIG, and the most awful thing of all happened!

Clara's friend Tootsie went into the extra room beside Mom & Dad's. The door shut behind her, and she didn't come out for a long time. All her people went in and out of the door. She could hear them giving lots of love and attention to her friend. But Clara wasn't allowed to go into the room. Later, Tootsie started going in and out of the room too. Clara still couldn't go in, though, only the people.

REMEMBER THAT PART ABOUT MY HUSBAND LIKING BIG DOGS?

When all this was happening, we were getting settled again and already thinking of his next best friend. Our son offered him one from the litter, and my husband waited excitedly.

When she was ready to begin, early in the morning on December 11, 2019, Mama Tootsie came and got my attention, then seemingly delivered her first pup right there for me.

We gratefully accepted her gift and welcomed her firstborn, Kodiak, into our family.

When we felt the puppies were old enough, just a few weeks, we let Clara Belle meet them. They had already grown too much for her to be bigger than her little brother, Kodi. In fact, they were just about the same size, but not for long.

Kodi was soon too big to boss around.

Clara grudgingly accepted her new brother and hurried to establish a few ground rules for her survival. 

Kodi will turn three in about a week. Clara just turned five. The Boss is a fluid position, often debated in our home between two and four-legged family members alike.

Clara's 'mighty dog princess personality' can be trying for us all, but let anything cause her a yip of pain and you'll see just how fast 10 pounds can move 500 pounds to meet her needs.

Kodi is an indulgent big little brother but has learned his strength. I can tell when he's had enough 'cause he gives her just a bit more than she wants and sends her scurrying into my lap.

AND FOR THEIR LOYALTY, LOVE, AND PROTECTION, TOGETHER, THEY BOTH OWN MAMA AND DADDY.

They know which of us to come to, depending on what they want. They know where they can push their boundaries and when Mama's voice means business.

And we've learned Kodi & Clara can be relied on for constant entertainment as well as love. 

IN FACT, THEIR COMEDIC EFFORTS TO LEARN MANNERS AT MEALTIME HAVE BECOME.......... BREAKFAST WITH KODI & CLARA!

Whether they ever master their manners or learn to clean up their toys, I remain one proud and love-filled Mama. And I'm grateful for the fun we have while I try to teach them.

Stop by and join us for a few laughs. Share a pic of your pooches if you'd like. Kodi & Clara and I would love to meet your fur babies.

Bye for now. I'm signing off to go add "more walks in the park" to the list of skills we need to practice. Kodi & Clara say, "Glad to meet ya!"

The author can be reached through the contact page at, The Right Writer, Kim Mitchell.com.