In memory of Fire Dog Kai

In Memory of the amazing Fire Dog Kai

I’ve set up this memorial page in memory of my amazing dog Kai, to raise funds for The National Foundation for Retired Service Animals.

Kai burst into my life 10 1/2 years ago, as a Fire Investigation Dog Handler working for West Midlands Fire Service, I was scouring my local rescue centres for a young dog to train up as my next search dog.

I came across Puppy Kai, this scraggy little ‘fox like’ puppy was the smallest in the litter, the one that stood out the least to me, and the last one I would have picked. But……..there was something about him, he just ‘felt right’, I assessed the whole litter…….Kai ticked all the boxes!!

So, our journey began.

Every day he blew my mind with his ability to learn and his desire to please!!

He took everything in his stride, and in no time at all became a newly qualified Fire Investigation Search Dog, I was so proud!!

Kai was my constant companion, always by my side, at work, at home, we came as a pair!!

Together, we attended hundreds of incidents across the whole of the UK.

Kai attended every single one with a ‘puppy like’ enthusiasm and a wagging tail. Always giving 100%, never once hesitating to do whatever I asked of him, and every single time filling me with pride.

He saw things no one should have to see, and, even at these times, would bring comfort to those present, myself especially…….the therapeutic qualities of a dog are unrivalled.

Time after time, he found evidence that would undoubtedly have gone undiscovered if it wasn’t for his help.

Helping to gather the evidence that secured the convictions of countless arsonists and dangerous people.

Schools and hospitals, dementia cafes, universities…..he visited them all, educating, informing, bringing smiles, engaging with his public……..being a dog, the best of dogs.

But nothing perfect ever lasts forever, sadly, at the age of 10 1/2 Kai lost his sight overnight. In typical Kai fashion, this affected him for about 20 minutes, before he decided life wasn’t so bad and set about adapting to a new world that he could no longer see.

So, we made many trips to the vets (Kai loved visiting the vets, generally eating his own body weight in gravy bones, and receiving countless belly rubs at every visit) Sadly, the diagnosis we received was the worst one we could have imagined. Kai had a brain tumour.

We didn’t know how much time Kai had left, but we did know that we needed to make every second count.

So, we set about enjoying every single day.

Walks to his favourite places, snacks and treats until he could eat, no more, a sudden and complete relaxation of all rules, (Kai’s favourite one being the relaxation of the ‘no eating cat poo’ rule)

We had days at the beach, swims in the sea, trips to places we always loved.

Looking back, we had two months of making memories, with this, we were truly blessed.

Kai let me know when it was time, and he passed with his head on my lap, a chew in his mouth, and a wag in his tail.

Kai, from the bottom of my heart, thank you,

Thank you for being the most amazing friend and colleague,

Thank you for teaching me more than I could ever have imagined,

Thank you for bringing a smile to my darkest of moments,

Thank you for never questioning my requests of you,

Thank you for bringing justice for so many who had been silenced,

Thank you, for choosing me to spend your life with,

Thank you

Enjoy your time over rainbow bridge before I join you, play fetch with those we have lost before you, spend time with those you have helped, make plans for when we meet again, because, my Kai, I will have missed you so much.

For a scraggy little pup that no one wanted, you did alright

For retired service dogs like Kai, every donation will help, more than you could possibly know!!

Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to me and Kai.

More information about The National Foundation for Retired Service Animals:

Supporting retired dogs and horses from the police, fire, prison and border force services by helping with medical and veterinary bills, which inevitably occur as they get older. When their careers end, the financial support they have enjoyed whilst working also comes to an end. Unfortunately, meaningful insurance is almost impossible to obtain due to their age and training so the NFRSA is there to help to ensure these wonderful animals can stay where they belong.