Kekoa

Tell Your Pet's Rescue Story Here:
Kekoa (or Koa) was adopted as a puppy in Kansas by a soldier, who was deployed shortly afterwards, and left him at a shelter. He was then adopted out again, only to be found later as a stray and turned into another shelter. His family didn't want him back. The shelter put him in a foster home, but he wasn't getting adopted.

His rescue then transferred him to CO, into the care of the Evergreen Animal Protection League, where he was placed in another foster home. He was then adopted by a single mother of two. Two months after adoption, the mother was diagnosed with epilepsy very unexpectedly and suddenly...and Koa, then Indy, was yet again up for adoption. He was only 1.5yrs old at this point.

That's where we came in. After adopting a small dog the year before from the Dumb Friends League, we decided to become fosters as well, and contacted ARR. We realized after a few fosters, how much we wanted to own a large dog that loved to play ball and frizbee, because our kids really loved to play ball with our fosters, but our little Pom didn't like to fetch. He also needed to be good with kids and dogs, and be easy for me to groom myself.
We are an active family, and we wanted an active, smart dog that was naturally good off leash, so he would be able to go on adventures with us.

I went online looking for a rescue dog in CO that had those numerous qualities.

Kekoa was everything we were looking for. He was a diamond in the rough...I could see why people in his past had had a hard time with him...but I saw through his untrained and hyper exterior.

I exercised and trained him intensely the first year. He had anxieties to work through and lots to learn, but he is super smart, and catches on quickly. He's fast, loyal, gentle, courageous and focused. We named him Koa because it means bold, brave and fearless in Hawaiian...which suits him. While gentle, he is rarely afraid.

He is now a gentle leader and role model to new fosters that come through our home. His favorite activities in the world are swimming, frisbee, and ball, in that order. He's also a ton of fun to go camping and hiking with.

Here, he's doing three of his favorite things... swimming in the South Platte River, and playing ball, while on a camping trip. This picture makes me a proud rescue mama!

Koa is believed to be an Aussie / Flat Coated Retriever mix, and is 6yrs old.