Friends! great for throwing Balls

Friends are a huge part of my life. They throw a ball when I'm sad. They throw a ball when I'm not. I can't possibly name all the wonderful souls I have met in my journey, so I asked them to tell YOU about ME instead. I will introduce this guy though, he too lazy to write his own page...

Baby Bacha

When I first saw Simba he looked like a small bacha (child) who says “Take me home”. On the car ride home he began crying like a small baby and he kept looking at my face with an innocent look in his eyes. Whenever he made a mistake he looks at me with an expression and says he made a mistake, but not to punish him. When he used to eat roti (Indian tortilla) I always had to put it on my lap because he was that spoiled.

Grandma Mondays

Every Monday I would come home from work at 2:45 and as soon as I change my clothes Simba would bring his ball to me and tells me to take him out into the front yard to play. Even if I am tired, he wants to play and will bother me to take him out. As soon as my hand touches the gate to close it he begins crying and screaming, getting very excited that he is about to go outside.

The Noisy Boy

Whenever a fire truck would pass by the house Simba would howl with the truck, I began to howl with him to make him feel less lonely. He was alerting us of the dangers outside.

When he was a small puppy I used to take him to work with me. I would put him in the shopping cart but he did not want to stay in there. I would tell him to Chup (be quite) but of course, he would never listen. I remember I would take him to pet stores and he would keep me company while I did my job. If I tell him to be quiet he looks at me like I am about to kill him and does not eat the treats I give him, because he is upset at me.

The Prince

I think Simba was the first prince to come to my home because he is very spoiled. In the middle of the night if he had to go potty he would walk around my bed trying to wake me up and tell me “I have to go potty”. If I try to pretend to be asleep for atlas 10 minutes he will start pushing his nose under my covers. He has done this since he was a baby. In the morning he would ask for food by sitting near my beside and waiting for me to get up. If I took too long he would go into the kitchen and knock his food bowl off the table.

Simba was a prince from the beginning to the end. On his last day, I brought his doctor to the hospital to say goodbye to him. I brought offering from the temple to give him, but he did not eat it from my own hands. He was placed in a white coffin with all his favorite toys. On this day I was remembering the day we brought him home in the car and I told him “chup chup car Simba to rota ha bout” (Be quite Simba you cry a lot) and he looked at me like he was saying I do not like you guys I want to go back to my home where I was born.

Grandmas Boy

Until his very last day Simba was a good boy. He did not trust me to give him his offering on his last day, but that is ok. God Bless him and keep him so happy that he will be staying with Lord Waheguru (God) and he will always remember his mom.

I love you Simba.

The greatest of all friendships...

The moment Simba came into my life, he stole my heart away. I have never had a stronger bond with any animal before. It felt like Simba was my own. And he so generously allowed me to believe it. The love, kindness and spirit I found in him was like nothing I had ever known. He taught me to have faith in the natural course of life. He taught me to follow my dreams and passions and allowed me to grow and develop into a better person.

The Banana! (as told by Simba)

About 2 years ago, my mom met this super cool lady she kept talking to in the phone. They kept talking about all this medical mumbo jumbo and numbers and mentioning my name. I don't really know what it was about, but soon after they started talking, I started going to lots of doctor appointments. And after a while, I started feeling a lot better than I had been.

As time went on, I learned a lot more about what was going on with me. Some sort of something was growing in my back. It made my back hurt sometimes, but really, I didn't pay much attention. My mom gave me such a good life!

This lady my mom was talking to...man! She was so cool! All of this was really hard on my mom, and she was so relieved to have someone to take care of all the money stuff and just have someone to talk to. She lived in this place with this tall pointed building that was way far away from us. But she told us all about the fish there, these crazy people, and all the sites to see there. We wanted to go so bad! I'm glad we eventually made it!

This lady, Kayla, and I got to know each other, too. We talked a lot about my life, where I grew up, my mom, and all of my awesome experiences. I told her all about Fort Funston, my favorite hikes, my grandma, my doctors, and my best friends. She told me all about where she lives, her best friends, her puppy (barely even a dog!) and her family.

Over the course of our friendship, and her friendship with my mom, we've gotten really close. My mom talks to her almost every day, and they've gotten each other through a lot. Lord knows I've put mom through so much! I know our lives wouldn't be the same without without her.

My mom gets sad sometimes when she thinks about the things I'm missing out on, and I know mom wants to hold me and hug me. But Kayla is always there to remind her that I'm right here with mom, and that no matter what, I'll never leave her side. You know, this new form I've taken on lets me do more. I can run faster than I used to, I get to eat whatever I want, I can talk to my mom and she can talk to me without even opening her mouth!

I wish I could be there to hug my mom, but she knows how good I'm feeling now, and I think that makes her happy, too.

Diane: Maker of "Good Boys"

I first met Simba when I was working with his mom, Simran, at A Dog’s Life in Sunnyvale. If I saw Simran when I came in in the evenings to teach, I knew I’d get to play with him when my classes were done.  Simran would bring him in to the classroom area after my students had left. One time, she was busy working, so I got on the walkie-talkie and announced it was time for Simba to report to the play area.  I never wanted to miss my play sessions with him. At first, I’d kick or throw a little red Kong ball to him. He’d happily chase it down, and bring it back to…. His mom. Sigh.  Hahaha!  Eventually, he would bring it back to me and we would have the best time playing.

Simba: Guard Dog

Another fun memory I have of him is when he was on guard dog duty.  Or supposed to be… Simran was helping me run puppy socials on Saturday mornings at A Dog’s Life Palo Alto. Having just worked all night at the Sunnyvale location, Simran and Simba would show up early at Palo Alto and see if they could catch a nap in the car before socials. 

When I would pull up next to the car, Simran would be sound asleep and Simba would be watching me with his ears perked up. I would feed him treats through the car window until Simran would finally wake up and say, ”Thanks for protecting me Simba! Geez, some guard dog!”

sIMBA: a WELL LOVED PUP

I taught a lot of pups over a lot of years, and Simran was one of the best dog mom’s I’ve ever met. She took Simba everywhere she could. He played at the beach, did nose-work classes, and more. When he became sick, Simran took charge of his care with the ferocity and commitment that could only come from a mother’s love.  She’d drive him to Davis, work with insurance companies and doctors, never take no for an answer, never give up hope, never let him see her cry, manage his finances, and ALWAYS be there for him.  And till the end, he still went to the beach, classes, restaurants, and even geocaching.  I’m sure he felt loved, secure, and happy all the way till the end of his life on earth.

A Few Words from tara

A Few Words from Ashley

Simba is this handsome German Shepherd that I used to go on little adventures with. I always looked forward to the day I'd hang out with him because our days would always go flawlessly. When we'd go to the beach and play ball, I could see the joy in his eyes. Such love for the simplicity of chasing a ball into the waves. Most of the time he'd play fetch with the ocean and let the waves take it away.

It was a beautiful thing to see such happiness and bliss. Seeing Simba enjoy the little things in life in turn helped me to do the same. He found pure bliss in something simple and beautiful. I got lucky enough to be able to be part of Simba's beautiful life. It may have been shorter than anyone wanted, but he sure had some amazing experiences with the amazing people in his life

I'm honored that I was able to be a part of it. Simba will forever be the most handsomest German Shepherd that I had the honor to hang out with. His beautiful soul will be in the hearts of those who loved them as if he were their own. Love you Simbooooo!