Our hearts are broken. We had to say goodbye to Xena, our Giant Alaskan Malamute on Friday as we drove out of Denali National Park. Xena was a rescue. She picked us to be her parents 10 years ago, and she’s been the 125lb. light of our lives ever since. I’ve had dogs all my life and loved them all, but this one, oh my God, this one was something very special. Xena was truly in a class by herself.

I was definitely her alpha-dog. We were together 24-7 while Devany went off to work during the day and I worked from home. Xena had a personality that was a joy to witness. She charmed everyone she ever met—other than other dogs. The very first time we took her for a walk around her new neighborhood she got in a tangle with two dogs. Xena had never been out of a pen before we got her, so she freaked out, and ever since she just was anxious and fearful of other dogs, so we had to be very careful with her. Needless-to-say, we really got tired over the years with people who didn’t leash their dogs.

Xena was my skijoring partner. She would pull like a freight train when she felt like it, but then her ADHD would kick in and her attention would wander and she’d jump off the trail to explore something. Not necessarily fun when you’re going downhill very fast on a narrow trail. She loved to hike with us through the mountains and she loved to jump in creeks or lakes.

Xena had fans all over the world. We used to go camping with her in Seward, AK. during the summer and one weekend, an around-the-world cruise ship docked. As we were sitting at the picnic table in front of our motorhome parked on the waterfront, passengers from the ship were walking along the path and dozens of people stopped to take her pictures and chat. She now has fans in China, Russia, Australia, Japan, and who knows where else. One time in Seward as we were walking her a car pulled up at a stop sign and the woman driving asked if her young daughter could pet Xena. We said sure, and this little girl that was around 5 or 6 jumped out of the back seat and gave Xena a huge hug. Both of them enjoyed it immensely.

That was the effect Xena had on everyone she met. People just instantly fell in love with her and she reciprocated. A good friend of ours from Thorne Bay, Alaska would stay with us at times over the years and Xena remained absolutely fascinated with his Santa-Claus like white beard. Every time Jim visited, Xena would run her snout back and forth through that beard.

When we returned from our trips overseas she would go absolutely crazy when we returned. You had to be careful or she could hurt you with her enthusiasm. I will miss those greetings of unabashed love and happiness at seeing us again.

So thank you for indulging me as I have to say goodbye to Xena. She was our child and we will miss her terribly, but we are so incredibly grateful that she picked us to give her love to.