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Kaiser's Tribute Page
This page is dedicated to a very, very special dog and my best friend. Aguilo's Lord Kaiser Carosel4/5/2006 - 4/14/2020 It is with unspeakable sadness that I have come here to tell you of the passing of my beloved Kaiser. He passed away at home, in his bed, peacefully resting with me by his side. I had time to say goodbye and tell him once more how much I love him, and how soon he will not feel the weight and pain of his body. He was ready, the last two days were tough and his body was failing him rapidly. When the joy in eating his meals, or the peace of knowing I was somewhere nearby was all he had left, I knew it was time. Kaiser lived an amazingly colorful life of 14 years. He was extremely loyal to me and loved me more than anything else in his world. He never enjoyed sharing me with other people or dogs, but he did because I needed him to. As he aged and his health started affecting his freedom, he had to submit to frequent embarrassing (in his world to Top Dog) exams and procedures at the vet or at home. Knowing I was there with him through thick and thin only deepened our bond. I will cherish all the times he allowed himself to be vulnerable in my presence. Kaiser Supervisor was influential of the education of over 1300 dogs and their humans. He took his job very seriously and performed it eagerly till the last year of his life. He was my right hand in the business and he helped make this place my home long before Dave and baby Owen. When he was little I used to tell him that one day I will buy us land and a home and he can run free and swim. When that day came, back in 2009, I remember bringing him onto the property and telling him “we did it!”. Little that I knew, we had just started building this dream. With him by my side I conducted many in home lessons and evaluations, and covered numerous counties north and south of us. He rode along, in the back seat of my Saturn Vue and made sure no one came near that vehicle. He was serious, so much so that the day I saw the glass windows bowing out from him charging a curious person peeking through the glass, I custom ordered metal shields for inside the rear windows. At the tender age of 1, Kaiser started training in the sport of IPO (then called Schutzhund). He was from a well known show line of Dobermans, so when the club members showed skepticism of his potential, I welcomed the challenge. We were going to have fun together regardless. And we did. He taught me more than I taught him. As his handler, and with the help of the club, I trained him to track, bite, retrieve, and do flashy obedience routines. Bite work was his favorite, the other stuff he would get bored with. He was like the soldier who had questions about his orders - not a good soldier. A better commander. He went on earning several titles in his life, a BH, an IPO1, a WAC and a CGC, before we both got bored. Kaiser helped me learn about decoy work, as being on the other side of the bite sleeve was equally important to me. He was a beast to catch, he would drop his butt down, once on the bite sleeve and practically drag me around. He was a workout! His real love was his job as the Supervisor, here at home. I do not remember when I labeled him as such, but there was a time period when he earned it. Once I finished building the kennel, I stopped traveling and started getting boot campers, boarders, and the occasional European dog import for train and sale. He helped many dogs become more confident, he helped some learn they were not as tough and cocky as they thought, he showed them real confidence and balance, he helped socialize and exercise. And sometimes he was a plain bully to some. We had many a talks, especially about his idea of only one set of dog balls allowed on this property when it came to Ini - his arch enemy. Kaiser was Top Dog and he owned it till the end. I made sure I protected his dignity, when I knew his body would fail his perception of what it can do. I made sure he never had to face Ini and lose, or any other strong male dog or a hyper puppy that would bump him and knock him over. I promised him, 4 years ago, that he can sleep in the house every night, and I will not rotate him with his enemy Ini. He had more than earned his cozy retirement. It was just the two of us for half of his life. Then came Dave. Kaiser (and Kaya) came to our first date. And he approved, but not without silent resistance for close to a year. Kaiser later became the best man at our wedding. He loved Dave and Dave loved him. Dave respected Kaiser and that mattered most to him, and me. Dave understood and accepted all the quirks Kaiser came with and he made sure to never ask him for more than he was prepared to handle. Kaiser did not listen to him, so Dave would have to put a formal request with me most of the time. Some of the sweetest memories I have of the two of them is when Kaiser would come to his side of the bed in the morning and bump his hand to be pet. He was good at placing his head just so that you would be conveniently petting him before you knew it. Kaiser loved to chase squirrels, but he never caught his own for a long time. One day that happened for him and he was so proud of his accomplishment - a lengthy parade followed. He had many stuffed squirrel toys he practiced on. Kaiser had many interesting health challenges, many of which I documented meticulously for educational purposes. I think I officially became his nurse about 4 years ago, after his bloat. Before that there were a neck surgery, stretched out paw tendons and wearing a splint for 2 months, bloat and then came the big one - congestive heart failure. He lived with it and did very well on the numerous medications he was on. I always had a great team of experts surrounding him and helping me make decisions. I did not think he was going to be around for long back then, so after he fully recovered from the bloat I planned a road trip for just the two of us, that I called Kaiser Bucket List trip. We drove to Savannah, GA, spent two days exploring and taking many photos, and then met up with Dave and drove to the N. Carolina mountains and rented a cabin on 5 wooded acres. It was a memorable experience. Kaiser loved having me all to himself, he did not enjoy too much affection, but he loved knowing I was close. Before our son Owen was born I had concerns that Kaiser, aka Grandpa Grumpy, would not deal well with the new contender for my attention. Once we were home with Owen, I introduced all 3 of my Dobes very slowly, but Kaiser being the house dog was submerged into it from the start. He took some time to process the crying, strange looking and smelling creature I suddenly was glued to, but he eventually accepted him too. Toward the end of his life Kaiser mostly slept on his big bed in the living room, with Owen playing around him, offering him his milk or waving at him as we would walk by in the morning. I always made sure Kaiser had the space he needed and did not put him in a position where he would have to make decisions he did not want to. I knew him inside and out and he knew he can trust me with his peace and safety. We were a great team! The day before he left us, Kaiser was not able to stand or walk well. I noticed he was a bit wobbly, and it appeared he had developed a neurological deficiency in first just the back, and later all 4 of his paws. They were curling under him and he was not quick enough to right them. He needed support just to stand and drink the enormous amounts of water he would drink, which seem to pass through him rather quickly. He was no longer retaining fluid in his mid section - something I was accustomed to seeing and measuring by the way his belly band would velcro around his waist. His kidneys were failing. He looked very tired. He had been sleeping a lot, but the last few days he was sleeping a whole lot more and not interested in getting up, except for breakfast and dinner, water and to pee. He had always been a very stoic dog, he never made a sound if he was in pain, unless it was very, very bad. But I had to question how much he was hiding vs how much I was telling myself was just him being tired. His old body was failing him and he was exhausted having to fight with it. He did not want his ball anymore, he was hard of hearing and seeing, but he could always smell me. Kaiser leaves behind a legacy. He had a long life, which he lived to the fullest. A career, which other dogs envied (just ask Ini and Kaya, who can not hold a candle to his duties). Most importantly he was my best friend, my partner, my teacher and my soulmate. The void he leaves behind is insurmountable. As for me, I have not known life without him for 14 years, and I have been his nurse for 4. Not giving meds, not rushing to be home for him or making him be first and last priority of the day, not giving him a good night kiss are all voids I am adjusting to. The pain hits me in waves. The times I am used to doing something for or with him, the usual spots I would see him walking and checking out, the photos on the walls. They all bring a knot in my throat and a pain in my heart that many of you know well. It is just part of grieving for someone you love very deeply. < To all of you who knew him, thank you for being a part of his journey. Previously... Hi, I'm Kaiser - Demo Dog, K-9 Boot Camp drill sargeant and Gaby's best friend. Gaby searched very hard for a dog like me so when she came to see me for the first time when I was only 1 month old I made sure that I looked cute and "intelligent" on all those pictures she took of us. I heard her say on her follow up weekly visits that I looked the most interested and curious of all the other puppies I was stuck living with. See, I knew even back then that I was special and that one day I was going to be famous and live a very interesting life. Shortly after my arrival I started learning how to listen to humans. Gaby began teaching me how to obey commands such as come, stay and heel. A few weeks later I started learning how to track. See, we dogs have a much better nose than you humans but we usually use it for silly things. Gaby started teaching me how to control my gift of smell and find items and people along and at the end of the path (we call it the Track). I'm doing great at tracking and who knows maybe one day I will get to use my skills for a greater cause! We also train in the sport of Schutzhund (a dog sport involving Obedience, Tracking and Protection). I'm very proud of achieving my IPO I title in May, 2010. You can see some pictures below of me working in obedience, protection and tracking. Recently I have been working hard on personal protection and scent discrimination. I'm very sweet and lovable and love to lay on my back in Gaby's lap. I don't want anyone to be ever afraid of dogs of my kind so I'm working hard to prove that it's not the breed but the way I'm raised that makes me a good example of the Doberman breed. I spend my days working with Gaby, going to lessons with her, playing with the dogs who are in Boot Camp and keeping them in line, training hard and spending a relaxing evening in my bed on my back. I'm continuing to further my education and socialization and am looking forward to helping your dogs learn how to be as good as me! About Me
My Favorite Toys
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