by Kara, Adam and the Rhodes Family

Orcas Island

With deep sadness and heartache, we continue to mourn the loss of our dear family member and BELOVED companion Kasha. As empty nesters, Kasha was a huge part of our everyday and every activity within our day. She protected us and our entire family with a deep sense of purpose and loyalty. We were blessed to have her healthy, beautiful and joyful presence for the past 4 years and for this we are so grateful!

We have learned from our vet and the extensive toxicology reports that Kasha was poisoned by an unknown nearby neighbor using a deadly chemical(s) we believe was meant for killing raccoons that had been bothering the neighbors above us. Ironically, it was Kasha who felt it her duty to chase away the raccoons from our chickens and our land and yet she fell prey to an incredibly irresponsible and reckless open poisonous chemical trap! Kasha had an incredible sense of smell and if this trap was mixed with cat food as most are… it would have lured her away from my husband.

Not knowing what was happening to her, we rushed her in our boat to our Bellingham vet….she suffered terribly as we did everything we could….crying out in pain and trusting that we would fix it for her! From approximately 11 am to 12:20 pm that horrible day, she suffered as we watched helplessly until the vet opened her up because nothing else was working — all her organs, small intestines and stomach had bled out. I only explain the horrifying details to hopefully detour anyone on Diamond Hill or on Orcas island to ever put out open raccoon poison or any open poisons ever again!!!! There are many other safer ways to solve the challenges of raccoons in our area!

There is a huge hole in our hearts and in our home that did not have to be!!!! We will work hard on forgiving the person who did this! And in time we will absolutely forgive YOU! Unforgiveness is actually the worst kind of poison there is! We will keep counting our blessings in our lives of which there are many, and be forever grateful for our time with Kasha!!! She was and is a treasure beyond measure! Every hike, ocean swim, boat rides, cross country skiing or our many long car rides, we will smile and remember so many joyful times with our sweet Kasha!