You might think this story is about the Los Angeles Lakers great, Kobe Bryant, but it ain't.
Pues, it just might be, in a meaningful way...but let's not get ahead of ourselves!
Our popular and charismatic blogger, Tlaloco, interviewed a couple, Cesar & Marlena, from the Inland Empire about their true life experience with a dog.
This is their story....
It was April 10, 2020, and the realization that the national lock-down was upon us all. You remember!
Those crazy first few months realizing that life had just changed for all of us dramatically! The mask mandates, The vaccine rush and invention of "essential workers." We thought all workers were special, que no?
And who can forget the toilet paper debacle.
With all this drama surrounding us, Cesar & Marlena thought it would be a great time to get their six-year-old son, Mason, a puppy.
He had been asking about it and it made sense. Or so it seemed at the beginning when they pondered the idea.
Cesar & Marlena found a local posting online for puppies. They took Mason to the seller's place and he was excited about the opportunity to pick his very own dog. They could feel the positive energy surrounding their decision. Life was good, or so they thought.
They were looking forward to finding a perfect match for their son. In this crazy RONA world, they figured, Mason would have a little buddy to play with to keep his mind off of the forced pandemic isolation. It was to be Mason's first dog, his forever companion…until it wasn’t. But, lets don’t get ahead of ourselves.
When the family arrived at the home, the owner took them to the back yard where Cesar & Marlena saw the mama Labrador with her litter.
Suddenly a pup ran from the litter immediately to them.
Cesar & Marlena noticed that the mama Lab didn’t mind them holding and cuddling her pup.
But Mama Lab keep a watchful eye on this new family as she nursed her other pups. The pup Mason played with was a black male and 14 weeks old. He was ready for a good home. The family was excited to have him...But, let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves.
Cesar & Marlena, long time Laker fans, were still mourning the loss of Kobe Bryant who had passed away a few months earlier. Their son, Mason, was a fan of the Lakers great too. It made it easy to decide the pup’s new name, Kobe. He was going to be Mason’s little mamba buddy…but let’s don’t get ahead of ourselves.
As with most new dog owners, there is an adjustment period.
You know, the poop and pee accidents. Chewing on pillows, tearing apart clothes. You can never plan it out, because the dog and you haven’t yet established a routine.
The first night, he cried, so Cesar & Marlena took turns walking him outside and trying to sleep with him indoors...he still cried.
Maybe he was nervous, scared, missed his mama or all of the above. The second night was the same. Then night three. Then four. Kobe cried non-stop. It was like he was trying to tell his new owners something. He wasn't scared, he just cried looking at them with puppy dog eyes. And Cesar & Marlena, looking back at him not understanding what he needed. No one getting any rest or sleep.
As working parents, one or two nights of little to no sleep they could manage. But there was no change. They weren’t bonding. Nothing Cesar & Marlena tried worked to soothe his little doggy soul.
Something had to change. Cesar & Marlena didn’t know how Mason would respond when they decided that having a dog or maybe this particular dog wasn’t going to work. They just couldn’t get any sleep and their job commitments were suffering. They had no choice but to let Kobe go.
They felt ashamed for giving up so quickly. But something told them Kobe was not for them. As if Kobe was crying out to them to let him go elsewhere. Their son Mason was disappointed but he agreed seeing that Kobe was not happy with them. They told themselves, "Maybe, Kobe could find a good home and not cry anymore." But at that moment, none of them really believe it.
Sadly, Kobe was offered up on the “OfferUp” online marketplace platform. They immediately got a response from a couple with a six-year-old girl. The couple thought a puppy dog would brighten up their daughter’s mood.
It worked! The little girl saw Kobe and both of them ran to each other. Cesar & Marlena watched as the girl and Kobe played in their back yard. They felt a little bit of relief that Kobe seemed happy to find a good home but still sad that they could not keep Kobe.
Marlena asked the couple why they wanted their dog. The couple replied, “Our dog, Kobe, had just recently passed away from old age. Our daughter has been sad ever since. So when we saw your post, we thought ‘let’s do this’.”
Marlena & Cesar just looked at each other in shock. “Your dog’s name was Kobe?” The couple looked at them nodding in agreement, “Why? What’s your dog’s name?”
Marlena & Cesar responded, “We named our dog Kobe too!”
That’s when Cesar & Marlena realized that Kobe was going to the right family. They never had experienced the concept of reincarnation, but knew if it was possible, this was one of those moments. It was as if Kobe had been telling them, "Please help me find my home again."
Marlena & Cesar kept in touch with the couple for almost six months. Kobe had quickly acclimated to his surroundings.
They recalled asking a number of times, "Does Kobe ever cry at night?"
The couple responded, "No, Kobe never cries." Of course not!
No one said it, but they all knew, Kobe had found his way back home!