One of the very first blogs I wrote – ‘What is in a Name‘ – was to disclose the meaning behind “La Jolie”. More than a ‘pretty’ translation, it holds a dedication to our two greyhounds… JOker and LIght.

Light was ebony, and like the night sky, she quite literally was the ‘star’ personality. Charming and sweet, while always keeping an eye on sibling Joker. Joker, on the other hand, was shy with people he didn’t know, but a soak-up-the-pats love bug at home.

He came to us from the tracks of Florida and Alabama. His registered name was Dakota’s Brant, but the track call-name was listed as ‘Joker’. We delightfully learned why. He tossed his toys, roo’d at his favorite songs, and simply was a one-of-a-kind joker. He adored Light. She was his mentor, and a protector when the world seemed threatening. When she passed away in 2019, he carried on gently, always splitting his time between his and her bed.

As the months marched onward, our days and evenings were highlighted by our sleuth-like adventures (aka walks) with Joker. He would carefully examine the sights and scents to determine the latest in the all-important foot traffic of unseen four-legged pedestrians in his world. He remarkably was a soother of all the world’s chaos… when a squirrel was in the tree, nothing else mattered.

There is a saying that time is again a taker of things most precious. On June 14th, our Joker had to leave us. One is never ready… never fully prepared. A part of us went with him that morning, but by the same, we knew that his (and Light’s) presence would always remain with us.

Thank you Joker for making us see the wonders and mysteries all around us… and for teaching us about resilience and strength. But most of all, thank you for sharing with us your life and your love.

Me: “What’s so funny Light?“

Light: “Joker!!“