Kili and I fought for our lives in the Colorado Flood of 2013. The flood was devastating. Many lost their homes, some lost their lives. The water washed away all of the roads leading in and out of our small mountain village we called home. We were completely cut off from the outside world for 5 days. Only once it stopped raining was help able to get to us. It was by far one of the scariest things i have ever lived through, the flood washed everything down the river that i owned but my spirit and my pal Kili the Wonder Dog...

I have seen many disasters, but this time it was different, it was beyond any control. The things I had seen were horrific. The sounds I had heard will echo through my mind for years to come.

No airplanes, no cars, no lights, no outside noises except boulders the size of cars plummeting down the river and the sound of houses crashing from the intense waters. This continued non-stop for 5 days and nights, there was no relief in sight.

Kili was the bravest dog ever. Despite the fact that prior to the flood he had never stepped a paw in water higher then his ankle, he didn't let that deter him from his amazing instinct that there were people in trouble.

Kili and I swam in the raging flood waters, fighting the currents to get to damaged houses, looking for trapped people. Kili would bravely swim into the collapsed building searching every nook and cranny. And if he found someone trapped he would alert me by staying inside and barking until I found them. He was such a brave boy!

Kili and I spent our days constantly searching for supplies, food, and taking care of people that we pulled out of houses and found along the river, it seemed like a never ending battle. We had injured people and people that needed medications. The roads and bridges were washed out with no way for help to get to us and the choppers couldn't fly in for rescues because of the never ending rain. Every day was a death defying act looking for survivors.

At night we didn't sleep much, we kept a big fire burning hoping for a rescue team to find us. Kili stayed strong for everyone through it all, moving from person to person around the fire checking on everyone.

Early in the morning on the third day of the flood i was told about three trapped horses up river. Kili and i traveled most of day upstream it was very dangerous raging waters and land slides but after much searching we found them in a corral and set them free. They had been standing neck deep in flood waters for three days! We also found several people trapped on a small island in the flood waters and brought them back to camp with us. Once again Kili spent that evening going around person to person sharing his love as we sat around a smoldering fire trying to stay warm as the rains raged on and we set in for yet another long night.

Our brave boy Kili was injured during the flood while helping pull people across the the swollen waters to safety. He was hit by a log floating down the river. It knocked him underwater for a minute, my heart stopped when i couldn't find him. When he resurfaced I let out a HUGE sigh of relief.