Kevin the Goose will leave a long, lasting legacy

Recovering from a leg injury, Dave Choukalos was in the icy cold waters of Okanagan Lake in Penticton doing water therapy when he first met Kevin the Goose. “You know how you think somebody is following you, I looked back and there’s this great big goose following me. I quickly got my butt out of the water and was on the shore. He began looking at me and I saw his wing – strands instead of feathers. All the fluffies were missing.”

Dave went to his vehicle where he had a bag of animal treats and began feeding Kevin cat crunchies. That morning, nearly four-and-a-half years ago, was the beginning of a wonderful friendship.

Kevin was already known to others. A man, unknown man to Dave, looked at him from the lakeshore walkway and said, “that’s just Kevin.” The name stuck. Nobody really knows if the goose was named after somebody or if it was picked randomly.

After the initial meeting, Dave began Google searches on how to feed and care for a goose. He had rescued animals before, but never had a keen interest in a Canada Goose.

“Kevin meant everything. He was a member of the family. He was fun to be around, fun to fool around with. I’d put my finger in his bowl of seed and he’d bite my finger then look up at me. He became an icon in this city. He was a character,” Dave said.

Dave met an entirely new circle of friends who later dubbed themselves Team Kevin because they fed the bird and looked out for him. The goose became somewhat of an icon after a series of media reports went viral. Tourists were enthralled.

Kevin the Goose was euthanized on Good Friday after suffering a second attack by a loose dog on the beach. (He was injured by another dog a few weeks earlier but survived. When Dave met him, he was unable to fly.)

A tribute was held at Slackwater Brewery in Penticton last Sunday which attracted a full house. Many, including Dave, had stories to share.

Dave is devastated by the loss because it was unnecessary. His truck hasn’t been washed since and there’s still a big bag of bird seed in the back because he doesn’t have the inner strength to move it.

Friends of Kevin are hopeful the dog’s owner will come forward, not to be scolded, but to offer an apology and create awareness. Everybody believes their dog is nice, but they are animals and capable of making a mistake.

In the case of Kevin, you don’t get a second chance.

Dave says his work with Kevin made him a better person. He developed a new appreciation for birds – something he had never really thought of before. It also gave him the satisfaction of helping another creature in need.

I’ve never witnessed an eclipse. I’m paranoid about damaging my eyesight.

But I participated in one.

In 1979, a solar eclipse was passing through Eastern Canada. Fearful of children eventually going blind, all students had to stay inside over the lunch hour and bring a bagged lunch to school. The curtains were drawn.

We watched the coverage on TV.

It was exciting because in nine years of elementary school, most of us never ate lunch at school, not even once. We walked home for lunch.

It was a novelty seeing what everyone had in their lunch bag – chocolate pudding, chips, fruit cocktail.

This week’s eclipse brought back that pleasant memory. It also made me think, where the hell have the past 45 years gone?

Turn around bright eyes, turn around.

The fact that I can name Kato Kaelin, Marsha Clark, Al Cowlings, Judge Lance Ito, Johnnie Cochrane and my favourite, Mrs. Lopez (“I don’t recall”), without Googling, is terrifying. These people became household names thanks to the OJ Simpson trial.

Life seemed a lot more normal before then. James Miller is valley editor of Okanagan Newspaper Group.