Kelcey
Posted by Anne Corke on 2006-11-12. Filed under General
Here is the story about our little therapy dog and how we became her owners.
On Thanksgiving weekend of 1996 we had the misfortune of having to euthanize our beautiful English setter due to medical issues and it was a great loss for us. She was not a recognized therapy dog as such but she comforted me over many years as I cared for a parent with Alzheimer's and no matter how difficult the day was for me, I always received such love from her that I was able to get through the day. After her passing my husband and I decided that we would not get another dog now that the children were on their own and we wanted the freedom to come and go. The house was unbearably quiet and by the spring of 1997 we decided we needed a dog in the house once again.
We decided to inquire with the Golden rescue people and were put on their waiting list. A few weeks later I was reading our newspaper and there was a feature on a found dog. She was described as a small black and white poodle mix and a phone number was given. I don't know what made me call about her as we were on the waiting list with the Golden rescue people, but I did.
The lady explained that this little dog had been sitting by the side of the road for a few days and she thought that she was lost and took her in. She advertised extensively in the vet offices around town and also in the outlying areas, as well as in the newspapers. I was the only person to inquire about her. I asked her if she was going to keep the dog if the owner was not found and she said that she already had her own dog and cat and a third animal was too expensive for her. I told her that we would be interested in seeing her if she was going to be put up for adoption.
A week later we got the call to view her and we immediately fell in love with those brown eyes. We took her home and realized she had many issues we would have to deal with. She would lie under a table or chair where we would not see her. If we reached out to suddenly pet her she would scream with terror thinking we were going to hit her I guess. She had either just given birth or had been in heat recently and had some difficulty with her hind quarters.
We quickly took her to the vet where she was given all her shots and was spayed. It was clear to all who got to know her that this was a little dog who had been mistreated and abandoned and it would take patience and time to build up trust in humans for her. We worked hard with her during the summer to build up her confidence and enrolled her in basic obedience in the fall. About that time I was looking for a new volunteer project for myself and thought about Therapy Dogs.
Ironically the lady who ran the obedience class called me aside one day and said that she thought our Kelcey would make a great therapy dog and had I ever given it any thought. I told her that I had and decided to go for it. We had her tested and she passed with flying colours and thus began our weekly visits at Mount St. Joseph in the infirmary.
It has been nine years now and she still gets excited when we get ready to go. I think the dog treats might play a small role in her enthusiasm but she also loves the Sisters who greet her warmly. Incidentally, the day we brought her home, we received a call from the Golden Rescue people who told us that they might have a dog for us. It is as though it was meant to be for us to be matched with Kelcey and we are grateful that she has been a part of our lives and hope to have her for many years to come. It was our English setter who gave me such comfort when I needed it which made me look into the therapy dog program and with Kelcey I was able to give back through her the love and comfort she gives when we visit. We are very glad to be a part of this wonderful program and would enthusiastically encourage others to do the same.
Angie and Roger Smith, and Kelcey, too!