Lucky

From: Linda Grisley <lgrisley@SHAW.CA>
Date: Wed May 3, 2006 12:33:47 PM US/Pacific
Subject: [KBL] Arrival in Canada

Last night at 11:15 p.m. two young ladies from the April Surprise rescue
arrived at Edmonton Airport, Canada. At 2:00 a.m. I finally had them in
hand after a lengthy wait for Customs. (That's another story - notes made
for "next time"). Foster mom, Terri, was watching the dogs (not allowed to
touch - only view through a window) while I got the paperwork done. She said
they sat quietly the whole time - even after having travelled for 6 hours to
get to us. Anyway, Terri and I received the dogs and took them outside for
a potty break. They willingly came from their crates with wagging tails,
and when they saw each other the play began. Terri and I danced around
their wrestle play trying to keep leashes untangled as we encouraged them to
a grassy area for a pee. Both went quickly and resumed play.

Back into the crates for a quiet ride into town.

Lucky arrived at 3:00 a.m. at her foster home with Margaret. Again, she came out of the crate with tail wagging and
kisses all around, took a good snoop of the garden and once in the house introduced herself to her image in the hall mirror. She likes herself very much :). We went back to the garden for a poop - the alarm system bleeped
at the door - no reaction. The windmill in the garden whirred with the wind - no reaction. Once back in the house, Lucky refused food but drank a bit of water, then sniffed her way around and once satisfied stood before me for scratches. Obviously falling asleep on her feet, she willingly went back into her crate and settled for a nap.

These April Surprise rescues are in soooo much better shape than the Shelbina kids. Yes, they are skinny and nervous, but they are also presenting as much happier, much more inquisitive and much more showing the Kerry spirit we know and love. I'll get pics to post as soon as possible.

Linda Grisley
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

From: Linda Grisley [mailto:lgrisley@shaw.ca]
Sent: Saturday, May 13, 2006 9:57 PM

Lucky (3 3/4 yrs.) is still the sweetest young lady you'd ever want to cuddle with!  So tiny for a Kerry, she is eager to please.  She's made friends with a small dog next door and they love to run the fence line together.  However, Trix the foster mum had to make it an obstacle path to avoid the inevitable damage to the garden!  Lucky doesn't mind a bit - she runs up, around, over and back with glee!  This is very helpful in the muscle development so many of these rescue dogs are lacking.  However, her stamina is not great yet and she tires quickly.  Lucky goes into her crate on her own for naps and lets the household know that 9 p.m. is bed time, thank you very much!  She walks well on leash now and enjoys her walks with tail high and nose sniffing Kerry curiousity.  This dog will fit in almost any household of adult(s) alone or with older children, as a single pet or with another.

From: Linda Grisley <lgrisley@shaw.ca>
Date: Sat May 27, 2006 10:51:59 AM US/Pacific

A couple of days before Lucky went into her spay surgery, she came over to
my house to play with my dogs.

This picture was taken to show how small she is compared to my Kerry, Kerby,
on the right. She's almost Cocker Spaniel size, but with longer legs :).
Obviously she is grinning for the camera.

In this picture, Lucky is racing around the yard with my Portie, Beans. Those
two really kicked up a cloud of dust, through the gardens, around the trees,
through the bushes, through the wading pool, take a slurp of water and do it
again!

Once she was pooped out from the race, I put her up on the grooming table.
This picture is Lucky after I trimmed her hair a bit. She needs a head/neck
shave and her fall to grow in some more but I didn't want to push her, so I
just scissored her body and legs. She stood very still and was totally
accepting of physical touch, brushing out and scissoring.

Linda

From: mkarsh@COMCAST.NET
Date: Wed Jun 28, 2006 3:02:05 PM US/Pacific
Subject: [KBL] Lucky and Her Forever Family (Finally)

Lucky's odyssey began with the April surprise and took her first from her puppymill miserable existence to Edmonton Alberta Canada and the loving care of Linda Grisley. Linda found a wonderful foster home for Lucky that made her adjustment to a new life seemingly easy. Everyone who met Lucky in Canada was charmed by her sweetness and cute emerging Kerry personality.

Ania Borysiewicz, her mother, Maria & Lucky

A mother and daughter in Boulder CO had been waiting patiently for a perfect Kerry match. Though never owning a Kerry before, they had really done their research and homework When I visited them, I was impressed by their knowledge and determination to be a forever home for a rescue.

Getting Lucky to an anxiously waiting forever family in Boulder was another matter. Linda tried every possible way to fly her from Edmonton to Denver (a 2 1/2 hour early morning flight) but found that no animal cargo flies from Edmonton. By the time Luck was ready to travel after her spay surgery, the extreme and unseasonal Colorado heat wave made any air travel from Calgary to Denver impossible. I was begining to think that it's easier to get a terrorist into the States from Canada than a sweet little 28 pound terrier.

This is where sheer KBT love and devotion to rescue comess comes in. Never get in the way of a Kerry rescue person on a "mission"! Linda arranged with Jan Farquard, the forever mom of Sullivan in Great Falls MT to meet in Lethbride Alberta (an all-day drive for both) to make the Lucky "transfer" on Monday the 19th. Jan and Lucky then drove back to Great Falls where Lucky spent Tuesday night at Jan's with Sullivan and his Cocker Spaniel house-mate. Jan even found the time to forward an email video of Lucky and her new friends playing in the yard. On Wednesday, Jan drove Lucky to Billings Mt (clear across that huge state--another all-day drive) to meet her forever family, Maria and her college student daughter, Ania who had made the drive from Boulder to Billings (a two=day trip).

No "thank you" could ever be sufficient for the time and energy spent by Linda, a fabulous Rescue Coordinator and Jan, a new KBT "angel".

Maria, Ania and Lucky were home safely in Boulder early Thursday morning. I am told that Lucky was a superb traveler and only stirred when it was time for a potty break. There are no words to describe how happy this new KB family is. By their description, Lucky is the smartest, sweetest and most beautiful Kerry in the world. I may add, soon to be the most spoiled but that's okay.
I went to Boulder on Sunday with treats, toys and two KBs to meet our new girl. She is as adorable and sweet as Linda described..She even charmed my Kerry girl, Ginger who hates all dogs except her Kerry boy, Fred. I did take pictures of the new family and will forward them as soon as I figure out how.

This new Kerry family is not just the result of a great rescue effort but also wonderful fostering and Kerry community cooperation. Kerry Blue Terrier people are truly the BEST!!!

Mimi Karsh
Denver CO