Female #123, Keely

From: "Chet & Diana Williams" <candd@alaska.net>
Date: Thu Apr 6, 2006 9:47:30 PM US/Pacific
Subject: Rescued Kerry #123

Just a note to thank everyone involved in rescuing our Keely (aka #123....not to be confused with Keeley #124).

Keely

We lost our sweet Rosie last December, and had decided it was time to invite another Kerry into our lives. Living in Alaska, it's kind of hard to come by Kerry puppies, so we contacted our friend and Kerry breeder in Seattle, Sharon Skinner. Long story short, we found out she was fostering this wonderful rescued girl, and after hearing about her and seeing some of the pictures and the rescue story on the website, we decided she was meant for us. And the day we called Sharon with our decision just happened to be Keely's 5th birthday, so we took that as a divine sign as well.

Keely arrived in Anchorage this afternoon, and after the short trip home, we opened her kennel door and she popped out, ready to make our acquaintance. She was a stellar traveler, leaving a spotless crate, and when we set her in the yard she showed her relief! We opened the door to the house and she bounded up the stairs. And now it's as if she's lived here all her life. She's made herself at home, and is getting familiar with Rosie's basket of dog toys. She's already learned what she can chew on and what we'd rather keep in one piece. I took her for a short walk around the block, and she started out prancing, but something caught her attention mid-way home, and she froze like a statue. I coaxed her a few steps at a time, but she was looking stressed, so I just picked her up and carried her the rest of the way. We'll be taking her out daily, but I think we'll include some treats in the routine to coax her out of her statue mode. Like Sharon said, it's like having a puppy in a 5-year-old body!

Sharon did a wonderful job starting Keely's re-assimilation to the world she was meant to live in. We love the name she picked for her....it suits her perfectly, since we think she's just beautiful. Of course, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Keely's shredded, upright ears wouldn't get her any points in the show ring, but we see them as a reminder of what she went through before she came to us. I can't imagine what her life must have been like, and to see what a sweet girl she is after having lived like that for 5 years just boggles the mind.

Thanks again to all the helping hands who brought our Keely home.

With Sincere Gratitude,

Diana, Chet, Emi, Sam, and Keely
Alaska

From: "Chet & Diana Williams" <candd@alaska.net>
Date: Thu Sep 28, 2006 7:50:58 PM US/Pacific
Subject: Update on Keely (Shelbina Rescue #123)

Just an update to let you know how wonderfully our little Keely's doing. She completed her second 8-wk obedience class this month, and we managed to get her and a couple of her classmates to pose for us at "graduation." We're having so much fun with her. She's a real character. When she goes outside, she tears around the yard, rolls in the grass, and prances around like a show horse. We're wondering how she'll like the snow (which is creeping down the mountains as we speak). I'm guessing she'll have a blast in it.

We walk her on the neighborhood bike trail almost daily, and she's a completely different dog than the one I had to carry home from that first walk. She walks happily by my side, and politely greets anyone we happen upon on the trail. She hasn't shown any aggression toward dogs or people, and has been a great ambassador for the breed (though there may be several people in Anchorage who now think Kerries have upright ears).

She was spayed in May, and recovered beautifully. The vet gave her a clean bill of health (after she won the hearts of the entire staff at the clinic). Except for having her nails done, she's very good about the grooming routine.

After lulling us into a sense of safety, she decided everything in the house that's not fastened down was meant to be her chew-toy. We're gradually getting rid of all of Rosie's old soft toys (as Keely shreds them), and replacing them with hard rubber and nyla-bone type toys. She definitely has the strongest jaws of any of our previous kerries. She must have whiled away the hours at the puppy mill by chewing on whatever she could reach. Whenever she high-tails it from one room to another, we know to chase her down and rescue whatever "treat" she's found.

It's hard to believe she's come so far in less than 6 months. These really are resilient little critters, aren't they? I think her puppy mill days are long forgotten. And whenever anyone asks about her ears, I give them my spiel about NEVER buying a puppy at a pet store.

Thanks again to everyone,
Diana, Chet, Emi, Sam, and Keely