Kelsey

The beginning of a new week has brought with it some sad news for my family. A little back story is in order before I get to the sad news. During the summer of 1995 I was doing an internship at Trinity Assembly of God in Derry, NH. I purchased a Dalmatian puppy from a breeder in a nearby town. There were several puppies there, half with black spots and half with brown (liver spotted is what they call it). I sat there on the grass and watched as the puppies romped and played with each other. All but one. This one particular puppy had the brown spots, one blue eye, and one brown eye. The eye color thing meant that she could never be a show dog because it is looked at as a defect, but I thought it added character and besides, I had no intention of entering her in any shows. Anyway, I took her home. She threw-up in my car on the way home...funny that I think that's funny looking back. I got her home and brought her in the house and she just stood there, not sure what to think of her new surroundings. Everybody fell in love with her. Not only was she laid back and calm (not a trait usually found in Datamations), but she was very affectionate and sweet. That summer, Kelsey went every where with me. She ran errands with me, sat in the church office with me, and even slept in my bed...even though she was a bit big for that.
At the end of the summer, Kelsey and I headed out to Minnesota for what should have been my fourth year of college. The difference this year was that, Lori was waiting for me when I arrived. I was young and in love and applied all my time and effort to that relationship and, as a result, Kelsey didn't get the attention and love she needed or deserved from me. That is something that is still something of a regret for me. I was, however, conscious of my lop-sided priorities and brought her back to NH for my brother's wedding in October of 1995. My parents, who loved Kelsey, took her as their own dog and she's been with them ever since. Although, I've always still thought of her as mine I know that she was perfect for mom and dad and they were perfect for her. On our visits to my parents I always looked forward to seeing Kelsey. She smiles when she's excited...it's quite funny actually.
I didn't know it at the time, but I saw my Kelsey for the last time this past July. She is thirteen years old, which is old for a larger dog. Typically they only live 10-11 years. I received an email from my mother yesterday saying that Kelsey was not doing well and that her heart was having some trouble and that she had spent the last two days with the vet. We knew over the summer that she was having some trouble, but I didn't realize how quickly the condition would go down hill. Last night I received another email from my mother saying that, after much prayer, thought, and consulting with the vet, the decision was made to have her put to sleep since her heart condition had gotten the the point where she was in pain and the possibility of coming home and finding her dead was very real. So, mom and dad had to make that difficult and painful decision. I can't even drive down to see Kelsey one last time because my damn schedule just won't allow it. I'm so grateful that she has had a great life with my parents...they've been so good to her. But, I've always carried and will always carry that regret that I wasn't able to be a bigger part of her life. The cynics would laugh and say, "it's just a dog," but our pets really do become a part of our family and such a big part of our lives.