Thursday, January 19, 2006
RIP Kelli
I'm quite sad at the moment - infact, it's a little hard to see the monitor clearly. My mum just informed me that our dog, Kelli, died last night at the grand old age of 15 years 6 months. Dad actually had to get her put down, as her rear legs stopped working, and she was unable to walk anywhere. My brother and sister don't know yet, as they're still at planetshakers and mum doesn't want to tell them while they're at the conference.
We got Kelli, a English Staffordshire Cross, when she was a few weeks old in April of 1990. She was a present for my sister, who had been deeply affected the death of our grandmother 2 years earlier. Since then, she's been an integral part of our family life. She did everything with us. She would fret to the point of becoming ill when one of us was missing for an extended period of time, and for a while there, she could out-stink my brother, and out-snore my dad. She was also very jealous of our attention - to the point where if mum and dad were sitting next to each other on the couch, Kelli would jump up onto the couch, and place herself between them!
Kelli was such a part of our life that my mum recently threatened to quit her job over restrictions being placed on the dog. My mum does home based child-care, and until recently, the issue of pets in the home was negotiated between the carer and the parents of the children. Apparently new regulations have just come into play that stipulate that dogs must be kept in a run, away from the children. This stressed both my mum, and Kelli to the max. Kelli would bark (she's never barked like that in her life!) and pace up and down the run - which probably aggravated her leg condition, and it would also make the children sad. It's also been quite hot lately, and kelli refused to eat or drink while in the run. It was almost like she'd been placed in a detension centre and had gone on a hunger strike! Kelli had been raised and trained to be around children. She never bit anyone, not even in play. The kids would dress her up in costumes, build block towers on her, and even fall asleep against her. If she ever had enough of them, she'd just get up and walk away. The kids were as much a part of her life as she was part of theirs. Well I guess the dictator from head office will be happy now.
RIP Kelli - I'll miss you.
We got Kelli, a English Staffordshire Cross, when she was a few weeks old in April of 1990. She was a present for my sister, who had been deeply affected the death of our grandmother 2 years earlier. Since then, she's been an integral part of our family life. She did everything with us. She would fret to the point of becoming ill when one of us was missing for an extended period of time, and for a while there, she could out-stink my brother, and out-snore my dad. She was also very jealous of our attention - to the point where if mum and dad were sitting next to each other on the couch, Kelli would jump up onto the couch, and place herself between them!
Kelli was such a part of our life that my mum recently threatened to quit her job over restrictions being placed on the dog. My mum does home based child-care, and until recently, the issue of pets in the home was negotiated between the carer and the parents of the children. Apparently new regulations have just come into play that stipulate that dogs must be kept in a run, away from the children. This stressed both my mum, and Kelli to the max. Kelli would bark (she's never barked like that in her life!) and pace up and down the run - which probably aggravated her leg condition, and it would also make the children sad. It's also been quite hot lately, and kelli refused to eat or drink while in the run. It was almost like she'd been placed in a detension centre and had gone on a hunger strike! Kelli had been raised and trained to be around children. She never bit anyone, not even in play. The kids would dress her up in costumes, build block towers on her, and even fall asleep against her. If she ever had enough of them, she'd just get up and walk away. The kids were as much a part of her life as she was part of theirs. Well I guess the dictator from head office will be happy now.
RIP Kelli - I'll miss you.
