Today marks 4 years that Miss Kayleigh has been part of our family!
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This is what she looked like a few months after her arrival. Kayleigh was not in good shape when she got here. She was seriously underweight. Today she weighs around 120. At her first vet app't, she weighed 77 pounds and she had already gained some weight at that point!
Kayleigh was a shelter dog, but not for long. I adopted her on the first day she was available. My best friend's mother had just passed away. I had spent the day with her helping her clean out her Mom's apartment. It was not a fun day and afterwards we decided that playing with some puppies would make us feel better. So we went to the shelter. Kayleigh was in the last row of kennels in the very last kennel. She jumped up on the gate and stared me straight in the eye. I knew at that moment that she was coming home with me.
I brought my husband & Muskwa into town an hour later to meet her. By the time the shelter closed that day, Kayleigh was at home.
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If we had known then what we know now, we probably wouldn't have taken Kayleigh. But our lives would be poorer for missing her and hers would be over. If the shelter had known her better, she likely would have been euthanized. Kayleigh's psychological health was as damaged as her physical health when she first arrived. We call her our problem child. She's been a good teacher!
She's come a long way, but there are some things Kayleigh will never forget or get over. She doesn't bite people anymore, but she'll never be safe around other dogs or cats.
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Kayleigh has her own pen where her food and toys are safe from other dogs.
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She does love her tennis balls!
When ground finally thaws, Kayleigh will be getting new pen--complete with full access to the new shop. She'll love that.
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Kayleigh is a challenging dog, but she's also full of life and has a great sense of humor. She's funny, playful and silly. She has brought us some challenges, but also much joy. She's delightful and I'm glad we made a snap decision to bring her home!
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Happy Gotcha Day big girl!
