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Just adding the latest update on Kelso:

 

There is a lovely woman in the training class we have been going to, who has made a point of coming over to us after class and sitting on the floor next to Kelso, and offering him food. Today, for the first time, he took food repeatedly from her hand, even stretching out his neck to reach her as she moved slightly away, to get the treats. He gave her eye contact several times. More progress on accepting other people!

 

And he stayed in a heel position with me several times when we were heading back to his mat in the corner. Previously I have had to turn around and go the other way over and over once we started heading back to his mat, because he would immediately surge ahead. This tells me that he is finally starting to get over his state of constant confusion and fear from just being in the classroom, and is starting to be able to learn a thing or two.

 

Slow, but steady. And in the right direction.....

:)

Good dog, Kelso.

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I totally love this thread. When I first joined the boards, I sat and read the entire thread from start to finish, after my kids were in bed. It was such a compelling read, I couldn't pull myself away. There were moments of tear-eyedness and many smiles. Thanks for sharing Kelso's journey with us. I really respect what you are doing with him. If only every dog had such a loving and devoted human!

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Thank you.......it is wonderful to me to know that Kelso's story is enjoyed by so many others. I have had for some time an idea that eventually Kelso's story and the photos and videos that I have taken of him will be made into a short film which I will put on YouTube in the hopes that it will inspire others to help a frightened dog. And even more important, the film will have a Very Strong message about puppy mills, and will include links on how to find out more about them.

 

Of course, as is always the case with my foster dogs, Kelso has given me far more than I could ever give to him. I have learned so much, and honestly I think that I have become a better person as a result of my relationship with Kelso. I had no intention or idea of having him for so long (one year, five months now) or that I would have to put so much time and energy into him. Good thing I didn't know. If I had, I might have refused him and that would have been my loss.

 

I wish that more people could have an experience like Kelso in their lives. I wish far more that all the puppy mills could be shut down so that there would never again be a dog who lives as Kelso did before he came to Arizona Border Collie Rescue and to me. For such a beautiful spirit to have been treated with such cruel and callus disregard is a heinous crime and a tragedy. Kelso, in spite of everything, is rising above that and has found the joy of dogness. He is an inspiration to us all.

D'Elle

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Well, prospective adopters have come along for Kelso; a couple. I have not met them yet, but spoke with her on the phone today, and she is coming to meet him on Sunday. I have such mixed feelings, as is no doubt understandable. This woman sounds uniquely suitable for Kelso, having not only rehabilitated a very frightened and shut down dog previously (a dog she then had for 16 years), but that dog was a BC. She said Kelso's story reminded her of her own dog.

 

In thinking of his going to a new home, my greatest fear was always that the person would thinkthey understood what it would take to take on Kelso, but would really have no idea, just as I had no idea when I took him as a foster. To adopt Kelso you gotta really want to do what it takes, and for as long as it takes, to gain his trust; not just be willing to do it. This woman sounds that way; she wants a project dog. I guess I never really thought that person would come along.

 

If it works out, it will be truly bittersweet for me. I have grown to love Kelso deeply and have a hard time imagining my home without his quirky sweetness. How he puts his front paws up on my bed, crossed so daintily, first thing in the morning, and how he squeals with glee when he is about to be let out. So many things about him have become a part of my life. And now he may be about to graduate.

 

We agreed that if it all works out, he will not go home with them the first meeting, but perhaps on the second or third. I think that would be easier for Kelso, although I don't really know. It's hard not to project into Kelso's feelings (which I shouldn't do), and worry that he will think I have sent him away if he gets adopted. I know I will worry about him no matter what.......but so it goes.

 

I will keep you all informed.

:)

D'Elle

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Hang in there D'Elle. You prayed for this day, you wanted this day. And eventually you will love this day.

 

Unless that is he's in his forever home now and you've been kidding yourself.

 

If you remember Raven was a bit like Kelso. Not near as bad but still,

She is so normal now, except she is old and age is showing. No one recognizes her for the scared shy dog she was. I don't even bother to tell or remember her past, I only love her for what she is today.

 

Dogs aren't like us. You've taught Kelso a new way of life, you will be sending him to the same type life he is blessed with now. If he could he would thank you from the bottom of his heart and then he'd embrace this new way of living. This is the life he has now, Don't hold on to the past because if you do, so will he.

 

Also, this new person won't have to work half as hard as you to end up with a dog that she'll love forever, thanks to your work. She will be blessed in the same way you and Kelso are.

 

Good luck and keep us posted.

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Good idea, beachdogz. Maybe I should make it a "condition" of his adoption! ;)

But seriously, if he is adopted, I will require updates, and also will be going to visit him when possible at least for the first few months. So I will be able to update you all at least some. It is funny that I am talking as though he will probably go to them, and I have not met them yet. But I have to admit, I have a pretty good feeling about it. I have always felt that if the right person came along I would know it, so I think I will probably know when I meet them.

D'Elle

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Just a thought. If the new family works out I really think you should caution her about holding Kelso's past to close to the present.

Most of us only get to imagine what our foster dogs had to go through. She will have this thread as a testament to what he has come through. Which is good but could cause some heart strings to stay taunt with his old sorrow.

 

I really do believe you have to let the past go to embrace the future. Make sure she does too. It would be easy for her to relive all the yucky stuff and help Kelso stay in that helpless state.

 

I want the best for him so much, I just had to mention my thoughts. Like I said before, I don't even remember or think about what Raven went through and I think that's a good thing.

 

waiting for your news.....

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Yes, what Kristin said!

 

I am so happy for you and for Kelso, and I sincerely hope this works out for everyone involved. You have worked so hard and so has he, to build a bond of trust and for him to find that he can come out of his shell into a world of safety and love.

 

But I wouldn't be honest if I didn't tell you that I am crying to read this latest development. His story has touched my heart, as it has other people's, and it's all been because of your efforts that this sweet dog has been able to find the enjoyments of a more normal dog life.

 

I helped with a dog who was not at all as much damaged as Kelso but who was, in his own way, similarly shut down and afraid to trust. My daughter was fostering him for a little while, and then I did foster him for a very short while, and both of us had a very hard time passing him on to the rescue that rehomed him.

 

We wondered if anyone could love him like we had grown to love him in a very short time. We wondered if someone would understand him, have the patience it would take to help him find release from his fears and inhibitions, and would be able to make his life whole.

 

And he was placed, via a reputable rescue, into a home with a couple that had a previously-rescued little bitch - where he has had a most wonderful life - with a best-friend girl dog, kind and understanding and patient owners, and everything a dog like Holden (now Finn) could ever want.

 

He has gone from being too apprehensive to move off being flat on the floor to being a happy, playful, secure dog. He'll always have his limits, but he is living life to the full - and that is my hope and wish for dear Kelso.

 

Very, very best wishes to you all!

 

PS - It's hard to type when my eyes are leaking like this...must be allergies or something.

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Sue R, good grief, I think I must have the same allergies you have, 'cause I got leaky reading your post. :rolleyes::)

 

I am not working today so I decided to re-read this whole thread. Ack! What a looooong thread! I wonder if this isn't one of the longest threads on the boards. I gotta find some way to preserve it for my future reference.

 

It has been very interesting for me to read. I am extremely grateful to the boards, and to all of you, for allowing and encouraging me to write all of this here, because if I had not made a record there are many things I would have forgotten, especially the timing of various things. And the way that he would make progress and then slide back again into Fear, over and over. And how discouraged I would get at times. Every time I got discouraged you all would buck me up again and make useful suggestions. I don't know how I would have done this without you. I know I have said it before, but

THANK YOU

 

I will not be so easily discouraged in the future if I take on another dog similar to Kelso. Looking back, and reading the thread, I realize that all of his progress was forward, even when it did not seem like it to me at the time. And really, it didn't take so very long for him to learn how to be a happy dog, did it?

 

And he has a ways to go, but don't we all? Are we not all still learning every day we are alive? If we are not, then we are not as good as dead, even if we are still walking around? Kelso will inspire me for the rest of my life.

 

I re-read the thread as a way of helping me to get my head around the thought of possibly letting Kelso go. I love him so much, and he and I are so bonded with one another, that it is hard for me to understand how it is even possible for me to do that. Yet, at the same time, it simply feels like the right thing to do, if the people who are interested in him are truly the Right People. One of the many things that stand out for me in re-reading this whole thread is something that Northof49 said back in February, to the effect that when Kelso has his Forever Home he will blossom and make progress that I cannot even forsee. Something in me resonates with this, and it feels true.

 

Although I am sure that if you asked Kelso, he would say that I am His Person and this is his Home, I actually believe that in the long run he may grow more with someone else; someone for whom he is the only dog and the constant companion and Best Buddy. I will always have dogs coming and going. I will always be taking one or more dogs to go dance with me, which is unlikely ever to appeal to Kelso. He and I love each other very much, but I think (and hope) that this has been, for Kelso, a "training love", to teach him that it is possible to love and trust a human being.

 

And, of course, by letting him go I will free up a space in my life and my home for another homeless BC to come in and go out, and another and another and another. I truly believe in "doing small things with great love" as Mother Theresa said. Help one dog. Then help another. And, if anyone is reading this who wonders if fostering is possible for them --- do it. Trust me on this: you will receive so much from the experience that you will be amazed. Kelso has probably taught me more than any other dog I have fostered, and I will be forever grateful for this experience. I truly believe that I am not only a better dog person, but simply a better person in general for having had Kelso in my life.

 

So now we wait and see what happens when we meet up with Kelso's prospective person on Sunday.....

D'Elle

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Well, it is happening. Kelso is about to graduate and go out into the world to have the rest of his life.

 

The folks who came to meet him today were more suitable for him than I ever thought anyone would be. I had a whole mental list of qualifications and qualities and lifestyle characteristics that a person would have to have in order for me to consider them for Kelso's adoption. I did not think anyone would ever come along to fill all of them, but had hoped for at least a majority. Astonishingly, these folks fit all of them. So the decision has been made.

 

Of course I am excited for him and concerned for him and hopeful for him and I guess all the things that one would expect to feel. It will be a happy/sad/happy day when they come to pick him up. I am not at all worried about his new home, but of course concerned that he will be distressed for the first while until he adjusts. I hate for him to go through that, but in the long run it will be the best thing. These folks will give him a wonderful home. Kelso is very lucky.

 

And so am I. Nothing could ever compare to the experience I have had for the last year and a half with this dog. I have learned so much and am so grateful to him. I hope that some day I have the chance to take on another dog who needs as much as Kelso has, because it has been one of the most rewarding things I have ever done.

 

I have a couple of weeks or a little less before they come to pick him up. He will be living about a 2 hour drive away so I can go visit him after he has been there a couple of months and see how he is doing. I am very proud of Kelso and all the hard work he has done to get him to this point.

:)

D'Elle

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I'm sure everyone here is very proud of Kelso and you, and all the hard work he and you have done to get him to this point - just to paraphrase your comment.

 

So I called my daughter in to try and tell her about about Kelso's story and that put me in tears again. I couldn't speak so I just pointed at what you wrote on the screen. Allergies are a bummer, aren't they?

 

Keep us posted, please!

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Oh my goodness! Allergies must be everywhere these days! This story is just so amazing.

 

Sheesh, those darn allergies are here in N. California, too! Went through several tissues reading about Kelso. Can't wait to hear about his new family, and will get more tissues just in case.

 

Ruth and Agent Gibbs

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Update:

Kelso's new Person will be coming to collect him this coming Saturday. After she and her husband drove home yesterday, talking about Kelso all the way, she felt she just couldn't wait to bring him home. Of course, the fact that she feels that way makes me feel really good. I think she would come today if she could. :)

 

I have to say, every interaction and email I have had with her since she met Kelso has only served to reinforce my belief that this is the right home for Kelso. Here is the most amazing part. As I said, I worried that someone would think they could handle the work Kelso needs still but would not really be prepared for it. The best part is that this wonderful woman has already been down that road with a border collie who came to her after suffering unspeakable abuse. She says Kelso reminds her so much of that dog it is amazing. He was the way Kelso was at first - completely shut down, couldn't walk, etc. She not only rehabilitated him, but kept him until he died of old age at the age of 18! I do not have to worry about Kelso. :)

 

My ABCR coordinators say this just proves once again that for every rescue dog there really is the perfect person who will be found eventually.

 

Of course, my emotions are on a roller-coaster. But it is all good.

 

She wants to join these Boards and to post about Kelso, so that we may all keep up with his story. It is wonderful to her ---and to me--- that so many people care about him. Thank you all for caring for this exceptional dog.

D'Elle

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I suspect anyone here who has followed Kelso's story on the boards has learned something invaluable. Thank you for helping him and for sharing your journey together. I'm sure Saturday will be bittersweet, but the peace of mind that comes with knowing Kelso has at long last found the forever home he has always deserved, is priceless.

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Please, please make sure Kelso's new owner posts here.... I look forward to hearing how much more progress is made. I have heard to many times people express that they do not want a rescue or a shelter dog because they do not want someone else's problem, thank goodness there are people who do not view it as a problem but a challenge. Good luck to you all. I know that releasing Kelso will be very hard, but you have given him a wonderful gift.

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Hello fellow animal lovers!

 

My name is Annmarie and my husband are I are Kelso's new people. :)

We are so very excited to pick him up this Saturday!

 

I know it will be an adjustment for Kelso but we'll all manage...I just know it. It will take time and patience but I have faith that we will get there. He reminds me very much of an abused/neglected border collie mix that I once rescued. I had my beloved "Brandon" for a very very long time...he was wonderful! Of course, Brandon was always a bit "different" that your average dog but that was ok with me. We had so many wonderful years and adventures together. I think Kelso is going to come around just the same. I can tell that he has a very beautiful soul. I look forward to sharing many fun adventures with Kelso. I can't wait to take him for long walks, hiking, playing ball/tug and anything else he wants to do. He so much deserves to feel the joy of being alive. His foster mom has already made SO much progress with him...bless her heart!! Thank goodness for wonderful foster people! I will certainly keep you updated on Kelso's progress. I will post again sometime after we pick him up on Saturday.

 

Best wishes to all and thank you for caring so much about all these wonderful creatures.

 

 

More very soon... :)

 

 

Annmarie

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