Some of the dogs Dave raised became guide dogs, some therapy dogs and one a breeder. The breeder dog's name was Meg... (Megan when she got in trouble :o) Meg had four beautiful litters of puppies, in which those puppies grew up to have a working career. Meg has always been a favorite of mine... and not just because we share the same name!
In October of 2010, Dave and his wife Kathy went on vacation. While away, Dave became very ill and was rushed to the emergency room. After returning home, and several tests and doctor visits, we received news that Dave Kelly, our beloved Area Coordinator, was diagnosed with Mesothelioma (cancer of the lungs). Not sure about the rest of the puppy group, but I was devastated to hear the news. I'm not ashamed to say I shed quite a few tears. It just didn't seem real. Not only was Dave Kelly an awesome AC, he was one of the first people whom I met at my very first puppy meeting. He was a HUGE encouragement and made puppy raising a wonderful experience.
Meg, Dave's breeder dog, was pregnant at the same time and was due to have her puppies in December. On December 22nd, six little bundles of fur came into the world. Little did I know, one of those puppies was to be a South Shore puppy!
Dave Kelly passed away right before Christmas of 2010. It went so quickly. Thankfully we were able to stop by before he passed to say our hello's and goodbyes. All he talked about was how beautiful Meg's pups were going to be. He loved on my Ellie, and gave us all a huge hug. So hard.
Puppy raising is a totally different experience without our beloved Dave.
Since Dave passed, the South Shore Puppy Group decided to raise money to name a puppy in honor of Dave Kelly. We had to raise $3000. Naming right's don't come cheap! Our group worked very hard to raise the money!
I had a thought one day, since Meg just had puppies, how cool would it be if we could name one of HER pups... Meg, the dog Dave raised!?!?
Super long story short, I get a call from our fabulous, now AC, Sue Croley, saying "Meagan, we have a Meg puppy that we've been allowed to name and we need a raiser!".
I was ecstatic! It gives me shivers to think how awesome the relationship this puppy has with his mom, Meg and "Grandpa" Dave!!!
Ladies and Gentleman, allow me to introduce, in honor of Dave Kelly, Dave 3FF10...
Southeastern Guide Dogs: Thank you for allowing me to raise one of Meg's handsome boys!
South Shore Puppy Raisers: We did it! $3000 and we still have the Fun Fest to do! See you there!
Kathy Kelly: Thank you for naming Meg's puppy, Dave. I'll bring him to meet you soon!
More posts... coming soon...
He is too cute Meagan! If he goes missing don’t come looking for him up here;) Hope he slept through the night!
ReplyDeleteWow - thank you for your post and making me cry. It is wonderful to hear how my Dad was an encouragement.
ReplyDeleteBryan
Meagan,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing this story! It was wonderful to meet you and your family (and Ellie last winter when I was there with my Dad). Your visit brought so much joy to him! It makes me smile to know a little "Dave" puppy is running around getting into trouble and, no doubt, gobbling up whatever food he can get close to :o)
I wish you all the best with your puppy raising and we look forward to meeting Davey some day.
Love,
Brenda
What an amazing story and I'm so happy it worked out to have one of Meg's pups named after her raiser! He sounds like he was a much-loved man with a lot of influence, and thankfully his namesake's journey will be remembered forever through this blog. Great job, and I'm so happy for you, despite the pain. Welcome, Dave!
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