Keeley Jones & I fall in love
First came Boxer, the first dog my brother and his new wife had. When they had their firstborn, the two of them were inseparable. When old age and cancer finally took him away, we all felt a great loss. My brother didn’t want another dog, as he felt as though Boxer couldn’t be replaced (which was true).
But his wife convinced him to get another dog, and Titan came into our lives. The kids were teens now, and this became his wife’s dog. He was much smaller, but cute as a button and it was fun to have a little dog around as part of our larger family gathering’s. But sadly dog cancer took him too, much earlier than anyone had planned. My brother’s family was crushed. I felt like they would not get another dog, the loss was just too hard on them.
But within a year, they found Keeley Jones at an animal shelter. She was a mess of unkept hair, but the wife once again took Keeley under her wing, groomed and had her trained, and we all quickly fell back in love. Dog’s have a way of seeping into the souls of those that take good care of them.
Keeley only saw me when I came back to utah for Thanksgiving, Christmas and the occasional summer weekend. I liked her, but didn’t ever stay long enough to build a closer relationship. That changed this year when I spent most of the summer at my brother’s house. Keeley and I fell in love. Hard.
It started simply with just hanging on my lap for loves in the evening as we all watched TV, as Keeley went to work with my brother and his wife. But then Keeley started scratching her little paws on my bedroom door each morning for some loves. That lead me to leaving my door open at night so she could come in by herself. Her kinetic energy as she jumped onto my bed always put a smile on this old face. It has been decades since I felt this kind of affection for a dog.
Over the next six weeks, we knew each other’s routines. She would get her belly scratched each morning, then Keeley would watch me as I worked out. Then she would race outside to get her seat as I followed her with my morning cup of coffee. She was always ready for a nice long walk outside, then back to just getting loves from me as I worked on various art projects, yardwork, or just relaxing with a movie or TV show.
Sad was the day that I had to leave to drive back home to Arizona. Keeley felt the same way, in the way only a dog can feel such an emotion. I can not wait to be back in Utah at the end of October to see my love. It also convinced me that I finally need my own dog, a companion to be with me during this retired life I find myself in. Something to care for that will love me unconditionally.
