Jelly

[pip1981]

I have only joined this forum recently, and mainly to talk about my Samoyed puppy, Dakota, but I just thought it would be nice to post some thoughts here about my best childhood friend, our family bitsa, named, by me at age 6, Jelly.

When I was about 4 my family lived in the country on a small block, and some distant friends gave my parents a puppy for me a puppy as a Christmas present (just getting rid of them I'm guessing). She was a Kelpy X, and had been born on a farm to sheep dogs, and was just slightly mad, lol, we named her Cindy. Apparently she knocked me and my little bro over all the time out in the yard, and she started getting out and hassling sheep in neighbouring farm properties. Mum and Dad decided to re-home her, but before they had, she being pregnant by a neighbouring farm dog, apparently a Blue Heeler/Border Collie X with some GSD thrown in for good measure, lol. She raised her pups in the backyard, and Mum picked one to keep before the rest were given away, along with Cindy Can't blame me, I was a little kid

Anyway, as I was only little when the pups came along, they got names like Vegemite and Jam, we kept Jelly. She was a lively pup, but when she was just about 6 m.o, we went away to the beach for a week and left her with neighbours, Mum and Dad say she was never the same after we came back, and at a later date, the woman in the couple that looked after them admitted her husband had punished her physically for barking, at just 6 M.O!!!

She was wary of all men, except Dad, for almost the rest of her life after that! Very sad, but she moved with us to the suburbs when I was 7, and she was always a backyard dog. Now that I know more, and I have control of how my pets live, I feel guilty that Jelly didn't get the attention she deserved by being an outside dog. She loved going for walks, and loved all of the kids in the family and the neighbourhood. If she got out of the yard, Mum had to chase her down the street and carry her back, and she wasn't light, lol. Quite a funny sight, and luckily we have it on video somewhere.

All of us have admitted since her passing, that on more than one occasion we have all had deep and meaningful conversations to Jelly, pouring our hearts out to her and crying while cuddling her, she gave the best cuddles. She would always sit and shake hands and I'm afraid to say, we actually taught her to jump on us, so that's how she greeted us, lol.I think she hated that she couldn't do it in her later years. I will admit, she hardly visited the vet, mostly because she hated going in the car or inside as she was taught she wasn't allowed, and in her very late and frail years, we didn't think it was fair to stress her out.

I'll never forget gardening with her, washing her outside in the summertime, pretending she was an army dog when we dressed up, playing in the sprinkler with her, sunbaking with her as a silly teenager, or taking her for a walk to meet my boyfriend (now fiance) for the first time.

She was probably sick with god know's what for a while before she was P.T.S, but she was still happy when we got home and hungry for her dinner at night, so we let her be. I will admit, I think towards the end I waited for probably a week after I knew with my brain it was the right thing to do, before I actually made the call, but I was only 22, and she was the last thing left that we all shared, that connected me to my childhood, as my parents had already divorced by then. Holding her at the end was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do in my life, but Jelly gave me so much in life, I will never forget her, and I wish she was around now to be spoiled rotten like Dakota.

I love you Jelly. I'm sure most of you had a 'Jelly' of your own...

[Bjelkier]

She sounded like a wonderful girl.

RIP Jelly

[The Funny Farm]

RIP Jelly. Yes your story does bring back memories to me also

[pip1981]

Thanks guys