Our foster was a little black brindle whose coat was ravaged by a flea allergy. Perhaps it was her motley appearance or the fact that she hid her head between Tom’s legs whenever we took her to a meet and greet, but she did not get adopted. She also had a propensity for trying to run away.  She burrowed out under our backyard fence and more than once , she squeezed past us to dart  out the door when it was opened. Finally one day, my husband stated that if she could do this with us, she would certainly escape if she was adopted. Actually, he had fallen in love. So-o- we adopted her ourselves and she became my husband’s girl.

 

Kippy was our second greyhound. She began her second career with PetPals, a pet therapy ministry which we founded at our church in 1989 and became registered with Therapy Dogs Inc. in 2004. Kippy visited nursing homes, assisted living facilities, Give Kids the World, and participated in the PAWS program at the Orange County Library. She appeared in TV shows, newspaper articles, and attended numerous events to promote greyhounds for adoption and for therapy dogs.

 

 Kippy blossomed into a beautiful happy girl who spend many hours on the sofa with my husband dozing as they watched the race cars go a round and around the racetrack., accompanying Tom on his runs 3 times a week, walking daily, making pet visits to cheer the young and old, and enjoying her forever-after home.

 

Eventually, Kippy became the senior at age 13. We coddled her as befitting her status as the matriarch of our dogs. She slept all night in her beanbag until she awoke in the morning and started barking really loud to announce it was time for a walk. She danced and pranced down the front acreage taking a short cut when she became too winded. This was repeated when it the heat of the day had dissipated, generally after she had dinner. In the evening she coaxed as many treats from us as she could. She became very vocal.

 

On September 14, three days into a vacation to visit our daughter and son-in-law, we were devastated to learn that Kippy had sustained a traumatic fracture of her right leg and we had to let her go. We could hardly believe that this was happening. We had always been there for her and now we could not see her and hold her for one last time. We sat in our car at the Rocky Mountain. National Park and cried. The hurt is fading but our  love for her and the memories of this precious girl will remain in our heads and hearts forever.

Gail & Tom Smith

Founders of PetPals, Members of GPA/GO and        

 "Be an Angel" Therapy Dogs Ministry, TDI Inc

"O Lord, you do preserve both man and beast" Ps. 36:6