Here's Zelly!

It's been in the works for a while, but I hesitated to say anything for fear of jinxing it. I'd been looking for a dog to take over as my daughter, Jessica's, next ESA as we all knew Westley's life was coming to a close. He wasn't tolerating chemo this second time around, and though he rallied for a few weeks, pneumonia took him sooner than we'd thought. We'd planned a road trip, knowing it would be his last one, to meet and bring home a puppy, a puppy he could take under his wing and raise for just a while, and feel confident knowing my daughter was taken care of when he was gone. Then, he was gone in the blink of an eye, but the road trip was still planned and the puppy was still there.

I'd been following Foxhaven Collies on Facebook for quite a while.  Lise Morgan was doing wonderful things with her collie puppies, giving them a solid foundation through puppy culture, and then moving on to balance work, socialization, confidence building, and public access practice, all the behaviors necessary for producing reliable, well-adjusted, behaviorally sound puppies. Her dogs were not just beautiful on the outside, they were beautiful on the inside as well; healthy minds and healthy bodies.  Actually, I had hoped to acquire one of her puppies someday for myself!  I followed Lise and Bill Morgan's November 2024 litter, enjoying all of the puppy pictures and milestones they achieved. They attended puppy classes, earned AKC Puppy Star titles, and passed their physicals, eye checks, and temperament tests with flying colors.  Lise was transparent, sharing their journey with all of us who follow her, even though the puppies were spoken for. 

Then, as sometimes happens, situations changed. Zelly, one of those amazing puppies in the November litter, was available to the right home.  Lise was looking for an active home, maybe one where the owner would do performance sports with her. She was the female pick of the litter, absolutely gorgeous, and smart as a whip with confidence and moxie.  The perfect female collie, of course.  We'd not had a female collie in our family since Pearl passed away many years ago. She, too, was a beautiful, bright, tri-color smooth collie. I reached out to Lise and simply asked if she'd be willing to discuss placing Zelly in an active home with an owner who would need Zelly to also serve as her ESA. Lise was open to discussing this possible future for Zelly and we began talking. Meanwhile, Westley came out of remission and started a second round of chemotherapy.  

After a handful of phone calls and a Zoom meeting, Lise felt that it would be good to meet in person, to see if Zelly and my daughter had a love connection.  We would be meeting halfway between Colorado and California in a small town in Utah, spending the weekend together to get to know everyone in person. Lise would bring Zelly and her dam, Grace, while we would bring Westley, of course, and Henley.  Ozzie was going to have to sit out this road trip, unfortunately, as his recent spondylosis diagnosis meant that many hours in a car would be uncomfortable for him. We set the date and got excited about meeting in person, sharing photos and updates as we waited. Meanwhile, Westley was having trouble with this round of chemo, needing to skip two of his weekly infusions due to low white blood cell counts.

Then, just days before leaving for Utah, Westley took a turn for the worse, developing a pneumonia. He was hospitalized and stabilized briefly, and though he tried to rally, it was clear that he was struggling, something we couldn't bear to watch.  He was ready to cross the rainbow bridge, though we were far from ready to let him go. 

A decision had to be made. Should we still make the road trip to see this puppy, despite the overwhelming grief my daughter was experiencing over the passing of her beloved boy?  Ultimately, we decided to do it.  We'd committed to meeting Zelly, and she owed it to Westley's memory to see if she could open her heart to another dog. When she met Zelly there was an instant connection.  Zelly was lively and goofy, delivering happy kisses and tail wags.  She'd never met a stranger, considering everyone she met as a new friend,  but she could tell Jessica needed something a bit more.  As we got to know Zelly, it was clear: If Jessica could open her heart and love another dog, not as replacement for Westley, but as the next dog to be her partner, hiking buddy, and ultimately her next ESA, Zelly was the right dog for the job. It was hard to let her go, but Lise agreed that Zelly and Jessica were a good match and would have a wonderful life together, really all she ever wanted for any of her puppies.

So now it's up to Henley, a puppy raised by Westley (with a bit of help from Ozzie and Desi, of course), to help raise this puppy to fill Westley's very big shoes. She isn't a replacement, a distraction, or a knee jerk response to losing a dog. She is, quite simply, Zelly, and she's one-of-a-kind.

Thank you, Lise Morgan, for everything.  I appreciate you so much and am delighted to call you family.

Welcome to your California family Zelly, Foxhaven You Had Me At Hello. We all love you already.

Jessica took this photo which, I think, shows you everything you need to know about her blossoming relationship with Zelly.  Just look at the love in this puppy's eyes as she watches her new owner. Gives me goosebumps!