Over the Rainbow Bridge

If you know Kelly, you most definitely have heard about Sadie the borderstaffy. Sadie was Kelly’s heart dog and companion of six years. Kelly adopted Sadie at the age of 6½ after she retired from a life of flyball. Sadie was a spitfire and had an independent spirit but always needed to be sure where her sheep/mama Kelly was. She taught Kelly the joy of living in the moment, getting dirty, and letting go. She loved to travel with her family and ran off-leash through forests, hiked mountains, and swam in the ocean. She challenged Kelly by teaching her about separation anxiety and resource guarding. Sadie is the reason why Kelly prefers her female dogs a little “spicy.” She crossed the rainbow bridge in 2022 at the age of 12½ after living a life full of adventure.

Kelly adopted Boone from Forever Paws Animal Shelter in Fall River, MA when he was 1½. Boone was incredibly fearful of the outside world and often struggled outside of his home/yard. He taught Kelly about fearfulness, reactivity, and resource guarding. Despite his challenges, Boone loved his small circle of people and his dog friends. He also taught his human to laugh at the small stuff and to live mindfully with those she loves.

Kelly met Dozer when he was living at the Rhode Island SPCA. He was a sweet senior boy who loved people, dogs, and cats. He was adopted out through Handsome Dan’s Rescue to Kelly’s fiance, Joe. Without Dozer, Kelly and Joe would’ve never met. He was truly a unicorn and wonderful ambassador for the breed.

While Molly wasn’t Kelly’s personal dog, she was just as influential. Kelly started nannying for Molly’s family right out of college. Molly was a young Great Dane mix who pulled like a freight train on leash. Kelly learned that much of the training advice on the internet made her uncomfortable due to the use of force and intimidation. It was then Kelly learned about positive reinforcement dog training and taught Molly using the most powerful training tools—science and kindness.