My very first fur-baby was a large toy/small miniature poodle I named Kissy. (Her AKC registration shows her as Katie Scarlett of Tara. I spelled her call name KSie but figured no one would know how to say it, hence the easy spelling. And, yes, I did name her after “Scarlett O’Hara” from Gone With The Wind, my favorite movie at the time.) As a puppy she would give me sweet, tiny kisses on my nose, so the easy spelling of her name fit perfectly.

Kissy was born on Mother’s Day, 1988, which was the 8th of May that year. So, she is celebrating birthday #35 today in Heaven. She was my birthday present to myself for my own 35th birthday. I just gave away my age. Horrors! 🤣 I actually brought her home from her breeder’s house when she was about 3-1/2 months old.

Kissy was a sweet puppy and adult; but she was shy around kids, so it took her a little while to warm up to my stepson, who was nine years old at the time. But once she did, they were best buddies for the rest of her life.

Kissy was my baby, my best friend, and the canine love of my life. When it came time to let her go to Heaven (December 5, 2003), I was devastated. I scheduled her final visit with our vet; and Sam and I took a long weekend off from work and left straight from the vet for Savannah, Georgia. There was no way I could have stayed in the house without her those first few days. But I knew my Mom and our three family poodles would be waiting for her to welcome her and take care of her for me.

I still talk to her, just as I do her younger angel siblings, every night. Kissy will always be my first baby and special to me in her own right. I’ve long since adapted to life without her – as I have Callie, Shadow, Radar, Bogie, and Ducky – but I do miss her as much as I miss the others. I just have to believe we will be reunited when it’s my time to go.