MacKenzie La Chute
2/1/2010-12/24/2022

Kenzie was our most talkative sheltie. Sometimes we called her the Barking Queen, although breeders preferred the euphamism that she was" sound sensitive". In reality, Kenzie just liked to express herself, and she had a lot to say.

She had a laundry list of things that annoyed her ranging from any type of power tool--from lawnmowers and leaf blowers to vacuum cleaners and hair dryers. But her annoyance was also expressed about anything with a handle from brooms and mops to rakes and shovels. And, oh yes, she was not very fond of the sounds of aluminum foil being unrolled or of knives being sharpened. She truly had supersonic hearing, barking as soon as the door where the packing tape--another of the items on her verboten list--was stored while she was outside!

But Kenzie did way more than bark. She was a consant companion. She was always first on line to get in the car for a ride. Over the years, we walked miles in area parks and trails as well as our neighborhood, helping me take off many pounds. Even on her second-to-last last day with us she walked the neighborhood with me. She was also my dining companion everywhere from Wendys--chicken nuggets and fries--to Davidson Brothers in Glens Falls--chicken breast-- where we could order for her off their pet menu. When serving staff at restaurants that she had not visited before expressed concern that she (and her brother) might cause a disturbance, we would assure them they would be less of a problem than a table full of kids. And, often when the meal was over, they would tell us we were right.

Kenzie went on bike rides (in a trailer), which often featured ice cream, and rode on our pedal powered sea cycle on Lake George. She participated in a 20-mile Adirondack bike ride knownas Ididabike. She traveled with us to Florida each winter and to Rockport, MA each fall and anywhere else we journeyed, always the perfect companion. As time began to weaken her back legs she enjoyed being toured around in a wagon, always content to let admirers pet her. She waited patiently at stairs for one of us to carry her up and down. People said she led a charmed life...we were the ones who were charmed...

Kenzie was nothing if not sociable. If anyone was behind us when we were walking, we had to stop and wait for them to catch up so she could greet them and con a pet or two out of them. Needless to say it made for very long, slow walks!

With her luxurious coat Kenzie seemed immune to the cold and would insist on staying out in the yard even when the snow covered her. We would have to force her to come in. In the summer she would dig a hole for herself to reach the cool earth. Outside, regardless of the weather, was her favorite spot. Inside, Kenzie's favorite spot for rest and sleep was the cool tile floor of the master bath. That was not an issue since it was large enough and she had staked out a spot that was generally out of the way...unless you wanted to shower...then you could just slide her out of the way. However, her sleeping preference did pose a problem in the unit we rented in Florida. The bathroom was tiny but Kenzie insisted on sleeping wrapped around the toilet, making for some creative maeuvering for those humans wishing to take seat!

Kenzie arrived as the younger sister to Cooper and left as the older sister of Griffin. In both roles she was ever the good sibling rarely showing any annoyance,even when some was appropriate!

Kenzie was the Kenz, the Kenzarino, Kenzette, the Lovely Lady, the Little Lady Dog, Kenzie Wenzy, Mouth, and many more things...but mostly she was a sweet, loving companion whose presence is sorely missed.

--Kenzie's mom