Up next in our Fox & Hound series is Kelly DeWitt. You likely know her as the mastermind woodworker behind KKDW, or the genius behind this fun summer DIY, but to Ellie and Samson, she’s just Mom. Keep reading for a glimpse into Kelly’s life with her two hilarious fur babies…
Your name: Kelly DeWitt, owner of KKDW
Your dog’s names, ages and breeds: Ellie is 4 years old and a super-mut, probably with Golden Retriever & White Shepherd in her. Samson is 6, and he’s an English Retriever. Part Polar Bear.
- How did Samson and Ellie come into your life? In the summer of 2011, I was at a farmer’s market and stopped at one of the booths to pet a sweet little yellow puppy. One of the guys working told me he had rescued the pup from his friend’s farm, and that the friend had more puppies in the litter he was looking to give away to good homes. Long story short, the friend drove the puppies an hour and a half up to the farmer’s market, and I left the market with a little guy we named Fox. About a year later, we discovered that a friend of a friend was at that same farmer’s market and adopted the runt of the litter — Fox’s twin sister named Ellie. One thing led to another, and we adopted Ellie, too… a no-brainer! Fox & Ellie were inseparable twins who had an almost ESP-like connection; they recognized each other from the moment they were reunited. Sadly, Fox passed away early on in 2014, and we were shocked and heart-broken. At the end of 2014, Travis, Ellie, and I were in Midland for a family Christmas party, and that’s when we met Samson: a big ol’ teddybear who needed to be re-homed. He became part of our little family in seconds. The two of them are incredible together, and the connection they have is one of the most loving and generous I’ve ever seen in animals or humans.
- Your favorite thing about your dogs: Their personalities! They are huge goofballs with distinct interests and traits.
- Your favorite thing to do with Samson and Ellie: Travel. We hardly fly anywhere; we are always taking road trips so the whole gang can come along. We love to swim and hike together, and the dogs go bananas in the best way possible in the snow.
- The weirdest thing your dogs do: Gosh, where to start? They’re characters. Ellie is a bit of an independent gal, but every night she sleeps curled up in our bed, and every morning she’ll wake up, nose me awake, stretch, and then sneeze. Like, sneeze a lot. She’ll be super, super sweet and snuggly, all the while letting out these uncontrollable tiny sneezes. Recently, Samson has started with the early-morning sneezes too. They’re such dorks. The funniest thing Samson does is go swimming alone. He’ll be out just paddling around, splashing up a storm all by himself, not a care in the world. It’s beautiful.
- The naughtiest thing Samson or Ellie has ever done: Ellie’s pretty predictable and responsible these days, but early in Samson’s time with the fam, he ate a pair of Travis’s jeans and two pairs of Travis’s boots, and once he ate a chair in a hotel we were staying in. We managed to repair the chair before anyone got wise, luckily.
- If your dogs were a person, living or dead, who would they be and why? Samson is the Amy Poehler to Ellie’s Tina Fey, absolutely… smart, funny, beautiful BFFs and co-conspirators.
