Kelsey's father Andrew had been attending medical school at the largest city on the East state line and would come home when he could but sometimes it was only for Christmas break. Andrew missed out on a lot of Kelsey's early years. You could say he was an absentee father. A lot of evenings instead of talking to his daughter on the phone he would go out with his college mates.

Kelsey kept saying I don't want a pet but even their family doctor said that was what she exactly needed. Maxine bought a dog from the pound that a friend of her husband recommended. Maxine told him that Kelsey would be more cooperative if she thought he or she was a stray and had no home. The veterinarian helped Maxine with making sure Kelsey got her dog. He had a girl dog which was five years old and the couple who had her couldn't take her to the nursing home with them.

He made sure that Maxine was away for the afternoon with Kelsey and left the dog in the girl's playhouse. He settled her in and made it look as though she had overturned the table blocking herself in the playhouse. The dog was in there when they came home and later that evening around seven the dog started barking and whinnying. Maxine and Kelsey stepped outside and heard the noise. Maxine knew exactly where the veterinarian was going to leave her at.

She told Kelsey to check every building on the right side while she checked on the left side. Kelsey found the dog and when Maxine came in she begged her to let her keep the dog. Maxine said honey we have to find her owners for her. She called the veterinarian to see if they could bring the dog in before he closed at nine. They took the dog to the veterinarian's office.

He told them that she ran away from the pound due to she wasn't happy there and she had no home to go to so she would be returned to the pound. Kelsey cried and begged him and Maxine to let her have him the veterinarian said I'm afraid that you can't keep him but you can keep her so what named are you going to name her.

Kelsey named her Isabel after her best friend. Kelsey asked him what kind of dog it was. He told her that her new baby was a Husky German mix and she needed a lot attention especially room to run and someone to run with her. He asked Kelsey if she could do that. Maxine took Kelsey and her new baby home to settle her into her new surroundings.