On June 21st the world lost another great rodeo performer. The Amazing Kelsey was one of the greatest animal acts in the history of rodeo. She was featured in newspapers, magazines and even on television. She lost her battle to cancer and for many who enjoyed her act over the last decade will be greatly missed. The following is a post her owner, Bert Davis, made on RodeoBoards.om the message boards of the Rodeo Attitude Network:
"On June 21 we lost Kelsey. The cancer she had was like an aneurysm and the vets warned us that a blood vessel wall could break and she would bleed out. If that happened, there would be nothing we could do. We had hoped that Hoxsey’s Tonic would shrink the tumors and keep that from happening. During our trip to Center Texas, it happened. While we were at a fuel stop, Frannie was going to give Kelsey her noon treatment when Kelsey came into the trailer she collapsed. She got back up with my help and Frannie gave her the treatment. We arrived at Center, and Kelsey wasn’t perky, like she had been for the last ten days. We brought her in the trailer and put her on our bed for comfort, but her breathing was rapid and shallow, like she couldn’t get enough oxygen and she acted colicky. But she still kept her eyes on us. Her eyes were bright and loving. Within an hour she was gone. She went quickly with a lot of dignity.
Later I took her to her bed and covered her with the WNFR jacket they gave me last year, and put the new buckle they gave us for performing. I just wish it was the one they presented when she was on the Gold Coast stage during the nightly award buckle presentation. That is one question I have for anyone out there, if you have photos of us on the Gold Coast stage we would sure love to have them. Her choker chain is draped over one of her plaques for nomination as PRCA Comedy Act of the Year Finalist.
When all this happened we didn’t have cell service and upon hearing the news Doug Mathis sent this text message – “This is what I think, God needed the Greatest Rodeo Cowboy and the Greatest Rodeo Animal Entertainer to walk into the gates of Heaven together. He needed THE AMAZING KELSEY! He needed THE BLUE DOG!” Thank you Doug for summing it up. After all both Kelsey and Jim Shoulders are from Oklahoma.
The Klein Family and the Shelby County Committee helped us with arrangements of getting Kelsey cremated. We took her to Nacogdoches the next morning and we will be taking Kelsey’s remains with us as we travel. She will join the other 17 pounds of ashes of all the other trick animals that I have had over my career that we carry in the trailer with us. After we laid Kelsey on her bed we brought the Muttley Crew in to say their final goodbyes. Remember some of these dogs had been with Kelsey for the ten years we had her. They all knew that they had lost the star of the show, so at the performances on Friday and Saturday nights the Muttley Crew stepped up several notches in their performance.
Through all of this there is one thing I would like to see and that is having PRCA Contract Personnel ANIMALS inducted into the Hall of Fame. There are bucking horses and bulls, and timed event horses, but nothing for Contract Personnel Animals. Since there is the precedent with the other animals, then we should have performing animals inducted as well. I feel that Kelsey is one of them.
Again thank all of you for your support through this ordeal.
I want to write the stories of Kelsey traveling and performing across North America for the last ten years and call it the Amazing Kelsey’s Memoirs. I will be adding quotes from people about Kelsey. So if you have any thoughts or stories to share, please send them to me or post them so they can be included. I know she has touched a bunch of you out there."
If there was ever a rodeo dog that deserved to be in the Hall of Fame it would be the Amazing Kelsey. I know that to Bert Kelsey was not just a dog but a member of his family and our thoughts and prayers go out to him.
