Introducing Keche – Our Celeb Furry Friend

“Celeb dog?” Mmmm…

Yes, Keche – our dog, is a celebrity. No kidding!

She’s got the looks, the talent, and the right connections. It hasn’t always been like this.

She started from the bottom. Literally!

From a slum, where her previous family abandoned her. We don’t know how she survived there for almost 3 months, but when she was rescued, she was malnourished, was infested with fleas but her teeth were intact! Thank God!

So, why is she a celebrity?

Celebrities have stories, right? And Keche’s story is an inspiring one. She is also the most beautiful dog I have ever seen. I’m not just saying that because she’s mine. She really is gorgeous!

When we first saw her at the foster home, we fell in love with her immediately. She didn’t like me at first but she loved my wife and we both loved her right when we saw her! We knew we had to adopt her.

And so we did.

Since then, Keche has been the apple of our eye. She’s such a good girl! And she knows it too.

Look at her;

She’s got all the tricks in the book – from sit, to stay, to shake hands, to roll over, to speak, and to high five. She loves showing off her tricks and she knows she gets treats whenever she does them.

But her most impressive trick by far is her ability to balance things on her head. It’s unbelievable! She can balance a tennis ball, a Frisbee, a toy, or even a treat on her head and she will stay like that until you tell her to move.

It’s really quite something to see.

And because of this incredible talent, she has been featured on local news stations, in magazines, and even on national TV!

Yes, our little Keche is a celebrity dog and we are so proud of her!

Keche means a star, a good befitting name for her:

We named our dog Keche, a short Kalenjin word “Kecheiyat”, which means a star. After naming her Keche, we realized that Keche is also a popular Afrobeat Ghanian musical band but don’t think we’ll run into the problem of having two famous Keches in the family.

Keche is a mutt dog with a dominant Jack Russell Terrier breed. Jack Russell Terrier, is a breed of small terrier that is principally white-bodied and smooth, rough or broken-coated. They were originally bred for fox hunting in England. Their tenacious tracking instinct and fearless nature remain intact today.

About our Adoption Process

We adopted Keche from TNT Trust, a registered trust that rescues dogs and cats -offering them homes, and health services such as vaccination, and sterilization, among others. TNT is a wonderful organization that rescues dogs and cats in urban areas with a mission “to contribute to creating; a manageable healthy population of cats and dogs, education on animal welfare and the eradication of rabies”

They had named her Barbie when they rescued her and the foster parents named her Nola before we renamed her again to Keche. Kecheiyat is a star in Kalenjin and Keche has a star at the back.

The Shelter posted the image below of Keche. She must have been around 5 yo 6 months when this picture was taken.

Below is a Facebook posting advertising the availability of Keche for adoption;

It’s been three months since we adopted Keche into our family. We adopted her just as she was turning one year old and we are so happy to have her. She is a Jack Russell Terrier breed and is the most active dog I’ve ever seen. Keche loves to play fetch and will do it for hours if we let her. She also loves to go on walks and runs, and she has so much energy.

After adoption:

We were lucky that she was already neutered and up to date on her shots. However, she was not microchipped and we had to get that done right away. We also had to get her a collar and ID tag. The whole process of first seeing Keche at her foster home, it took us 3 days to finally get her home.

The first day was difficult. She seemed lost and confused. She also seemed very cozy with my wife but was a bit more hesitant with me. I think she just needed some time to adjust and feel comfortable in her new home. After a few days, she started to feel more at home and now she loves everyone in the family.

Having moved to a new State, we had to learn about the different dog laws here. For example, we had to get a license for her right away. We also had to make sure she was up to date on her shots and that we had proof of that.

Typical Schedule for Keche:

We have Keche’s bed in our bedroom and she sleeps there at night. During the day, she has free range of the house and yard. We have a doggy door so she can come and go as she pleases. She usually spends most of her time outside but will come in to eat and drink and then go back out again.

In the morning, she has breakfast and goes for a walk with my wife. My wife does 2 miles with her and Keche loves it. After the walk, she has breakfast and then goes back outside to play. She usually plays in the yard by herself but sometimes she will play with our other dog, Mia.

In the afternoon, she comes inside for a little bit to rest and then goes back out again. We don’t usually feed her lunch as she only has two meals in a day – in the morning and in the evening. She takes the noon period to sleep in different shades in our 20k ft. square yard which is more than enough for her to roam around.

She has her evening meal around 6 p.m. We usually feed her at around 6 p.m., and by this time, she has a very good appetite. I usually go for a run with her after dinner, but my wife sometimes joins us, which significantly slows down the time it takes us to finish our run. Nonetheless, Keche loves it and we always come home tired but happy.

Once we’re back from our run, Keche has a little playtime in the yard before she comes inside for the night. We usually brush her before bed and she sleeps in our room. I should clarify that teeth brushing is entirely my wife’s domain – I have no interest in getting close to those teeth! This summer we’ve had so many fireflies and Keche likes to play with them as soon as they are out – which is around the time the sun sets.

She can spend up to 2 hours playing around with them. At times, we have to call her inside because she gets too excited and starts barking. But it’s all in good fun and she always comes when we call her.

ed her!

Routine Vet Visits:

We plan to take Keche for a routine vet visit every 6 months as we do with our other dogs. We have to make sure she is up to date on her shots and that she is healthy. We also have to get her teeth checked and cleaned every 6 months. This is important because Jack Russell Terriers are prone to dental problems.

Food we decided to feed Keche

Having had some background in pet nutrition, I was dead set on the brand we’re gonna feed our daughter and had to talk to my wife about my decision. Jack Russells are very active dogs and they need good quality food to fuel their bodies. With about 1.5x RER requirement as other regular dogs at her age, I had to analyze which brands were heavy on fat but was also decent in protein content and quality. Fat has a high-calorie density which is good for our little girl since she’s very active and doesn’t need to bulk up on carbohydrates.

In terms of protein, I wanted to pick a brand that used a high-quality named protein source that has all the 10 essential amino acids that dogs require to sustain their health. Brands using meals from chicken, turkey, or US-sourced fish were my top choices as these three sources have high rates of bioavailability and digestibility – upwards of 85% to 95% which is excellent.

There are a few health issues that Jack Russell Terriers are prone to and we wanted to make sure that her food would help reduce the risk or severity of these problems. Some of the health issues include:

– Dental problems

– Joint problems

– Obesity

– Allergies

– Skin problems

Joint problems are common in large-breed dogs but some small and medium-size breeds can also be affected. Jack Russell Terriers are one of the breeds that can have joint problems. This is why we wanted to make sure that her food had glucosamine and chondroitin – two ingredients that help support joint health. Issues with joints are not common in young dogs but we wanted to make sure that we are doing everything we can to prevent any problems in the future.

Dental problems are also common in Jack Russell Terriers. This is why it’s important to get their teeth checked and cleaned regularly. We also wanted to make sure that her food had ingredients that would help support dental health. Ingredients with anti-tartar properties such as Yucca Schidigera extract and zinc acetate can help reduce the build-up of tartar on teeth. Hard kibble is also good for dental health as it helps reduce plaque and tartar build-up.

Obesity is a common problem in dogs and Jack Russell Terriers are no exception. This is why we wanted to make sure that her food was not too high in calories. We also wanted to make sure that the food had ingredients that would help her maintain a healthy weight. L-carnitine is an ingredient that helps burn fat and maintain a healthy weight.

Allergies are also common in dogs and Jack Russell Terriers can be allergic to certain ingredients in their food. This is why we wanted to make sure that her food was hypoallergenic. We also wanted to make sure that the ingredients in her food were easily digestible.

Jack Russell Terriers are also prone to skin issues. This is why we wanted to make sure that her food had ingredients that would help support healthy skin and coat. Omega-3 fatty acids such as EPA and DHA are good for skin and coat health.

Amounts of food we feed Keche daily

We give Keche a cup of dry food twice a day. This is the recommended amount by the vet and it’s also what the pet food company recommends. Each bowl has 500 kCal and considering that Keche’s RER or resting energy requirement is around 1000 kCal per day, this meets her needs perfectly. She also gets a few treats here and there especially when training and this is also accounted for in her daily caloric intake.

Keche’s current weight is 25 pounds and she is expected to reach her adult weight of around 30 to 45 pounds by the time she is 2 years old. She is currently 15 months old.

Keche’s Bed:

We got Keche a decent-sized bed when we first got her and she loves it. It’s big enough for her to stretch out in and she usually sleeps in it at night. During the day, she often naps in it or just lounges around in it. We also have a few blankets that we put in her bed for her to use.

We got the bed for about $20 from a local shelter that also sells dog accessories.

Below are some images of Keche in her bed;

Keche in the car during a recent road trip:

Keche trying to be playful with me in the couch;

Keche basking in the sun;

Keche is in a good mood with her mom in the photo below;

Keche’s dirty feet after going for a walk;

Image of me washing Keche with some new dog shampoo we recently got;