Nov 27 2006
Cassie Come Home
Our new dog, Cassie.
Remember when we got a puppy, and that only lasted two nights? You don’t? Well, now you know.
After a few days to mull things over, I told Shannon that what I really wanted was another cocker spaniel. Lexie had made us fall in love not only with her, but with the entire breed. They’re pretty, personable, and despite some well-known health problems (ears and eyes), doggoned if they aren’t great pets.
Cockers fit in your lap, but aren’t so small that you lose track of them. They enjoy indoors and outdoors, and can walk along a sidewalk or on a rugged trail. The latter isn’t surprising, since they were originally bred to hunt woodcock (simmer down, now).
Shannon was more than amenable. In fact, she breathed a sigh of relief and got a bit teary-eyed. At about 9:30 the next morning, an e-mail arrived in my inbox. It was from Shannon, and provided a link to DFW Cocker Rescue, a non-profit organization.
At first, I was hesitant, because I didn’t want a psycho dog that was scared of milk pouring over mini-wheats. As I perused the site, though, I became enamored with several of the dogs described therein.
The Wednesday before (U.S.) Thanksgiving, I faxed in our application, with a dog named Cecily at the top of our list. Her foster mom, who described her as “the perfect dog,” set an appointment for the following Sunday at 10 a.m.
“I feel like we’re getting ready for a job interview,” I told Shannon.
As I pulled on my shoes, L arrived with Cecily right on time.
Cecily was sweet and playful in the house and the backyard. Foster mom, L, told us all about her and we filled her in on our background. Ben threw a few toys for Cecily to fetch, but I think he enjoyed getting away with throwing things in the house just as much as playing with the dog. For her part, Cecily leaped from the couch and over the coffee table to run and grab the toys. Ben laughed out loud at that; he hasn’t seen much dog athleticism in his time.
Key word here being “dog.” In our lives right now, we just didn’t need a puppy. Cecily, advertised as about three years old and fully housebroken, seemed like a good fit on paper, and we liked her in… ummm… person.
Apparently, we passed the litmus test, because L came right out and asked us if we would like to take Cecily as our own. We said, “Of course!” and she seemed happy about it (L, that is — I don’t think Cecily knew what was happening).
Shannon and Ben pose with Cassie.
Within an hour of making her our own, we loaded up in the convertible and headed to a local park. In a complete about-face, Ben loved riding with the top down. It was about 72 degrees and sunny, with a slight breeze — perfect convertible weather. Shannon and I alternated walking the pre-owned pooch and pushing Ben in the swings.
Cecily was great on the leash and served as a conversation starter. One thing about owning purebreds is that almost everybody either had a dog of that breed or knows somebody who did. Rarely will someone walk up to you and say, “Oh, how cute, my brother had a mutt.” Not that there’s anything wrong with mutts. They just don’t have the conformity of appearance that sparks vivid memories.
Next, we were off to PetSmart, another place where we could take Cecily. We grabbed a few things and then enjoyed the ride home, but not before Ben tossed his lemonade cup right over the side of the car and into the street.
Because Ben’s difficulty pronouncing the letter “L” gave him fits with her name, we altered “Cecily” to “Cassie.” We figured it was close enough that she wouldn’t miss a beat.
So far Cassie hasn’t whined or barked one bit, and she immediately chased the ball we bought. She loves snuggling close, can’t get enough of a good belly rub on her impossibly soft fur, and a bath didn’t seem stressful at all. We ate it all up and can’t wait for more.
Welcome home, Cassie.
Here are her “before and after” pictures, the former courtesy of L.
As I said before, I can imagine how difficult things must have been when y’all lost Lexie. My sister got a cat shortly after she moved back to the central Arkansas from northwest Arkansas. She still has that cat. When my cat passed on, I would hug and cuddle her cat. Now that my sister and I have our own places, I only get to see her cat once in a while. Before we moved to our separate homes, she had just received a third cat! She now has three little squirts running throughout her new house!
Somehow, I knew you’d have another Spaniel… ~S~ This one looks wonderful!
BTW, Shan’s beaming in that photo… That’s probably the best picture of her I’ve ever seen (because of the beaming smile)
I don’t know if I’ve ever said, but she’s a very pretty lady. *S*
Best of luck with the new family member bud!
John - I appreciate that. As they say, time wounds all heels. I mean, heals all wounds. We still think of Lexie daily, but now more with happiness than sadness.
Dave - Well, she’s great so far.
Thanks for the compliments about my lady. It was that smile that hooked me at Shoney’s back in January 1992.
What’s wrong with being terrified of milk pouring over mini-wheats? Or any cereal, for that matter, huh??
It does look like you guys have found a nice new fit for your home. And to get a dog already housebroken without going through the puppy phases… nice. Welcome to the family Cassie!
I’m so happy for you guys. And I’m always happy when people opt for rescue dogs. Sure, there’s a little more risk of cereal related issues, but some of the best dogs I’ve known were rescue dogs. She’s very cute. I mean…she’s not a scotty, so I can only gush so much. But at least she’s mostly the right color ;)
Simon - Not everybody eats toast with chocolate chips on it. =()
Moksha - Thanks. We didn’t feel right about going to a breeder, with all those homeless dogs out there. So, hey, best of both worlds for us, and a good home for Cassie.
Scotties, huh? I’ve spent very little time around them, but I hear they’re good’uns.
*sternly* Mark. That’s chocolate chips AND peanut butter. Hello???
*wink*
Cassie is adorable and fits in quite nicely with all the rest of your great-looking family. I think it’s great that you’ve adopted her.
(I was going to be a snot and pretend that I didn’t read the whole post and only comment by saying “You have a convertible?!” I tried, but I couldn’t do it…)
Linda - Yeah, I considered trudging through Simon’s archives to find that, but decided against it. The peanut butter definitely makes the whole thing sound much better than the way I had it.
Convertible? Yes. Read my post “Generosity Killed the Sourpuss” for more on how we came to own one.
She’s great so far? The dog or your wife? *ROTFL*
Dave - Both!
Good looking dog ya got there. Does it know any tricks?
Admit that you are at least a little curious to see what peculiar traits she has. All dogs have them, and I think it will be fun to learn them as you go, rather than actually seeing them develop since they’re puppies.
Casper barking at the toilet everytime it flushes is too funny. I guess he’s afraid of the “toilet monster.”
Charles, so far the only thing she does that is even a little bit strange is that she likes an “audience” when she eats and goes outside to go potty. Besides that, as far as we can tell so far, she is the perfect dog! She loved her bath (even put her head under the running faucet), getting dried off, and laid perfectly still while I combed her entire body. We are not missing the puppy stage AT ALL! We’ll let you know when we start discovering her “quirks.”
I didn’t know about Casper and the “toilet monster” - where have I been?