"I think I've found the one"
Kevin pointed at his laptop. He'd been searching for a while. I wasn't even aware of how seriously he had been looking. It's not that I didn't have any input into this very important decision, but I knew that this had to be something Kevin initiated. And not because this dog would be his and not mine. The fact is this dog would be spending most of it's time with him, going to work with him nearly every day. And let's be honest, I was pretty easy to please. I just wanted a dog. Kevin showed me the picture from the website. There sat a small, white dog with a big, brown spot over one eye. He had that typical puppy pose with one front leg slightly bent as if he were dying to hand you his paw. (Nearly three years later my heart still melts when he busts that pose). "But he has a tail," I pointed out. Kevin was willing to overlook this tiny flaw. He said there was something in the look that puppy gave the camera. One thing was certain, he was a cute, fuzzy little thing.
Kevin contacted the rescue where he was living and arranged to meet him. The day came and we made the hour drive, both of us anxious to see what this dog was like. I didn't want to set my expectations too high. This was the first dog Kevin had even called about. I found it difficult to think that the first one would be the one.
The rescue was in a home in a quiet neighborhood. The woman who ran it specialized almost exclusively in cattle dogs. She introduced us to Kenny G, as he was known then. She explained how he had found his way to her. He had been found abandoned at a laundromat in Monument Valley, Utah, by a family from the Bay area. They were on vacation and decided to take him to a veterinarian to have him checked out. The vet told them that he was about six weeks old and seemed to be in good health. They decided to take him with them and his life on the road began. For two weeks, he rode around with them while they took in the sights. When they got home, they made the difficult decision to give him up. We don't know why they did, but we will be forever grateful for it. They found out about the cattle dog rescue and brought him to her. While she told us the story, Kenny G ran around on the deck and chewed on a bully stick. He was now 3 months old. She let us take him for a walk around the block to see how he was with us without her around. He walked well on a leash, though he seemed a little nervous. I remember he was startled by a fire hydrant that we walked past. It seemed that it was just something new he hadn't seen before, but he was brave enough and trusting in us all ready to get past that crazy thing. By the time we were ready to go, Kevin was writing a check as a deposit. The meeting happened on a Tuesday. By Thursday, she would be bringing him to our home to become a part of our family. But there were still a few questions. We were leaving Friday for a trip to the Sierra foothills. We were concerned about how he would do, after only being with us one day before heading out on the road for a four-day weekend. Would he be able to adjust to this upheaval with people he just met? And would we be able to handle this precocious pup? We were going to be staying with nearly a dozen people. How would he behave around that many strangers? And the biggest question of all....
what were we going to name him?
Kevin contacted the rescue where he was living and arranged to meet him. The day came and we made the hour drive, both of us anxious to see what this dog was like. I didn't want to set my expectations too high. This was the first dog Kevin had even called about. I found it difficult to think that the first one would be the one.
The rescue was in a home in a quiet neighborhood. The woman who ran it specialized almost exclusively in cattle dogs. She introduced us to Kenny G, as he was known then. She explained how he had found his way to her. He had been found abandoned at a laundromat in Monument Valley, Utah, by a family from the Bay area. They were on vacation and decided to take him to a veterinarian to have him checked out. The vet told them that he was about six weeks old and seemed to be in good health. They decided to take him with them and his life on the road began. For two weeks, he rode around with them while they took in the sights. When they got home, they made the difficult decision to give him up. We don't know why they did, but we will be forever grateful for it. They found out about the cattle dog rescue and brought him to her. While she told us the story, Kenny G ran around on the deck and chewed on a bully stick. He was now 3 months old. She let us take him for a walk around the block to see how he was with us without her around. He walked well on a leash, though he seemed a little nervous. I remember he was startled by a fire hydrant that we walked past. It seemed that it was just something new he hadn't seen before, but he was brave enough and trusting in us all ready to get past that crazy thing. By the time we were ready to go, Kevin was writing a check as a deposit. The meeting happened on a Tuesday. By Thursday, she would be bringing him to our home to become a part of our family. But there were still a few questions. We were leaving Friday for a trip to the Sierra foothills. We were concerned about how he would do, after only being with us one day before heading out on the road for a four-day weekend. Would he be able to adjust to this upheaval with people he just met? And would we be able to handle this precocious pup? We were going to be staying with nearly a dozen people. How would he behave around that many strangers? And the biggest question of all....
what were we going to name him?
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