“That’s the one,” she said. “That one right there!” She smiled brightly and pointed at the small black and white puppy in the playpen.
We all turned our heads to look and saw Casey Lou for the very first time. Surrounded by several other adorable puppies, this little dog seemed to have eyes only for my daughter, Jessica. Casey Lou, as Jessica later named her, was a few months old and still so small she fit into the palm of our hands. When she sat down, she had a marking over her front leg and tummy that looked just like a heart. Who wouldn’t have fallen in love with her?
Jessica was as excited as child at Christmas. However, it wasn’t Christmas, it was February. Jessica was in her twenties, had worked as a professional in the interactive marketing field, and was currently a master’s degree student. She had decided she was ready for some committed love and thought a dog of her own was just the thing. So she scoured the newspapers until she found just what she was looking for. Then Jessica, my sister, my niece, and I all piled in the car and drove to the other side of town to pick up her new love.
Jessica had done the research and found a breed of dog very similar in nature to our family. Casey Lou was energetic, smart, fast, slightly anxious and maybe even a little quirky. Over time, as her floppy ears began to grow straight up, she enthusiastically listened for and chased every living thing in the back yard from bees to birds. When she got obsessed barking at a possum playing possum, or just couldn’t quit digging a ditch under our air conditioner trying to catch a chipmunk, or climbed under the covers to snuggle and snore a little, we swore we could see a real family resemblance. We McKenzie’s were nothing if not persistent and loving. Jessica had found the perfect fit, not only for herself but for our family, and we were smitten.
That first night after we’d picked her up, Jessica enthusiastically took Casey Lou home. That is when the reality of love hit her. She called me several times over the next few weeks to say that she hadn’t had a good night’s sleep since Casey Lou had become her new roommate. Then she called to say Casey wasn’t taking well to potty training, that she’d thrown up on the rug, and that if Jessica didn’t get a nap soon, she was going into meltdown mode. It all came to a head one night after Jessica took Casey Lou to some official training at the local Pet Smart. My back door opened and in they came, Casey bouncing up and down, and Jessica dragging in behind her wailing, “I’m a failure as a puppy mama!”
“What happened?” I asked concerned. After all, Jessica didn’t rattle easily.
“We went to the class and all the other dogs followed the simple commands they’d been taught—like sit and lay down. But Casey wouldn’t do a single one! Finally the instructor looked at me and said, ‘Well, those of us who spend time with our dogs can see the results!’ I felt terrible. But I swear mom, I have been spending time with Casey. She does all the tricks at home but won’t do them at the store!” Jessica was at her wits end.
Casey Lou cocked her head and gave a quick look at the cabinet that had the dog treats in it. I ignored the hint.
“Casey, what’s up with you?” I asked. Then without thinking, I spoke to her in a firm tone. “Sit! Sit, Casey Lou,” I said.
Casey Lou looked at Jessica and then at me. She turned and looked behind her and without hesitating backed up all the way up to the nearest rug. Then she sat right down, no problem. After a little more experimenting we discovered that Casey knew exactly how to sit and lay down and even roll over, she just preferred to do it all on warm, soft carpet and not on cold hard floors like the ones at the training center. Ah, the trials of learning to read the signals of your loved one! Our family was going through a hard time when Jessica decided to get Casey. I later told her that she was the only one of us who had been willing to take a chance on new life during that time. The rest of us were locked in our own inner battles. Because she did take a chance and reach out, we were all swept away in Casey Lou’s wake. Casey brought something to our family—a sense that there was more to come, that there was a lot to love about life, and the heart knowledge that we were loved and accepted just as we were.
Ah, the hope that loving can bring! Thank you, Jessica. Thank you, Casey Lou.