with a little help from Casey
My stepmom suggested we drive out together ‘just to have a look’. The puppies were cute, but I didn’t feel drawn to any of them. My stepmom though, had one of the little ones walk up to her, resting his little head on her arm, and staying there. In her words: ‘he almost did a sigh of relief, as if to say: ‘Thank God you found me’.
His name was Panda, thanks to the round black markings surrounding both his eyes. My stepmom tried to convince me to take him, but I had hardly seen him and didn’t feel drawn to him at all.
We went home without a puppy. A week later I told my boys I would take them to meet the puppies the next day. That night, still full of doubt, I asked Casey to please give me a sign to help me make the right decision. Knowing how badly the children wanted a puppy, the chance of coming home empty handed was remote.
Of course the children liked the puppies very much and we decided on which one to take. Only it didn’t seem to want to be the chosen one, because it kept running away from us, while Panda hung around us the whole time. At the end I picked him up and said to the owner of the puppies: ‘maybe I am meant to take him. Did you choose his name?’ ‘No’, she answered, ‘my children all picked a puppy to give a name too, and Casey chose Panda’.
I sent a silent ‘thank you’ to my own Casey and took Panda home. It is now five years ago that a little girl called Casey sealed the fate of Panda, and we have no regrets. Panda is the most beautiful family dog we could have asked for. He is the most gentle and kind soul, not only to me, but to the children, our cats and towards other people and dogs.
I see the kindness of Casey in his eyes, and a lot of the mannerism of Tinka, as if the spirit of those two dogs are present in him. No one will ever replace Casey, but her excellent orchestration skills left us with the best dog in the world, and that has eased the pain a lot.
His name was Panda, thanks to the round black markings surrounding both his eyes. My stepmom tried to convince me to take him, but I had hardly seen him and didn’t feel drawn to him at all.
We went home without a puppy. A week later I told my boys I would take them to meet the puppies the next day. That night, still full of doubt, I asked Casey to please give me a sign to help me make the right decision. Knowing how badly the children wanted a puppy, the chance of coming home empty handed was remote.
Of course the children liked the puppies very much and we decided on which one to take. Only it didn’t seem to want to be the chosen one, because it kept running away from us, while Panda hung around us the whole time. At the end I picked him up and said to the owner of the puppies: ‘maybe I am meant to take him. Did you choose his name?’ ‘No’, she answered, ‘my children all picked a puppy to give a name too, and Casey chose Panda’.
I sent a silent ‘thank you’ to my own Casey and took Panda home. It is now five years ago that a little girl called Casey sealed the fate of Panda, and we have no regrets. Panda is the most beautiful family dog we could have asked for. He is the most gentle and kind soul, not only to me, but to the children, our cats and towards other people and dogs.
I see the kindness of Casey in his eyes, and a lot of the mannerism of Tinka, as if the spirit of those two dogs are present in him. No one will ever replace Casey, but her excellent orchestration skills left us with the best dog in the world, and that has eased the pain a lot.