I have a long time friend who is a single Dad raising three teenaged daughters. Notwithstanding, he’s still relatively sane. They own a couple of cats, but finally realized (in Erma Bombeck’s words) it’s hard to really love an animal that licks its paws while you’re trying to talk with it. Dad does computer fixes and has kept me up and running both at work and at home for many years (I’ve mentioned him before in the context of the Blue Screen of Death “Fatal Error”). As a result of my obsessive need for access to my computers, he’s been at the office and at the house many times. As a result of those visits, he’s met the dogs who believe he is a family member of some sort.
Last weekend, he called and told me that he and the girls had decided to get a dog. They had made a list of the characteristics that were important to them. He had then purchased the Complete Dog Book. The family had gone through the book and narrowed it down to their four top breeds, one of which was Cardigans. Then he broke it to the girls that he had a friend who had Cardigans.
First they went to the adoption center and looked at all the dogs, then they went home, washed up and changed shoes (I’m a little freaky about my dogs’ health), and came to the house. Chase is at Sherri’s, but Kip and Inca wasted no time explaining to the kids why they wanted a Cardigan — actually, why they had to have a Cardigan. By the time they left the house, it was just a matter of finding them a dog — Kip and Inca are not available. Dad had already looked into raw feeding (he knew I swore by it), and discussed training with the kids.
I knew of a breeder who had recently accepted a returned dog from a family that could no longer care for her. She’s an adult, already spayed, with a happy temperament. We made the contact, and she will be with her new family on Easter Monday morning. (As an aside, three years ago on Easter Sunday, my son and DIL drove up north to pick up a CWCNRT Cardi, who is still a beloved household member.) Chase’s web site has received an enormous number of hits since last weekend — that’s where Ralph is sending everyone who says “what’s a Cardigan”?
Tuesday night the middle daughter, who will be the primary trainer, went to Obedience Drill with Kip and me. She’ll be signing up for the Novice Rally class in July. She’ll attend the Mothers Day shows as well. because she wants to learn everything — could this be the long-legged kid that will show Chase in Agility?
I am so happy for the dog who will have her own family all to herself (except for those pesky cats), and for the family that will have a Cardigan to love forever. I enjoy being the matchmaker!
What a great story!!
Congrats to them on their new family member! If they’re like most, this will be the first of many Cardigans for the family through the years 🙂
OMG! And a great job you did. To have a family do research first is fantastic. That way there is less chance of a spontaneous and eventually disasterous results. Good job to all involved, two and four legged.