Cassie's Story

Cassie was a very timid black lab mix female when we spotted her at a local animal control. Timid, but not at all aggressive, and black - a color that very seldom gets adopted. She had huge soft soulful eyes, and the staff thought she was pregnant because she had gained weight. More than likely it was because the staff had been handing her more than her fair share of treats to try to bring her out of her shell. She was heartworm positive, extremely so.

We treated her for heartworms and worked on making her braver and more confident in humans. She had been dumped and was picked up as a stray. I decided to keep her for part of my "Dream Team" - a group of dogs that I have help me rehab. She got along with everyone and learned quickly. We went to work on basic obedience commands and off leash work. She was wonderful.

One day an older man and his wife came to meet puppies with the intention of adopting. Their last dog had been adopted, was a lively dog with some bad habits which they lived with and loved, but they wanted something that didn't have that energy level and the bad habits already built in. They looked at pups, and we could see doubt about whether this was the right decision.

I had Cassie come to meet them. She sat on command and waited quietly for further instructions. I had them take her for a walk - she was great on a leash, no pulling, no sniffing, just a quiet walking companion. They warmed up to her immediately, and she to them, so I told them to take her home for a week and test drive.

The gentleman called me the next day to say she must be sick because she was so well behaved and so quiet - just what he wanted, but he couldn't believe what he had. I assured him she was healthy, but told him to take her to the vet if it made him feel better. He did just that and she was given a clean bill of health. The family adopted her shortly after that.

As a mother and a foster mom, my gut instinct told me it was time to push this "baby" out of my nest and send her on her way to a wonderful forever home.

Happy Mother's Day to all!!!