Saturday, September 19, 2009

Remembering Kacy

With the passing of Ch. C-Myste Shepard's Moon, Carolyn's sweet Kacy, I think back on when I first met her. She had just returned to Oregon from a home down in the hot, dry, southern desert. Kacy had come back to Carolyn from a troubled home that was not ready for the touch of a sweet Cardigan. Juniper showed her at the Portland show, first time in the ring for Juniper, maybe for Kacy, I don't recall, and they came out with a three point major! Gary and I took her home for a month or so, to get some personal attention and work on getting her more comfortable. What had happened to her while she was away, none of us know the exact details. She had been tied or penned in a small area, she had some strong feelings about work boots and men. Kacy would become very defensive, to the point of nipping when a pair of heavy boots were worn into the house. She would come to my feet and act as if she were going to be required to lay her life on the line for me. Heavy footfalls, work boots; that seemed to be the key. What had happened we will never know for sure but most of us guess there was some unpleasantness that she was involved in and felt strongly about. With work Kacy learned to let down her guard, and later in life, seemed to rarely remember the time when work boots meant danger. She learned to sleep on Gary's lap, tummy up, and really enjoy herself. She loved her nephew, Bilbo. They took off one day, through a gate not tightly fastened, and headed off down the draw. This is an unsettled canyon that drains the high ground where we live into the Fifteen mile drainage. I went searching but got no response from the dogs. Finally, I got in the car and drove down the hill and around to where the road passes the mouth of the canyon. There is a wheat field, a good sized creek and then an alfalfa field before the dogs would get to the road from the canyon. As I drove by I saw the two of them crossing the creek. I stopped the car, called the dogs, (who were delighted to see me!) and they ran through the field and hopped right in. "Thanks for picking us up mom!" We returned home and I picked sixty ticks off of each dog before bathing them. Kacy loved to come to our house. And always when we visited with Tom and Carolyn, whether at a show somewhere, camping or at their home, Kacy would demand attention before we were allowed to visit, often rolling onto her back, whhoo-ooing and saying scratch my tummy I love you! We did take home one of Kacy's kids, a near clone, Stormy, who now lives with Juniper.

4 comments:

  1. I hadn't thought about the work boots for some time. The interesting part of it was that Kacy never seemed worried for herself. She was always trying to protect the "mom" or the other dogs.

    Kacy always wanted us to live together. Remember the time you visited and we told her to get her leash and choose when you left? I guess that was kind of mean, in retrospect.

    She was a good, good girl.

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  2. What wonderful memories of such a sweet sweet girl... I will have the fondest of memories of the girl who loved every puppy who was raised at Casa de Cannon...

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  3. Thanks for posting the Kacy stories. Every bit helps me to know her more and to see even more she passed to her grandson. Ethan's never had to worry about big boots and he's not good at protecting the other dogs, but he's my ultimate protector and now I think I know where that came from. If Hub coughs or makes a sound that concerns Ethan, he'll come sit next to me to make sure all is okay. If I sneeze or cry, he always has to come check me. The girls don't do anything like this and now I think I know that it's the touch of his grandma-dog, the protector. Thanks again for the stories!!!

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  4. Thanks for sharing your love with us! Sweet girl.

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