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.