4/21/2014
Hi Robin,
We cannot thank you enough for your encouragement to meet Kye.
We were not emotionally ready to start the process of looking for a new pet. Two weeks prior we had lost our "Cooper" to a sudden onset acute disease. Only 4 years old and spiraling from a happy playful dog to a little guy struggling to hold onto life. He left such a huge void in our lives, not because he was a perfect dog but because he was not. If there was mud to get in - he was there. If there was something on the floor to chew - he would get it. If there was a mouse to chase - despite all of our best efforts he would not leave the scent. But how he made us smile.
Our grieving process was very difficult but was overshadowed by the reaction of our 5 1/2 year old Labrador Retriever, Sugar. She would not eat or play. When an avid ball chasing lab doesn't want to play catch - that is a real problem. Anyone who does not believe that dogs grieve, has never looked into those deep sad eyes.
When we started the application process, we started our search. But let's face it - there was nowhere we were going to find a curly haired, stubby tailed dog with a crooked toothed grin that always had a bad hair day. There was no replacement for Cooper. Perhaps that is often a mistake that we make. We want a certain breed and specific type when we really should be looking at the soul of a dog. We filled out the application looking for that curly cuddly dog but we also added Kye because of your note on Facebook about no one wanting a 'brindle'. We had the opportunity to meet Kye and those deep warm happy eyes won us over immediately. But we were still worried about the meeting with Sugar. She loves to play but had always been very possessive of her toys. The day of the meeting with Teri and she explained the best method of introduction. Both dogs walked side by side on their leashes. Within several minutes, the leashes were dropped and Kye and Sugar went off to explore. After the paperwork was signed, both dogs hopped in the car together. No barks or growls the entire time.
He has been such a little gentleman to everyone that he has meets. Sugar now drops even her favorite ball in front of him inviting play. Kye loves snuggling with Emi (our Granddaughter) and Sugar on the couch. Sitting on his bench in the sun and some leisure time with Sugar (loves to sleep with his feet on her back).
The long and short of this experience is that he is a breed of his own. He is a pure blend of breeds and brings the best of those characteristics together. What a joy! He makes us smile -- again..
