Black Dog Happy Tail "Kasey"

By Bill & Lisa Singbeil

We were a one-dog family. We had Kato, a husky-shepherd cross that we all love to pieces and that was good enough. He loves to go for walks with me, and snuggle and pretend that 80 pounds of fluff and fur is acceptable as lapdog material. He's getting older though, almost 11, and not as quick and playful as he once was.

Last June, my husband and I attended the Hi Neighbour Festival in Transcona. We visited some of the vendors, and when we got to our local pet store, Pet Peripherals, we stopped to take a look at some of the dogs and puppies that were outside the store. We learned they were all Manitoba Mutts and a kind lady explained to us that the dogs were all rescues and living in various foster homes. Nice organization, we thought to ourselves, and prepared to go on our way to the next vendor.

That is, until a little black dog all curled up in a crate by herself caught my eye. She looked so shy and terrified, she melted my heart on the spot. I went over to her to try and pet her through the cage, but she was lying against the back wall and wouldn't move an inch. I instantly fell in love with her big brown eyes.

My husband saw what was happening and said we had better get going as our son would probably be looking for us. So we went on our way. For about an hour, we walked around, and the subject of the little black dog kept coming up in conversation. I don't know what he heard, but my husband said he could tell by my voice when I talked about her that she would be coming home with us.

Eventually we made our way back to her. When we got there, the kind lady that had given us the information about Manitoba Mutts had taken her out of the cage and was holding her. She still looked so frightened.

I asked about her, and learned that she had been abandoned with her siblings in a bush somewhere and was rescued by MMDR. I knew I wanted her, but that just solidified the decision. This poor baby girl needed to be loved, and I was already falling rapidly.

Kato was pretty excited to have a new sister, whom we renamed Kasey. We were initially a little worried about how he would react, but it has been a great life changing experience for him. He no longer acts like an 'old' dog anymore - he plays again! We had learned that Kasey had a foster brother that she was close to, so we knew that she would have no problems with her new big brother.

Now they love to play together outside. We have a large field at the end of our street where I take them for walks. Quite often we'll take the paths out further away from the streets and where people walk and bike ride and I'll let them run off leash. Kasey loves to run.

She has been a great addition to our family. She has chosen my 17 year old daughter as her 'favourite' and cries when she leaves home for school or work. I am lucky in that I am able to work from home. Kasey has a bed in my home office, and will spend most of the day with me. She has brought so much to our home with her silliness and playfulness. I honestly believe that we were meant to have her as a part of our family.

It wasn't until after we had adopted her that I learned there was a stigma about black dogs. I had no idea that they were often overlooked! I never even noticed Kasey's markings or paid attention to the fact that she was mostly black until we had gotten her home. It was all her eyes for me. Her big brown eyes.