'I want a male puppy and I am going to name him Casey,' Brooke had said over and over again.
'Yes. We know,' Brooke's mom and grandma had also said over and over again.
Brooke, at age eleven, has never owned a dog. Brooke's mom is a veterinarian and has been hesitant in allowing her daughter to adopt because of the many dog personalities that have walked into her office. One look into Brooke's maturing eyes, however, convinced her to say yes.
Brooke's grandmother has helped raise her since she was three years old - when Brooke's parents divorced. In these eight years, Brooke and her grandmother have grown very close. They share nearly exact personalities. Both are calm and shy, yet goofy around family and close friends. Both are content, yet stubborn when they know they are right (and when Brooke asks for something she really wants). Of most importance in their shared personality, both are serious and, especially for Brooke's studies, require deep concentration in nearly everything they do. This personality type meant, then, no hyper puppy, no highly energetic puppy, and no demanding puppy...which is a shame because Brooke's favorite breed out of the many she sees at her mom's work is the Rat Terrier. Maybe she'll get her way.
"Are you ready to go, Brooke?" Brooke's mom asked on this most exciting day.
"Save a Life Animal Shelter here we come!"
Save a Life Animal Shelter was unusually noisy on this May 4th. Barks of all kinds bounced from wall to wall in the room for adoptable dogs. But this didn't frighten Brooke. In fact, she was now even more excited.
"Let's see...There's a Labrador Retriever and a German Shepherd. Good breeds but too big for our apartment. There's a Chow Chow/Saint Bernard mix! Now that's a bundle of fur. There's a Chihuahua and a Poodle. Yappers. There's a Cocker Spaniel. I love "Lady and the Tramp" but still I say no. There's a...Burmese Mountain Dog...and Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever? I have never heard of these breeds.
"Let's see...Puppy Playground! That is the room for all of the adoptable puppies, I bet." Brooke dashed inside before her mom and grandma could say "Mikey the Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever."
Puppy Playground was like a dream Brooke would never want to wake from. Golden Retrievers, Pugs, English Bulldogs, Beagles, more Labradors...a person could melt away in puppy love in here! They were all so adorable!
Then she found him. He was a nine-month-old Rat Terrier mix - the body and personality of a Rat Terrier and the floppy ears of, perhaps, a Beagle. His little head was jet black and his naturally skinny body was solid white with black patches. He was the perfect size for a city apartment. And! Rat Terriers are not known for barking! This is all Brooke knew about the breed and this is all she wanted to know.
"Would you like to see this one, Miss?" asked a Save a Life volunteer.
"I-I have to ask my mom," Brooke said nervously.
"Yes you can," Brooke's mom said, walking into Puppy Playground just as the volunteer was asking his question.
Brooke beamed and jumped into the air with excitement. The volunteer eased the pup out of his kennel, placed him on the ground, quickly hooked a leash on his collar, and said,
"You can walk him around as long as you would like. Have fun!"
"Does he have a name?" Brooke asked.
"Not yet. We have only had him a few days. So we are referring to him by his chart number. What would you want to name him?" the volunteer asked with a smile.
"Casey!" Brooke exclaimed with an even bigger smile.
"Well then. Go play with your pup, Casey!"
"Come on, Casey. You're at bat!"
And with those words, Casey was off...with Brooke being pulled behind.
Thirty minutes later, Brooke came to her mom, exhausted.
"He's a handful, Mom! He's been running a million miles per hour before I can take one step. He had an accident outside poor Tanner the Pug's kennel. He cared more about being outside his kennel and running around than he did about being with me. Casey is at bat, all right, and his hyper energy hit a grand slam for a team I am not on. I don't think Casey is for me."
"I know you wanted a Rat Terrier puppy, honey. They are cute. But I have seen them before and, in all honesty, your personality would not be fair to his wants and needs and his personality would not be fair to your wants and needs."
Brooke nodded and said,
"I know. I do want Casey to be happy."
"Oh sweetheart, let's hope for Casey that he steps up to bat for a family who will love him and who will have the energy to catch his grand slam. We'll find your perfect puppy and I know Casey will find his perfect family."
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