Lynda didn't grow up with a dog and honestly she wasn't around animals very much when she was little. Two little brothers and the 24 hours in the day were pretty jam packed. Before her stroke, Lynda had loved fuzzy blankets and she would have probably loved fuzzy puppies, too.
The first Christmas that Lynda was home from NMRC for Christmas day after we had gotten our second dog, Kasidy...we wondered how each would respond to the other. Kasidy always jumps and runs around people...very excited to get her head rubbed. We knew Lynda wasn't going to understand what Kasidy wanted her to do and we didn't want Kasidy to accidentally hurt Lynda.
We didn't have to worry. As soon as Lynda walked in the door, Kasidy was completely transformed into another dog. As if she had been trained, she calmly walked up to Lynda and rubbed against her leg. When Lynda sat on the sofa, Kasidy sat quietly at her feet. When Lynda sat on the floor to play...Kasidy was right there beside her. We sat Kasidy in the chair beside Lynda and you can see from the picture, Kasidy was totally focused on Lynda...looking deep into her eyes. Lynda was equally thrilled with Kasidy...rubbing her soft fur like her fuzzy blanket she had when she was little.
Now Kasidy has another mission. Just as she sensed that Lynda had special needs and couldn't handle the jumping and playing that she normally reserved for new people entering our home, she will be faced with adjusting her energy level and becoming more of a helper dog with her brother dog, Kirby who has been in intensive care with kidney failure and SARDS...Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome which has left him totally blind practically overnight. He will return home this Friday after having been away over a week in a much subdued condition. Of course, Kasidy had been around Kirby the week or so before he went into the hospital and had sensed that he didn't feel good.
The two have always helped each other. When Kasidy was outside and we had kind of forgotten she was out there, Kirby would bark at the door until we remembered and let her in. She always paced by the door until he was back in if the weather was cold outside. Sometimes we would just have to get him back inside so she could settle down. It's amazing how they can form that bond but they have been together all but two years of Kirby's life so they have so many rituals...he gets the food bowls filled by his adult helpers and he barks the "blessing" until she joins him. I have no doubt she and he will work out a system when they go outside to help him navigate the yard and back to the door safely. They sleep together in the bed every night and they have another sister Kada-Joy who joined our family two years ago. She has always trailed right behind Kirby when he's outside so he's going to be well covered with sisterly help.
Kirby, Kasidy and Kada-Joy have greatly helped me as I have grieved for Lynda. When I cried, one would come and snuggle up next to me. Kirby especially knew my emotions well and even though he has always been a hyperactive and driven dog, he would immediately shut down when I cried and I would have to explain to him that I was okay. Dogs are amazing creatures of God. I'm so glad Lynda got to have a puppy even for a little while. The picture just says it all, doesn't it?
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