Clare & Casey

Human: Clare
Canine: Casey
Location: San Francisco
Together since: 2003
Type: Australian Cattle dog mix
Favorite dog group: Grateful Dogs Rescue, Milo Foundation, Second Chance Pet Rescue

I'd had several heartbreaking online affairs with dogs before I finally met Casey. Seemed the dogs I connected with were sending "adopt me!" signals to everyone else as well because by the time I called they'd always found homes.

Casey, on the other hand, was available. In fact, he'd been waiting in a small shelter in Corning, California for 11 months before a rescue group arrived, asked which dog had been there the longest, and drove him down to the Bay Area. His stay with a foster family lasted another five weeks.

Why did no one call about Casey? Maybe it was his photo--a long-distance shot of him standing uneasily at the end of his leash, not at all like the close-ups of my big-eyed crushes. But if his picture didn't speak to me, the notes from his foster family did. They said he was good with kids and other dogs, calm though energetic, and a quick study.

The day we met Casey turned out to be the biggest in his life. After being overlooked for more than a year, he had finally attracted a swarm of interest from other families who'd also read he was good with kids. Since I'd filled out an application ahead of time I had "first dibs," the adoption coordinator told me, which took off some of the heat.

Still, the whole process was nerve-wracking. I mean, what did I really know about him? But the coordinator was losing patience with me. She gave me another 15 minutes to decide.

He did seem awfully nice.

So before our time was up, we adopted him. My oldest son named him on the car trip home, and Casey settled in before the week's end. He's brought us so much joy he's inspired me and my family to work on finding homes for a few of the millions of other great dogs sitting in shelters, just waiting to be noticed.

We wish we could do more.

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