A very special boy finds a very special family

This is a story about Wally, aka Walter Woodruff of Laredo. Wally is a very handsome blue merle boy from my first litter. For nearly 7 years, Wally was the much-loved sidekick of a super couple, Chris and Amber. Unfortunately, circumstances changed and Chris contacted me in the fall of 2008, that he had made the gut-wrenching decision to give up Wally, and would I help him find a new home for his best buddy. I had been working with a family who were waiting for a puppy from my upcoming spring litter. I was very excited about the possibility of the Tanners having one of our puppies and knew they would provide a wonderful home. Dave and Tracey and kids Jordyn and Dawson were looking forward to Aussie ownership. Here's their story ...

"It was August of 2008, and I had begun looking on the internet for dogs. We had just gone the previous year and a half without a dog in the house after having one for so many years. It was tough. I had actually spent a bunch of time looking at websites that featured "mini" and "toy" Aussies. (Ya I now know what you think of them!!) I then stumbled across the Casselcreek website and something about it stuck with me. I filled out the on-line questionnaire while my wife called me crazy as she continually told me that her dog days were behind her. Little did I know that this would be the start of something that was meant to be for our family.

We met and worked with Theresa on the possibility of becoming Aussie owners. We were happy to hear from her that we made the cut and made it to the "puppy list". We knew there was most likely going to be a spring litter and that we could be a part of it. The kids and I talked about having a puppy in the house again, different names, colors, and the tricks that we would teach it. Shortly after, on a sunny September day, we received a call from Theresa about the possibility of becoming a second home to an older dog. This is something that we had considered when we first started, but thought that the chances were somewhat remote. Theresa told us about a dog from her first litter that may be available. His name was "Wally".

After some discussions over the phone and emails, we made a time to meet Wally. We drove out to "Granny's" farm to meet Wally and his owner, Chris. When we first saw him, we thought, "wow he's huge". We walked the fence-line getting to know Wally. We made arrangements to take Wally for a test drive and have a sleep over. A week or so later, we had the sleep over. It went well, but my wife had decided that it was too hard for her to have another dog in the house. We actually took Wally back and told Chris that we were unable to take Wally into our home.

After that day, our home seemed empty. Wally was missed. It wasn't long after that my wife made arrangements with Chris (without any of us knowing) and the "adoption" was again on! After solving some logistical challenges, Wally came to live with us on December 13, 2008. It was a steep learning curve for all of us, but we couldn't imagine our lives without him. Wally has spent his days with us, getting us out for multiple daily walks, put on hundreds of kilometers to our camping destinations, and has minded the house, making sure all of his "people" are accounted for. We learned while camping that Wally LOVES the water. It is difficult to keep him out of it. He will walk and run forever and rarely tires. He loves going for rides in the truck and can't wait until we take him to the off-leash parks where he runs and plays with all of the other dogs.
Whether we are doing laundry, shoveling snow, or laying in front of the fireplace, he is always with us around the house. Even though he is nearly 8 years old, Wally has recently joined agility with our daughter and will be starting Level 3 in the new year.

Wally does have a couple of habits that we would like to change, but we have come to realize that these are some of the things that make him special. Even though my wife wasn't keen on another dog in the house, Wally has quickly become her dog. She is his favourite "people" and is over the moon whenever she is around. When I come home from working night shift and open the door, Wally is there with a smile and his tail-less stump wagging a fast as it can. We usually share a "before bed" snack and jump into bed, Wally at the foot again minding his people.

It is hard to believe that a year has come and gone so quickly. We are looking forward to many more fun and exciting years with him.

Theresa, thank you for helping us find "our dog" And to Chris, we can never thank you enough. Dave"

A very lucky boy indeed, but I think I'm really the lucky one, to have found not only one great family for this boy, but a very special family willing to give a forever home to a slightly older boy (who still thinks he's a puppy).

Happy Trails ... Theresa