|
 Few people come to our home that they don't find Casey, the old man of the kennel, in the living room - in front of the fireplace -- sound asleep. Casey is old, but he thinks he is the sultan to the herem of "girls" here at Blue Knight.
We came by Casey in an unusual way. I loved the looks of a big bear of a Labrador named Wingmstr's Just Another Fella (Ben) (image of Ben)
Ben was owned by Winnie Limbourne He put his stamp on most of his babies. I had bred to him several times, but none of the resulting puppies had enough of their father's look to my satisfaction. When Ben was quite old, I went to visit a Vonnie Russell of Hyspire Labradors. I saw a litter of puppies in her yard out of Ben. They were well past 12 weeks of age, and she had all of them still. Come to find out, they'd had a bad case of kennel cough, and they'd kept all the puppies until treatment was complete. I locked eyes on one boy that stole my heart. He was his father's son. He had Ben written all over him. He'd suffered pneumonia when he had the kennel cough, so he was quite lean when I saw him, and didn't have the "bloom" one would expect to find in a puppy, especially a Hyspire puppy. I couldn't get him out of my mind. I told Vonnie I'd take that puppy in a minute, and at the end of the night, she presented me with him -- no charge, just a gift. She didn't have to offer twice. I named him Hyspire Just In Case (Casey).
 As a young dog, Casey was a rather ordinary looking Labrador, but I loved him the same, and I loved his background even more. However, when he turned four, he transformed into the spitting image of his father. It was at this time that he became rather popular with the girls. I could go on and on about the lovely puppies Casey produced, but rather, I want to concentrate on that which makes him special. His temperament. Casey is the most loving, sweet dog anyone could ever meet, and I heard over and over from those who bred their bitches to him, that the same temperament was passed on to his puppies. I can't count the number of times I heard "These are the nicest, sweetest puppies I have ever had the pleasure of raising". Casey was always special with my Grandchildren, but a very special bond was forged between he and my grandson Aaron. Sometimes, special bonds form for no particular reason, and sometimes I think soul mates meet and know each other immediately. .We don't know why our grandson, Aaron, and our Lab, Casey, formed their friendship, but it is a privilege to watch in action. Casey's special Temperament, and Aaron's loving ways with him are special to see. Casey's temperament is why we love this breed! He is no longer being bred, but he produced us with some of the dogs you see here at Blue Knight. We love their nature. They're just like their father!
|
