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Kashmere’s Story
In 2010, my boyfriend and I made the decision that our little family was just not complete, and we decided to start searching for a furry, four-legged addition. On December 17, at the Seattle Animal Shelter, we were finally “chosen” by a tiny male kitten, and the little white bundle of fluff came equipped with a personality five times his size. Proving his playfulness quickly, he kept us and 186 Trupanion Facebook friends guessing his name for an entire day. In the end, he made it known that his name was Kashmere, unique, yet true to his softness!
Now, a year and a half later, Kashmere has grown into his big personality. He is quite the fearless adventurer with a big appetite for all things edible. He has no problem tapping into his canine side, wearing a harness and walking on a leash, and he especially likes to accompany me to work; although, not too often, as he doesn’t like to miss out on the empty-house adventures he’s having when we’re not there, most especially not having to share his favorite Wii remote.
Every day we spend with Kashmere, whether cuddling on the coach, relaxing on the porch, or traveling around town is a reminder of how lucky we are that such a sweet and loveable soul chose us as his family. His big personality is a big part of our lives, and there is nothing that we wouldn’t do for him!
Then we looked at Australian labradoodles. We went to a very well-regarded breeder, and spent some time around several full-grown ‘doodles, as well as two litters of ‘doodle puppies running around like crazy. Then we saw this mellow little brown puppy with a beautiful white crest on his chest. He came straight to me. I picked him up, and he abruptly fell right to sleep in the middle of my lap. That was it. I was in love. I felt like at that moment, he chose me to be his dad.
But what about my wife’s allergies? So far, nothing. No swollen eyes. No red skin. No sneezing. Could this really be? Did we finally find our little puppy companion?
My wife and I left the breeder’s house so smitten with the little brown puppy. He was so different than all the other labradoodles in the house. He was brown, not white. He was mellow, not hyperactive. And he looked right at me, while all the others were much more preoccupied with all their puppy shenanigans.
After an hour had gone by, she still showed no signs of allergies. It was amazing. We called the breeder and claimed our beautiful little guy. We named him Lazlo – after the character Victor Lazlo from the film Casablanca. We now had our family.
I was pretty sure he was a good little puppy. But I knew he was going to be a GREAT dog. And he reminds me that I was right every single day. He stayed mellow. He’s a good sharer of his toys, and he’s gentle to the core. He’s never over-chewed or swallowed a toy. And he only eats the food in his bowl. He even became a licensed therapy dog at just 16 months of age.
Five years later, my wife’s allergies are still unaffected, and the three of us are all healthy and happy.
We will do anything in the world to protect our little guy. Making sure he has access to the very best veterinary care possible makes me rest much easier. And that’s a very good thing – resting is Lazlo’s favorite family activity.
