The story of how I got Keegan is a cautionary tale, so I won't go into that. (I'm just glad I have the little guy.)
How I picked Merry Piper from the furry chaos that was her litter...Well, I didn't! She picked me.
I was talking with the breeder and looking at the pups, and over and over this tiny girl pup kept climbing into my left palm. I had wanted a girl who would be closer to Keegan's size (he's over 10 lbs.) when fully grown so they could play without worry, so my attention was elsewhere. The other little girls were roly-poly and confident, but this smaller one was persistent in seeking my attention without my even noticing her maneuvering. Eventually, I just held her up in my hands and looked into her eyes. She met my gaze as though she were saying, "YEAH! HERE I am! ME! HI!" And then she squirmed to get closer to me, snuggling in as if she already knew me. With the breeder, her daughter, and my mom smiling at this brave little pup's determination to be noticed and loved, I realized I had my girl. The bigger, robust female puppies were gorgeous with shiny, dark coats, but the wee one with the hints of silver won my heart. We had a long drive ahead of us and she rode contentedly the whole way, accepting her new family--human and furry--as though she'd been expecting them to enter her life all along.
Keegan was among those who had made the trip to get her, so when we got home, it was just a surprise for our formerly feral cat to suddenly have a new friend. A
girl! He shocked us all by deciding that she was
his puppy and to this day he entertains her, snuggles with her, wrestles and protects her. Merry Piper picked the right family for herself. She's just that darned smart.
