Suzie arrived in Cadiz, Kentucky at our house in 2011. I drove her there from St. Louis, wild and scared. I'm not sure how all this happened, but here are the bits I believe are true. My dad's cousin's dog had a litter of puppies. One of them was Suzie. She was given to a family who spent too much time away from home, so Suzie spent too much time in a kennel. No socializing. They called Dad's cousin and asked to return the dog. The cousin talked Dad into taking her. Dad was in his 70s, and couldn't handle her energetic self, so when she pulled him down and he broke his hip, he called from the hospital to tell me that I didn't need to visit him in the hospital, but I did need to drive to St. Louis and pick up the dog. "She's yours now. Don't change her name." Years before I had given my dad a dog I found along the side of the road and this was paybacks -- except that he did change the dog's name, well, Mom changed the dog's name to Daisy.
Anyway, I did visit him at the hospital, and I picked up the dog and drove her to Kentucky. We got home in the dark and she ran. We lived 6 miles from town, so it seemed likely we'd lose her. But she only ran to the other side of the house. When we followed her, she ran a little farther. We finally managed to catch her and from that fateful moment on, she's been our dog - except the name. Dad christened her Suzie. She is still Suzie. As a young dog, she was athletic and energetic, an amazing jumper. She's in all the Christmas and birthday pictures. She loves to hike; she loves her cat (Sophie); and she loves all of us. In these ways and most ways, Suzie is like every other mutt in the world. This mutt is ours though, and she is well loved. I just wanted you all to meet her.
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