We met our Poppy at 6:38 pm on Saturday February 1st as her crate slid down the oversized cargo area in SeaTac airport.  She was on one of the last planes out of China as the next day there would be a ban on planes coming from China due to the world wide pandemic, COVID-19.  Poppy was one of 5 dogs on that flight and naturally she was scared, tired, thirsty and ready to go potty after a 12 hour flight.

Not much sleep for anyone that night at the Bellevue Marriott as Poppy was awake, disoriented and hungry – understandable given her long journey. Still, we could tell even early on that she was a sweet and affectionate girl and was happy to cuddle up to us. We left early in the morning for our home in Walla Walla after a stop to stock up at Trader Joe’s.

GBR did inform us that as a puppy Poppy had distemper which shows up when she is relaxed as a constant twitch in her back hip/leg and an occasional nodding of the head.  Initially it bothered us more than her as she sleeps right through the constant movement. We have no idea what her previous two years of life were like, but now she has experienced a dog door, steps, snow, plenty of car rides with her head out the window, belly rubs and daily walks which include ball chasing (but not great at the retrieving part as she uses the ball as a back massager). And, now that we have opened our pool, we’ll find out if she is a water dog.

She has claimed one of our couches as her favorite day-time hangout where she can look out the window. She has her own bed, dog cousins to play with (crazy border collies), a big yard with plenty of squirrels and birds to chase, and loads of toys – new ones, and hand-me downs from our previous golden, Daisy. She loves socks! She collects them for us every morning and we find them all over the house and in the yard.   For the first month, we did not know she could bark, but now she briefly barks but only at someone who comes to the door. This is her home now and she has established her territory.  She has lost her inactive weight and shed a wig full of undercoat hair, and she is now lean and healthy. Because of COVID-19 one of us or sometimes both have been working from home. She has become very spoiled with human companionship and it will be an adjustment when we have to go back into the office. Having a dog in our life during this shelter in place period has been a blessing. She is very loving, funny, and chill – she is awesome and we are so grateful that we have her!

Cassie was adopted on February 29, 2020

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