Our first shopping trip

Our first shopping trip

On our way home from SPCA we took a trip to Pet Smart.  I had looked at beds but wanted to bring her to pick out the right size.  There is one thing that is true with my Saint Bernard and VW Buses, you are sure to draw attention where ever you go! 

Entering the store with a Saint Bernard was defiantly a cool experience.  In the front of the store they had a statue of a Saint with the barrel collecting money for the SPCA.  I thought that was quiet funny as we had just left the SPCA and Cassidy was the only Saint they have ever had at that location.  I could not pass it without putting money in it from there on out.

The first thing we had to find was WATER!  With a Saint they are always thirsty.  They can drink a gallon of water in one sitting!  Pet Smart has water bowls right by the bathrooms under the water fountain.  This is always our first and last stop at Pet Smart.

We put each bed on the floor as she looked up with those big beautiful brown eyes, head cocked sideways and quit confessed.  There was not one bed that was large enough for Cassidy!  Making a joke I put a xtra small bed next to her, which shows her sheer size.  We started laughing & our laughs were not alone.  I turn around to find a few girls at the vet center laughing as well.  Like I said, she would always draw attention!  In the end we bought the largest bed we could find.  She ended up having a mattress on an entire wall in my living room.  It was the only thing I could find that she could stretch out on, and I did not want those precious hips lying on the hard floor. 

Next, food bowls and water bowls.  We had to find a bowl big enough to fit her snout in and still be able to breath.  Also the bowls had to be lifted up because a large dog eating or drinking at floor level was bad for their health.  Two kinds of brushes, as she has an undercoat.  A collar was another difficult thing.  I have to tell you Pet Smart is better now.  Our only choose was a large thick black collar.  They had ones with spikes like you put on a pit bull.  That would never be okay for a sweet Cassidy.  We ended up with the thick black collar.

Everything packed into the Jeep and headed home.  Time for Cassidy to see her new home, meet the neighbors and her brother Otis. 

Otis, my cat is my first born son.  When we arrived home, Cassidy walked in the door and Otis was laying on the arm of the couch.  Cassidy smelled the cat and covered his entire body with her snout.  Cassidy then looked Otis directly in the eyes only inches from his face.  Otis pulled back his arm with claws exposed ready to pounce on Cassidy, but when he looked into her eyes all he seen was love.  Otis laid back down and they checked each other out. 

Otis learned quickly when Cassidy walked into the room, to get high or under something so he did not get stepped on.  Cassidy also showed the same respect to Otis.  Otis would fall asleep in the middle of Cassidy’s bed.  She would somehow manage to lay around Otis without disturbing him.  Being a large, clumsy dog, this is a hard thing to do.  Otis would often stick his head in Cassidy’s food bowl.  Cassidy would patiently wait for us to move Otis out of the way.  

Cassidy was full of love.  Her owner had her 3 years and she did not understand what was going on.  When I picked her up from the SPCA, she was still waiting on her owners to pick her up.  She did not understand that had given her up.  While it is bitter sweet what she was going through, I am thankful to have the opportunity to be her new mom.  The previous owners said they lost their house and had to move into an apartment that did not allow such a large animal.  I try not to lay judgment on the ones who gave her up, because you never know until you were in their shoes.  I am sure it was hard from them to give her up. I wished I knew who they were so I could share with them the 10 years that she lived after that.  She was such a joy in my life.  The love of a Saint is like no other love.  I now understand all the crazy people who have come up and loved on my Saint.  With a tear in their eye they always have wonderful stories to tell.  Now it is my turn to be one of the crazy people with a tear in my eye chasing down the Saints.