b'Paul and I had started over quite a few times when the end on a taffeta chair. Surprisingly, I didnt mind. I had nagged Pauloftwodemandingcareerspitchedusintotheformlessness aboutpenmarksonthefurniture,butIfeltforCasey.of working at home, without any colleagues to stir things up. His claws tap-tapped on the floorboards as he sniffed everyNo wonder we annoyed each other. corner of his new home.One night at dinner, I announced my plan: Lets go back Then he got on with choosing his favorite human: Paul.to counselling. I could already see us in Annettes basement Im not one to roll around on the couch with a dog who cantoffice where we sat like school kids as the teacher posed her get enough belly-rubbing, but Paul kept at it until Caseys eyesquestions. My favorite, why we fell in love, got the two of us rolled back in his head and all four legs quivered with excite-laughing. By directing our attention to what we cherished in ment. Aw, Casey! Aw, Casey! bellowed my husband. En routeeachotherinsteadofwhatpushedourbuttons,Annette to Caseys foster home, he had been cursing inattentive drivers.returned us to ourselves. She once told us, Its a miracle that The free spirit on the couch was another Paul. All because heyou found each other. loved Casey, who loved him back without reservation.Surely Paul remembered. But he didnt say, Book us in. Caseyslovemademyhusbandmorelovabletome.A few dinners later, he proposed his own plan. He took my Our miracle became real again. And I couldnt help but lovehand across the table and said, Lets get a dog. the mutt who made it happen.Adog.Atourstage.Decadeshad Dogs give unconditional love, sayspassed since our son was around to play everydogpersonIknow.True,butfetch. On top of the obvious drawbacks theyre overlooking something: the loveto this planshedding, vet bills, the trips dogsreleaseintheirhumansjustbywecouldnttakewithadogthere being their goofy and unjudging selves.would be fights over whose turn it was to As Casey settled in with us, we softenedwalkthebeast. Weneededacoachto toward each other.bring us together, not a burden to pull PaulandIwerereprisinganoldus apart. argumentwho gets dibs on our smallAnd we shared a longstanding belief galley kitchen if I want lunch and hesthat certain domestic problems require a readyforbreakfastwhenCaseyqualifiedexpert.Plumberfortheway- sauntereduptothecounter,waitingward toilet, electrician for the flickering for cheese to fall. Drool puddled on thelights. Why should marital malaise get floor and nearly sent me flying. I yelled;the DIY treatment? We had a mantra, Caseyflinched.Sorry,Casey,Isaid,coined by Paul: This is what people are laughing.Whatdodogsknoworcarefor. People, not dogs. about apologies?You wont do a minute more than Paul and I know that sorry meansyour share, Paul said. Itll be fun. admitting you are wrong. We are both soIgrewupinahouseholdthat intent on being right that we have alwayscouldnt see the point of fun. My sister Caseys love made resistedsorry.Inspiredbythedrooland I learned early that fun would dis- incident, I looked at our kitchen stand-tract us from our purpose, aspiring and my husband more offsfrommyhusbandspointofview.achieving. Despite years of therapy from Perhaps his first meal of the day mightpeoplewithdiplomasontheirwalls,I lovable to me.take precedence over my second. still believed fun didnt solve any prob- Rona Maynard I began to ask about his lunch planslems. But Paul really wanted this dog; his before starting my omelet. Annette couldface shone at the thought. How badly did I want another round have steered me to the same realization, but without any laughswith Annette? Nowhere near enough to disappoint my hus- along the way. Casey was fun. And I didnt do a minute moreband. I swallowed hard and said yes to his plan. walking than my share.I was in no hurry to disrupt our home with a dognot When we consulted Annette, we were too preoccupiedthat there were many dogs who ticked all our boxes. Living in with working and paying down the mortgage to bring a dogan eighth-floor condo, we couldnt train a puppy.Every dog on into our family. By the time Casey arrived, we were ready tooffer at the rescue sites needed either a back yard or experi- shakeupourroutinesandcouldaffordvetbillswhenheenced owners who could handle complications (health condi- scarfed down something rotten. Neither of us relished walks intions, a history of abuse). We finally found a happy-go-lucky foul weather, but taking care of Casey encouraged us to takebeagle mix with a torn right ear. He had received his basic better care of each other. His happiness made us happier, indi-training in a mens prison, home to one of many programs that vidually and together.pair castoff dogs with castoff humans who prepare them for AsIpredicted,wehadtomodifyourtravelhabits.adoption. Well loved by a prisoner who didnt get to keep him, Between the cost of boarding and our own reluctance to leavehe came to us ready to pass on the gift. Casey for weeks at a stretch, we dont tool around Europe soWe named him Casey. His first act in our place was to pee often these days. But all three of us are keen road trippers. 28 THE NEW BARKER www.TheNewBarker.com'