To all of you who have been following his story, at long last, an update about Luther! 

First to say thank you to his RAGOM foster family who took such wonderful care of him during the eight months of his healing journey; also to his sponsors. He is doing well because of your care, support and faith in him. Thank you! 

I adopted Luther on March 1, 2015, and I am happy to say that he is continuing to do really well. One of the first things I did in bringing him to his forever home was to consider a new name for him, knowing that Luther was the name assigned to him at the shelter where he had been brought in as a stray. As I pondered a few names, the one that seemed to fit him the best is Casey, which I discovered is a Celtic word for "Brave," which certainly he is, so that is his new name. 

One of Casey's favorite things in the world is to take walks, and we take a long walk each day, usually along the Mississippi River. We often stop to talk with someone we meet along the way. On one of our walks Casey met an eighteen month old toddler who was out walking with her Mom. She was wearing pink rain boots and had on a headband with a floret. She pointed to Casey and said "doggie."  When I told her Mom that Casey is friendly the little girl put both arms around Casey's head and hugged him. He wagged his tail and nuzzled his face into hers. It was a precious moment to say the least and as they were walking away the little girl jumped up and down saying "doggie, doggie, doggie." 

On another day, Casey and I met a Mom and her three year old son. He got off his bike with training wheels, his helmet bobbing on his head as he nodded yes, that he'd like to pet Casey. He patted Casey carefully and said "I think he likes my bike." 

Casey likes to begin his walks by carrying a toy in his mouth, eventually dropping it when some scent or other grabs his complete attention, then I carry it the rest of the way. At the beginning of a particular walk on a grayish, windy morning, Casey was proudly displaying a new, soft, blue squeeze toy as he sniffed the trees and ground. Three women walked towards us; one of them began laughing and said "my dog does the same thing."  As the trio walked by she said, "he's a beautiful dog." 

Casey is an ambassador it seems and I am struck often by his gentleness and interest in connecting with others. His sweet disposition has a positive impact on people young and old I have discovered, though of course the adults he meets aren't as apt to express themselves in the same way as the child jumping in her rain boots! The delight of the adults we meet is usually seen in their smiles as he wags his tail when they pet him or in their kind words about him.  I do believe that Casey is a magnet for the heart, and it is an absolute pleasure to be walking with him on this next part of his journey.

Casey and I have been on a learning curve, as he is not familiar with many basic commands. I have been teaching him the word "stay" when I'm cooking so he will stay just outside of the kitchen and away from the stove, which he has learned as of this writing, no longer needing a command or a treat. I have also been teaching him to wait at intersections and to walk on one side of me on busy sidewalks. He is responding well to these guidelines as he adjusts to the mostly urban landscape where we walk. The most recent command he has learned is to sit. I am struck not only by his gentleness but also by his smarts! In time we will take some obedience lessons together, so that I too will learn how best to communicate what is needed in a given moment.  

I am looking forward to taking him to a dog park in another month after we've had more time to bond. He does look eager to play with other dogs we meet on our walks, and I have heard that there are two dog parks near our home, one that has an area for swimming so that is something we look forward to doing this summer. At the end of April we will take our first trip up north to a cabin. More fun awaits! In the meantime we'll practice getting in and out of the car and taking rides.

What else to share? Casey and the two resident cats are also doing well. There has only been one incident when one of the cats, William, hissed and swatted at Casey, and Casey growled   his displeasure in response. Most often, William rubs his head against Casey's head and purrs. The second cat, Anubis, has not hissed even once, and has given Casey a lot of space. I have watched how lately he has been going up to sniff Casey, and yesterday for the first time they touched noses. Casey has amazed me in that he does not make any attempts to eat the cats' food, which he could easily do, but he seems to know it is theirs without any guidance from me.  When he first arrived I was concerned about this, but saw quickly, it is more likely that the cats will eat out of his dish!  When that happens he will move away from his dish with his tail wagging. On a recent evening, they were all lounging comfortably in the living room and it was like we had all been living together with Casey here for a long time. 

On the topic of food, it is not that Casey does not have an appetite. On the contrary, he is ready for his breakfast first thing in the morning, and eagerly awaits dinner late in the afternoon at which time he eats up all of his kibble. He lets me know he's ready to eat by picking up one of his toys and wagging and wagging his tail and heading into the kitchen. 

For those of you familiar with Casey's medical history, when I took him for his first vet visit he got a good bill of health. His heart worm screen results were negative, his weight is just what it should be, his digestive system is in balance, and the vet said she could readily understand why I would have adopted him. She had no concerns for his health at this time!

He was a little nervous getting on the scale to be weighed; he needed a treat to coax him into the exam room as the floor is linoleum and he tends to slide on non-carpeted floors. But he managed well getting blood drawn for the screen and in getting his nails trimmed. Though all went well, he needed no coaxing to walk on the floors as we exited! One of the clinic staff was so impressed with Casey that she asked for the name of RAGOM, and I gave her the contact info. 

One more tidbit comes to mind as I bring this update to a close; Casey's playfulness has been more apparent as he's been adjusting. A friend and I were with him in the back yard and he had a favorite toy in his mouth. When he let it go she picked it up and tossed it; he got it and brought it back three times. He has begun to run with excitement at the start of our walks, and I've enjoyed watching him run a few times out in the back yard when I've called to him. As his foster family wrote, Casey does not bark much. Indeed, I have only heard him bark once in the last month, even as the two neighbor dogs bark their presence when he is outside. His response? You guessed it: wag his tail! 

Casey is an absolute gem and I'm so happy to have him here.