Story by Mary Lou Force

Web page design by Mary Jo Sminkey

Click on any picture of Kiia for an enlarged view.

One of the most utterly remarkable Shetland Sheepdogs it has ever been my pleasure to know is Miss Kiia, a beautiful, sweet-natured bi-blue girl who was given to Southland Sheltie Rescue by an owner who had adopted her from the Long Beach Animal Shelter three years earlier, loved her dearly, but could no longer care for her. Although he had thought Kiia was only 5 years old, it turned out that she was probably closer to 8 or 9 and was, in addition, almost totally deaf. This troubled me not at all, and once I had met her, I too fell victim to her considerable charms and was more than happy to become her "foster Mama." Kiia lived with me for many months, since most people don't want to adopt an older dog, and no one came along with the wisdom and compassion to look past Kiia's imperfections to the beautiful heart and soul inside her. I never worried about it very much, because Kiia is a perfect angel and truly the sweetest dog I have ever met, so she was always more than welcome to live out her life with me. But I grew somewhat saddened because she deserved so much more individual time, attention and affection than I was ever going to be able to give her.

One day, a lovely lady named Anne, who had been referred to me, came to look at another one of my foster dogs to see about adopting her. She was recently retired, and wanted a sweet, gentle companion to go for walks with her several times a day, keep her company and give her as she put it, "someone to love." I had originally thought that Kiia would be perfect for her, but she said she didn't like blue merles, so I saw no reason to push it and abandoned that possibility. When Anne and her daughter arrived, they both liked Miss Millie (the other foster dog) well enough, and even took her out for a walk. But it didn't take long for me to begin to notice that their eyes kept coming back to Kiia. At the same time, Kiia was outdoing herself, cuddling and kissing and wagging and generally being altogether wonderful. The expression on Anne's face was that of someone who has just fallen hopelessly and completely in love.

I had mentioned at the beginning of the visit that Kiia was also available for adoption, but neither of them had responded, and then suddenly that information seemed to "register." They both turned to me together and said, as if they had rehearsed it, "THIS one is available?" I said yes, and that I thought she would be perfect, but that she was a blue merle. Anne said that she didn't look anything like the blue merle she'd seen before, and that she thought Kiia was the most beautiful dog she'd ever seen. I explained about Kiia's deafness, and that she was probably 8 or 9 years old, but Anne couldn't have cared less. The lady was in love, and this was the dog for her! She gave me a deposit and asked that I keep Kiia until she returned from an out-of-town trip, because she didn't want her to go through the trauma of being "left" so soon after her adoption. When Anne finally left, (she was obviously having trouble tearing herself away!) she smiled, thanked me for "making her day" and then looked lovingly at Kiia. "I really need someone to love," she said simply. And I couldn't imagine a more perfect reason for adopting a dog.

The following Sunday, I returned home in the evening to find a phone message from Anne, who identified herself as "Kiia's new Mama-to-be." (This was a very good sign). She had returned from her weekend trip and, as she put it, was "so eager to come and get my new baby." (This, too was a very good sign). I began to believe that maybe this placement was going to turn out to be as special as I had hoped, and as Kiia so richly deserved.

As planned, Anne came to my house on Monday afternoon. When Kiia and I met her at the door, she looked at Kiia with the same adoration I had seen on her face when they first met. Kiia threw herself at her, and the two of them cuddled happily while we discussed vaccinations, explained medications and signed adoption contracts. Anne kept saying that she couldn't imagine how anyone could ever have given Kiia up, or why no one had adopted her before now. I told her that most people couldn't see past the fact that she was deaf. Anne smiled, "But that just makes her more special." Now I was really starting to feel good about this!

We went to my nearby pet supply store to buy the things Anne would need for Kiia. As we went up and down the aisles, with Kiia in the basket, people stopped to admire and pet her. Anne just beamed, with the pride of a parent whose children are praised. I made suggestions, and anything that Kiia liked or might enjoy, as well as everything she might need, was quickly put in the basket. This, of course, included chew hooves, toys, and cookies, all of which Kiia explained to her new Mama were absolutely essential.

Finally the time came for them to go. I picked Kiia up to put her in Anne's car, and of course burst into tears. It wasn't Kiia I was crying for -- she was going to the most wonderful home I could ever have imagined for her. It was me. Kiia had been part of my life for over six months now, and I was going to miss her terribly. I held Kiia and kissed her and told her how much I loved her, then finally put her in the car and closed the door. Anne hugged and comforted me and assured me that we would be in constant touch, and that I would see Kiia again whenever I wanted to. As they drove away, Kiia's lovely face was watching me out of the passenger window. She didn't look worried, just puzzled and grave. I was heartbroken.

Well, Anne called me at work the next morning. Her first words were, "This dog is an angel from Heaven." I beamed. She then proceeded to tell me how perfectly behaved Kiia was, how well every single aspect of their life together was working out, how happy and affectionate Kiia seemed to be, and how much they already loved each other. She talked about what a wonderful, wonderful dog Kiia was: so beautiful, so sweet, so good, so intelligent, so loving. She said that Kiia had brought into her life everything that had been missing. She couldn't imagine how she had ever lived without her, and she regretted every single year that Kiia had been alive that they hadn't spent together. They were going for walks together several times a day, and Kiia was going everywhere with Anne to visit friends and family. Everyone loved her, everyone thought she was the most beautiful, extraordinary dog they had ever met. People marvelled that Anne could use the arm signal for "come" and Kiia would trot right over to her. Kiia was sleeping on the bed next to Anne every night, and in the morning she would race over to sit in front of the microwave, on top of which was where Anne was keeping her leash. Anne thought that was the most wonderfully clever thing she'd ever heard of. Anne ended by saying that although she was not a terribly religious person, she did have faith, and she had prayed to God to send her to the right dog. She now knew, she said, that Kiia was truly a gift from God.

So Kiia is Home. She has her very own person now, and doesn't have to compete with other dogs for her attention. She goes for walks all the time instead of once in a blue moon. When Anne is reading, Kiia lies at her feet and chews on her cow-hoof. She is almost never alone, and most important of all, her new Mama loves her deeply. She not only thinks she's beautiful on the outside, she sees into her beautiful inner soul and appreciates and treasures it as I did, but never thought anyone else could. They are supremely happy.

Anne has promised that I can baby-sit Kiia whenever she has to go out of town, and I will keep a picture of the two of them in my home forever. I have seen them both since they became a family, and to watch them together is to know what perfect joy and contentment looks like. Anne says that her daughter hasn't seen her so relaxed or so happy in many years. Her physician, who told her to get a pet when she retired, says her blood pressure and stress level are both down, and her overall health is better already. The miracle of love. Anne's birthday was only a few days after she took Kiia home, and she says that Kiia is the most wonderful birthday present she ever received, or could ever have hoped to receive. So the most special dog I ever met has found one of the most special people I ever met, and they are together as they were always meant to be. Life is good.