Darby Wins the Roses!!

Written by Darby fka CP Gentry

Darby fka CP Gentry has been Home for Two Years!

Hello to all my Col. Potter friends!  Darby here, fka CP Gentry, celebrating my 2nd Gotcha Day!  Actually, it was really on May 5^th, which happened to be Kentucky Derby Day two years ago (and how I got my new name!), so I’m stretching out the celebration this year, hoping we’ll have another Triple Crown Winner to make my day even more special! 

My Mom and Dad are very special!   They didn’t worry because I was an older Cairn (about 8-1/2 years old back then).  They decided I would be just perfect because they both worked and felt they couldn't devote the right amount of time to a puppy.  In addition, Chia, the dog they already had, was an older rescue, about the same age as me!

Darby and sister Chia relaxing on the verandah

Chia is a 10lb. Border Terrier mix, and she thinks that she rules the roost.  Well, I don’t mind so much, letting her think that.  I sort of fell in love with her as soon as we met, and I’m fine deferring graciously to Her Majesty in all things.  Chia has a “mysterious and checkered past” Mom says, which results in occasional anxiety issues, but I have no anxiety about anything, so I’m a good influence.  Mom says that my gentle and happy attitude have actually calmed Chia down and made her much happier and relaxed over the past two years.  I think that makes me the true Alpha, but we’ll keep that little secret between us, OK?

Darby’s coat is healthy and all grown out!

When I first arrived, I had a terrible skin condition, with lesions and hair loss.  My Foster Mom, Monika, had worked wonders with me to get me on the road to healing, and my new Mom and Dad took over from there.  After a couple of rounds of antibiotics, a major food change, and regular grooming, my skin healed completely after a few months, and now my coat is thick and gleaming!  My vet can't believe I’m even the same dog she saw when Mom and Dad brought me in two years ago!

Mom thinks that I’m the sweetest, most well behaved little boy in the whole world, and she finds it hard to believe someone would ever give me up.  She is very grateful, however, that they did the right thing by calling Col. Potter so I could find my way to my new Forever Home!

Darby and Chia cuddle with Mom on the verandah

I cuddle right up and snuggle all the time, and give many, many kisses to Mom and Dad.  I even occasionally let them discover a trick I’d learned in my “former life” - when someone cared about me and worked with me – before I got frightened of them picking me up.  I don’t know how to explain what happened to scare me so bad, but Mom and Dad have really taught me that I can trust them completely, so I’m a little hesitant now, but I’m not frightened by them picking me up.  My first major breakthrough was only after about three months, when I rolled over to ask them for a belly rub.  It made them smile so much, I know it made them happy!

Darby and Chia take Dad for a walk

Mom says that I am so well trained that she has taken to calling me "Mr. Regular" just because I give her a soft little "errr" almost every morning - at the same time - to let her know I want to go out!  I’m also so obedient, I even dropped a rabbit I caught once when Mom sternly told me to do so – which was a real shock to her! She says she has never had a Cairn do THAT before!  The rabbit even survived, by the way...

Darby and Chia doing some yard work…

Chia and I have our own wonderful huge fenced yard with trees and bushes galore, and we get to chase off those pesky birds and squirrels daily, and we keep the neighborhood cats on alert.  Apart from snoozing on the verandah with Mom and Dad and Chia, my favorite spot is to camp out by the front gate.  This is where I get to "protect the yard" from those people and dogs without Terrier passes who dare to walk by.  I am an excellent watch dog!  Mom and Dad even installed full length glass doors in the bedroom and dining room so I can keep an eye on things while I’m in the house.

Darby has his doubts about the big water...

I’m a terrific traveler too, and I settle down right away to snooze during our long trips to northern Wisconsin.  We have a cabin on the Wisconsin River - and lots more squirrels!  I don't like that "big water" thing, however, and I would rather that Mom would stop going swimming in it!

Mom and Dad say they can't imagine life without me – and I feel the same way about them!  Adopting an older dog was perfect for them, and I fit in like I’ve been here my whole life.  Even though I’m now 10-1/2 years old, I am very healthy and I know we will be a happy family for many years to come.  Mom says I should urge everyone not to ignore the many benefits of adopting an older Cairn!

Darby and Chia waiting for cookies

Thank you Col. Potter - all of the great Volunteers - for making this and many other happy stories possible!

Now, Go California Chrome!