Karen Kingsbury on Bringing Her Christmas Puppy Home

KK: I’m Karen Kingsbury. We are super excited about a story that we’re gonna tell today about Toby.

DK: And I’m her husband, Donald, and this is Toby, our dog Toby, who’s seven years old. Hi, Tob.

KK: Well I remember the moment that it happened. We were in the kitchen. He had been kind of looking at pictures of a dog that we had lost, a dog named Reggie, who had passed away. And my husband said the thing that he later said he didn’t say, he said, “You know, I think maybe it’s time that we get another dog.”

And we’d had a dog for 14 years and he’d gotten very sick and had to be put to sleep, and he was also a white lab. And now it had been a couple years without having a dog, and I heard him say it. I heard him say, maybe it’s time to get a puppy, and my wheels began to turn.

DK: You know, when Reggie passed, it was so hard. I had to take him to the vet. And it was time, the vet said that he’s he’s ready to go. And so you wouldn’t think it would be that difficult, but to have him laying on the table and for them to say, okay, I mean he’s like 30 seconds away, and to pet him and just look in his eyes, it just broke my heart.

And I remember going home and just finding Karen and saying, “I’m done with puppies, I don’t want any more dogs.” That hurt, I was hurt to say goodbye to him. And I didn’t really…when I said I want a puppy, [it was] just something you say. I was looking though pictures and I was just like, “You know, maybe we do need another dog,” but I didn’t mean it at all.

KK: Be careful what you say. [chuckles]

DK: Yes.

KK: So, you know for us, I felt like once I heard him say it, it was time to make a decision and to act on it, right Toby? So I contacted a breeder who didn’t live too far away and found out he was having a litter of yellow lab, white lab puppies, to come home on Christmas eve, and I was super excited.

That was like, it was like the sign from God. Okay, well if they’re ready on Christmas Eve, then this must be the right thing. So I put a deposit down and the breeder helped me pick which one. A puppy that wasn’t too aggressive, not too shy, that would be perfect for our family.

And then we made a plan, got the family all gathered around. No one knew, I didn’t tell anyone. I didn’t want anyone talking me out of it. And at two o’clock on Christmas Eve, the doorbell rang, and it was the breeder holding this darling little white lab puppy. And the kids were just, oh they were so excited. It was like something out of a Rockwell painting with a Christmas tree in the background. And I think one of our sons started crying, like “Oh, this is the best, the best Christmas gift ever, our little puppy.”

And Donald had been in the back of the house and he heard the commotion and he came up to the front and saw this little puppy and just kind of turned around.

DK: And I came around the corner and she was holding this little puppy, and I didn’t react like I should have. I just…I turned around and walked away and went outside because I just had all this flood of memories of Reggie and now we got a new dog, and do we have the time to work with a dog, and the kids are all involved in sports and things at school, and no, no, no I don’t want this thing.

I just heard God say, “Go back in there, go back in there.” So I turned around and went back in and held him, and kind of thanked her for the gift. It probably wasn’t the best thank you, but I really didn’t want it, like I said. I did not want another puppy. But I’m so glad that I listened to the Lord that day.

KK: Well I knew it wasn’t just about the time and the commitment ’cause he’s so good with dogs. I mean, we wouldn’t have a dog if it wasn’t for you. You’re so great at training them and spending time. They always end up being his dog, no matter what. And so I wasn’t upset. I knew that his heart was hurting and that it was hard with Reggie, having lost him, and loving a puppy again.

But Christmas morning, so the next day, Donald took Toby outside and Toby was walking near the pool and fell into the ice cold water, ice cold, and he went in after him and he got him and brought him to his chest and took him really quickly back into the house and he got back into bed and he said, “I’ve got to keep him warm, he’s just shivering.” I covered him up with some blankets, just hugging that little puppy, and helping him stay warm. And I thought, he loves that dog.

It already had happened, like the transition had already happened. The transformation of, you know, “Do I really want [this], can I really do this again, to love?” had happened in that moment. And we kind of talked about it that day, you know. He warmed up and he was sitting by the Christmas tree as kids opened their presents, and we said, “You know, love hurts, like, loves comes with loss, but it’s worth it, and it’s worth loving again.”

And now, of course, you know today, like, he’s your dog, there’s no question. We take him for a walk every morning. Every morning is like a brand new walk for him. He’s so happy and hyper and hopeful. But he sits on my feet while I write novels. So I don’t write a book without Toby just like laying on my feet. Kind of, he’ll give me that look back like, “You stay in your chair.”

DK: He keeps her accountable.

KK: “You have a deadline.” So Toby’s just become such a deep part of our family, I can’t imagine life without him.