CASEY BOY 1996-2009

CASEY BOY 1996-2009

June 5, 2009 - No Responses

Casey came to us in 1996, after the death of our poodle Chi-Chi, as a companion for Brandy our black Labrador-Chow mix. The first year was tough as he was apparently dumped off at the pound for being a notorious chewer and damager for the previous owners. I’d come home from work and have to replace ten feet of my underground sprinkler system and replace a wheelbarrow full of dirt back to it’s original location. After several repair lawn jobs and a new pair of Nike Athletic shoes we finally managed to get him corrected.



Casey had epileptic seizures which may have been another reason for his abandonment and a concern as the pound said he was mistreated. Well Tina and I were used to taking care of Chi-Chi’s diabetes and insulin shots we decided to cure him without the use of drugs and instead with lots of head massages and keeping him from chewing the plants that could trigger these seizures. Though he had them periodically, they were manageable. Keeping him off the stairs while seizing was a challenge.

No stranger ever failed to remark at Casey beautiful red coat. As a redbone hound and shepard mix he was quite handsome. The ‘Big Boy’ was all about ‘Chow time.’ In order to keep him satisfied we had to put him on adult formula early to keep his weight down yet, provide him the tonnage he demanded. Friendly was an understatement to describe the hound the children called Clifford the Big Red Dog.  All the neighbors had to acknowledge his before they left for work as Casey would stand by their car doors until they gave him a little scratch. We lived on a Cul de Sac, so he made the circle everyday. If they had their garage doors open, Casey would enter looking for food and remain until I or Tina went to retrieve him. Thank God we had good neighbors.



Tina’s drug problems were no secret to my friends, family and neighbors. When I was at work and she drove to bad neighborhoods to buy drugs, she took Casey with her. The drug dealers would try to hit her or steal from her until Casey was riding shotgun. I have no doubt I was spared a few hospital trips or a possible funeral to arrange, thanks to my Big Boy Casey. He knew his responsibilities. Tina left for good after 911. I had lost my job due to company closure and she had run through the bank accounts. That was hard on Casey so I had to extend myself extra hard to keep his spirits up. Time finally healed his wounds and the three of us spent the next eights years alone.

In 2006, I sold the house in South Florida and moved to the mountains in North Carolina. The heat and humidity in Florida was taking their toll on the dogs and I was ready for another change. Casey and Brandy thrived here for three years.

On Friday, May 15, Casey took a fall down the stairs. He did not want to walk with me and Brandy that day. I finished the walk and returned to find him sitting under a tree in the back yard where he had never laid before. I watched him for awhile and he did not take his eyes off me for the entire time I watched him. He lumbered back into the house later and I helped him onto the couch as I knew he would not likely make it upstairs that night to sleep in his usual spot.



I woke suddenly from a sound sleep because someone shouted for me to go downstairs. I came down to find my boy had gotten off the couch and was laying between the couch and coffee table. He was panting, turning his head left and right. I laid beside him and grabbed his head to rub it. He immediately laid over on his side and freely urinated as his system and heart were giving out and within a few moments he took his final breaths while I whispered in his ear that I loved him very much.

I thanked God for waking me up and telling me to go down there to say goodbye as I believed Casey was waiting for me and was unable to call to me. I cried from 1:00 Am to 4:00 am until I was exhausted. I realized why Casey had gone to that spot to lay down the previous day. It was his choice for where he wanted to pass.



I buried him Saturday breaking through the hard clay and rock ground, chopping through some roots from the tree and was finally able to create a hole large enough to handle his beautiful big form. I think about the loss of friends and family and can say for certain this was as big a loss for me as any I have ever had. Likely living alone for eight years and spending my time with them added to the grief I suffered. Casey was my ‘big boy’ and I owe him as much as anyone else who I have ever loved or has loved me.

 My boy Casey