ABOUT CASEY....

Oh my, I was here a bit ago and couldn't for the life of me think of what to share this time, Not like I don't have anything...I have too much and it all gets jumbled up sometimes!

So earlier today I visited some blog friends and learned that one missing doggie has been found and another one can ring a bell to be let outside! And that's what brought back the memories of Casey.......

You'll have to grab a cup of something, look at the clock and make sure you have time to read this. Guess that's why I don't post everyday....it's always soooo long!
Ready?...................

I think most of us have had pets. They're like kids when you're older and like your sibling when you're a kid. Growing up and living with my parents, we had Pepper. He was a black Cocker Spaniel and we got him as a pup when I was about 8. He was my buddy and would listen to anything I wanted to tell him, followed me wherever I went, and loved to chase cars! He usually slept on my bed although sometimes my kid brother would coax him to stay in his room. But that was ok because I wasn't always there.

Staying with my Aunt, we had all kinds of pets. My Uncle had his hunting dogs and Aunt Marie had her little house ones. Ginger was the Lab/Retriever that was always having puppies. And little Major was the Toy Terrier who would do tricks for us. Cousin Flint was always bringing strays home. One time it was a *mutt* that would run in the house every time the door opened. Aunt Marie would yell "HEY YOU" and go after him till she could get him headed outside again. That became his name...HeyYou.

I even had a little turtle I called *Sticker* ( I have no idea why..) and a cat. The only cat ever in my parents house. Mom didn't live there then...she hated cats. One night I was walking home from a friends house, it was snowing, and under a street light was the tiniest little kitty I'd ever seen...meowing so softly I barely heard it. I picked it up and took it home with me. I was 14 then and staying with my dad and brother at the time. Dad was still at work so I just got it some milk, then took it in my bedroom. I figured since I found it, I was keeping it. It snuggled with me all night.

Dad woke me up when he got home from working a graveyard shift and saw the kitten. He said I couldn't keep it and I knew why....Pepper hated cats and would kill it. But when I asked, he said I could keep it if it was still alive in the morning. This all sounds so awful now... But that's how it was then. Pepper really hated cats. He had been sleeping in my brothers room when I came home with the kitten the night before,

So I brought my new kitty out to meet Pepper who looked at it, growled, barked, looked at me then lay down at my feet and waited. I just told him this was his new little sister and he had to be nice....and that was that. Pepper still chased any cats he saw and I don't think he ever got to like any of them....except Sloopy. Ya, that's what I named the kitty. If you're from that era, you'll remember the song " Hang on Sloopy, Sloopy hang on...." Kinda like the turtle.... I have no idea.

When I married at 16, Pepper and Sloopy were still at home and best buddies. And so was my Dad's new wife.  But I couldn't take them with me. Long story. And I wasn't there when they passed away a couple years later, so I was told... Sure missed them.

Then through the married years we always had a cat or dog or both. So many I really can't remember them all. I do remember having a dog that was part Dingo...and that was his name. A Mutt named Wendy, A Weener dog named Shorty and a St Bernard pup I called Daisy. She disappeared during the deer hunting season. Seems we always had cats around outside. And so many strays that called the yard home.

One time I got a Newfoundland from some friends of my Moms. He was so pretty and a big ball of fur! I called him Diesel and was getting so attached to him. But when they're outside playing with the kids, and you need to go to the store, and the kids pile in the truck but the dog stays, then decides he wants to go, well, sometimes you don't know they're under the wheels till it's too late. Don't know who cried the hardest over that one, me or the kids. Can't forget one daughters love for birds. Finches and Parakeets. And oh, all the goldfish that lived in bowls and finally an aquarium with bigger ones!

I lived in southern California for about 5 years back in the late 1980 - early 90's and still had most of my kids living at home then. And of course we had pets, one of them being Molly, who was one of the funniest looking dogs I'd seen. Part Black Lab and part Basset Hound! Ya, really... she was pitch black with the Lab face but the body of a Basset Hound, long ears to the floor, stubby legs and all. Someone had left her when they moved out of some apartment and my husband brought her home....and she was gonna have puppies! Need to tell about that.

My youngest daughter and I went shopping one afternnon and came home to see Molly under the porch panting. She'd had a puppy. So we took her inside, put her on a blanket and watched in awe as she had 12 more! Yes, the poor little thing could hardly push after the 7th one so I had to help her. And they just kept coming! I worked in the Medical field at the time and had the training to help deliver babies, so I figured I could help bring puppies into the world too. My daughter was 11 at the time and what an experience it was for her. No one else was home until after they were all delivered. And I was shocked to see these puppies. They were all so big! They were more Lab than anything else. And what a mixture of colors, from black to white and tan to brown. But Molly was a great mom and was continually feeding them! When they were old enough, we gave them all away and had her fixed. But I think it took too much out of her and she passed away not long after that...

It wasn't always dogs or cats either. We had Patches....the RAT.. Yes, one of my daughters sobbed for a rat she saw at the pet store one day. Her friend had one and they were "so cute Mom!"  But...A RAT, Oh Lord how can I do this? We took it home. And of course her little sister had to have 2 white mice...Fred and Wilma! Good thing for strong cages...and rules! The when my youngest daughter was in high school, she was given a Cockatoo that mimicked everything! Like the phone ringing, sneezes and even the horses whinny that lived in a pasture behind the house. Talked some but mostly wanted to imitate other sounds.
He was quite the character.

Ok, this is another novel in the making, but before I end this, I have to tell about Casey.
This was after Molly, Patches, Fred and Wilma. We'd moved into a "new to us" home and didn't have any pets at all. Looking in the paper one morning I saw an ad for a FREE dog to a good home. Something told me to call and when I went to see him, it was instant love. The owner was an FBI agent who was being transferred to Puerto Rico and couldn't take his dog. Casey was a 4 year old Golden Retriever. I have always liked them but never owned one, so I said I would like to have him. We agreed he would bring him to my house later that afternoon so he could have time to say good bye. Kind of sad....

When Casey came later, he was a little nervous at first but then settled down rather well. The kids were all at school so didn't know about him till later. He made himself at home...laying on my feet. And from then on that's how it was. He was MY dog. In the morning after everyone was gone and I'd head up the stairs to shower, Casey followed me and would lay right at the doorway...no one could have gotten in that room. When we'd go for a walk, I never had to leash him, ever. He'd walk at my side and always put himself between me and the street. Sometimes we'd pass workers doing landscape somewhere and Casey would always put himself between me and the workers. I never trained him to do any of these things, he just did it. Oh and I need to share this...he liked all the kids and nuzzled my little baby grand daughter whenever she was there, But he did NOT like my husband! ( I didn't either..)

He wasn't home much and when he was, if he sat on the couch where I was, Casey would start a low growl and just stare at him. If Casey was in another room or not close to me when the husband came home, Casey would growl, come to where I was and stay right there. He never barked at him, just stared, with the growl. I thought it was funny. The hubby wasn't so sure about it. One time he came and sat by me and said he wondered what would happen if he slapped my leg, so he did. Casey came up from his laying down position, glared at the husband, growled louder that he had before and just dared him to do it once again. He didn't....

About a year later I was moving back home again and after buying a home, got everything loaded up and headed across country. Well, two and a half states anyway. Casey rode in the van with me and the girls and the guys were coming the next day with the U-Haul full. I'll shorten this up by saying sometimes Real Estate people don't have it all together like they should. The people I'd bought the house from weren't expecting us for another 2 weeks! Great....now what? Well, we ended up staying in a dorm apartment at the local Trade College Campus. It was summer and students were gone. BUT, they didn't allow dogs. Well, that wouldn't work at all, I had Casey. But the Realtor said she had a dog run behind her house that he could stay in till they found something else for us. So reluctantly I left Casey there.


When I drove away he had that "Where are you going without me?" look that broke my heart. But it shattered the next afternoon when I went to check on him and found out he was gone. The story I was told is that the Realtor's young son took Casey out to play with him, then forgot to put him back. I called everywhere I knew to call, put posters up all over, knocked on doors and then did it all over again.....

That was July, 1992. I haven't had a dog since then and not sure if I will. I still see that look in his eyes and even as I tell you this, my heart hurts and my cheeks are wet.
I miss you Casey.........


Thanks again for staying to share my yesterdays....