Saying Goodbye To Casey

I will be honest; this is going to be a hard blog to write.  Tomorrow will be two weeks since we had to say goodbye to our beloved Casey.  She was only a couple days shy of our 12th birthday.  It was not a complete surprise but we were really hoping to have more time with her.  Casey has been struggling for a little while now and we were noticing a marked decline in her health.  We had taken her into the vet for a checkup and were shocked to find out she had cancer.  This was on top of what we thought was the main issue, her mobility.  She has always had hip issues and she was a big lab, 100lbs, which probably did not help as she aged.  Finding out she had cancer really hit us hard.  Fortunately, at the time, it seemed to be localized to a lump on her side.  Due to her overall health, the vet did not feel there was anything that could be done.  Any kind of surgery would just be too hard on her.  The mobility problem just compounded the whole thing.  We were just hoping for more time. 

    One day the week before last my wife called and told me Casey seemed to be taking a turn for the worst.  The next morning it was obvious that the time we had been praying would not come for many months had come.  Casey had been fighting hard.  She still had all the spark and spirit in her right up the very end.  Getting the call from my wife that morning was one of the hardest things I have had to handle in a long time.  Probably since finding out my mother had cancer, to be honest.  Side note my mom is one tough lady and she beat her cancer.  Go mom!  Honestly, the hardest part of this whole thing was the fact that I was not able to be there.  As some of you may know I moved to Virginia last month due to a transfer.  So, my wife had to deal with all of this without me there.  It was heart-wrenching to know she was there having to say goodbye to her best friend without being there.  God bless my wife for being the strong woman she is. 

    Casey was our first family dog.  She was with us for most of our marriage.  She and my daughter were only eight weeks apart in age and had grown up together.  They were always buddies.  As an infant, my daughter would crawl all over Casey and they would take naps together and just hang out.  Casey was the kind of dog that just wanted to hang out and chill.  As my daughter grew into a toddler she would dress Casey up and play with her like a sibling.  I cannot tell you how many times over those years I walked into a room and there was Casey with Minnie Mouse ears on or some other outfit that my daughter dressed her up in.  She was just so patient and loving with my daughter.  My heart breaks for her to lose her buddy.  Not only was she my daughter’s buddy but she was my wife’s best friend.  Over the years there have been a lot of deployments and time away for whatever reason due to my military career.  Casey was always that best friend that would cuddle up to my wife and be there to support her when she was sad or lonely.  Casey gave our family so much love and for that, we will forever be grateful. 

     This is not the first pet I have lost in my life but I have to be honest it is probably the hardest one to lose.  Not being there was so hard and is still very hard.  Of course, before I moved, I gave her a big hug and told her I loved her.  Just in case you know.  Always holding on to the positive and hoping for the best.  Putting those good vibes out there.  I just wish I could have hugged her one more time.  Given her a scratch behind the ear and thanked her for being such an amazing member of our family.  Just have been able to lay on the floor with her and let her and enjoyed one last cuddle with the big drooly brown dog.  In the end, I know all of that is about me and not about what was best for Casey.  Her time had come and we had to let go.  All I can only hope that we were as good to her as she was to us.  She will live on in the memories we, and others, have of her.  

   I love you Casey and miss you terribly.  RIP.