Hello, My name is Casey and this is my story.
I was just a pup when I was given up, my mum had had too many of us. I was packed into a small cardboard box with all of my brothers and sisters and dropped off at the local humane society. Once there we were taken into a scary room where some humans picked us up and looked us over, I guess there wasn’t anything wrong with any of us because soon enough we were all in a cozy, if small, box with food and water. Over the next few days my brothers and sisters started disappearing, i looked out of the bars and cried for them but they never came back, soon I was the only one left. I felt so lonely. I heard the humans talking they said that I had been there to long, and that I was going to have to be put to sleep. I didn’t know what this meant but it scared me all the same. Finally the day came, sleeping day, they called it. I was fed an extra delicious meal and I was happy and thought that maybe this wouldn’t be all that bad. But, before I knew it I was taken out of my box and someone was saying how cute I was. The humans said I was saved in the nick of time and I was soon off to my new home.
There was a lot to do in this new home. New places to explore and new smells to sniff. I pranced all over and loved jumping up on everything, what a nice place, I could do whatever I wanted here! A few messes later I found out that that wasn’t the case. The biggest human called me over with his big booming voice and sat me down on his lap. I looked straight into his eyes and he gently told me that I was a house dog now and that meant that certain rules applied, he also gave me my new name, Casey. After that day we were the best of friends. I followed him around and helped him in the yard. I even learned how to pull out those long things with bushy tops out of his garden, and boy were they delicious! I loved this life. I would even get full run of the house and my favorite place to rest was on my master’s chair. The leather was cool in the summer and would stay toasty warm in the winter. He even let me rest up there with him and gave me some of his popcorn, this was the life!
A few years later my master and mistress invited over some other dogs, Jordy, and Geoffrey. We all became top class pals. Jordy was my devoted friend and followed me everywhere, he liked to garden too. We really were a bunch of wild kids. After a year or so in human time of this fun and frolicking I learned that life isn’t always sweet, it can be bitter as well. Geoffrey wasn’t well, he was only two years old but he couldn’t stop drinking, he couldn’t even make it out to the yard to go to the bathroom. It was hard to watch my friend struggle and be able to do nothing to help him.A short while later he went bye-bye like he did almost every week to go to the scary place. He never came back. I missed him so much and so did Jordy. We slept in his kennel that night, the two of us. I don’t know how we squeezed in there but we did. Life went on. Another year had turned around and life had gotten back to normal, the humans had stopped crying and Jordy was better… for awhile. Just as soon as I had become comfortable with it being just the two of us Jordy took a turn for the worst. He was in a bad state, sneezing blood and having trouble breathing. He two went to the scary place and he too never came back. Now two boxes sat on the mantle.
It was hard to loose both of my friends, my packmates, and my brothers, in such a short time. I grew depressed for a long time. I no longer helped master garden. I didn’t sleep in his armchair or race around the yard. I was heart broken and I was lonely. I felt uncomfortable in my own skin, where was my Jordy? Where was my partner in crime? Who would I play with now? Humans? That’s when two miracles came into my life. Britney and Destiny. They were my master and mistress’ pups, pups. They were kind and gentle, and loved to take me for long quiet walks. I became a quiet and well behaved dog. Well mannered and gentle. That is when I met the love of my life.
His name was Danny. He lived in a house just down the street and I met him on one of those long walks with my humans. He was kind and gentle, but he was no house pet. His humans didn’t like animals in the house, they weren’t so nice. They kept him outside, day and night, sun or snow. He had sores from lying on the hard pavement and he always had smudges of dirt on his snout. I went to visit him often. I went with my humans, and by myself. I would sneak out the side gate in the backyard if it was accidentally left open. My humans never worried they knew where to find me. We would roll in the grass and frolic in the snow, I felt like a pup again with him.
It was on one of those days that my humans decided it was time, and they married us. I felt so pretty with purple bows in my glossy black fur and he looked so handsome. They had even cleaned him and but a bow around his neck. We played for hours. I went and visited him a couple times a week after that, usually with my humans. It was on one of those visits that I was reminded about just how cruel life can be. I could not find him that day, I looked all around the neighborhood. Finally my human plucked up the courage and asked his owners. They said he had the cancer, and that they had put him down that morning. I was devastated. I looked for him for the next couple of weeks, but I knew I would not find him. Again I went into a depression. Again I was lonely.
Finally my humans had had enough of my depression. They decided to get me a friend. They chose a shy pup and named her Lucy. She was bright and beautiful, a pure breed sheltie. I’ll admit I was a bit jealous. We were friends and companions, but I was becoming old, I felt my age catching up to me. It was like a creeping vine, taking it’s time to entwine you. I didn’t have the spark I used to. I couldn’t hear my mistress’s sweet voice telling me she loved me, or my gentle master whispering that I was his pretty special girl. I became reliant on Lucy. She let me know when it was time to go out, when my humans called for me, when I should sleep. It devastated me, I felt as though I was slowly dying.
We got another pup soon, we named her Emmy. She was to keep Lucy company for I could no longer play. My hips were bad and it pained me to run. I never would use the ramp that my master built me though, the ones that went to the backyard. I could still make it, I did not need help. I would not admit that I was hurt. By now I slept mostly. I didn’t follow my mistress around the house, and I didn’t sleep in my master’s chair anymore. I didn’t have the strength to jump up into it. Life continued on like this for a few months. I wasn’t happy, I couldn’t eat. I remembered my brothers, oh how I missed them so! It had been ever so long since I had seen them, I wondered if they missed me, I wondered what they had been doing all this time. My thoughts then turned to my Danny. My sweet and gentle boy, graceful and handsome. How was he? Was he taken care of, wherever he was now? I hoped that he had a soft bed and a nice shaded dog house with a field of lush green grass to lye in.
I knew I didn’t have much longer, breathing had become hard, and I couldn’t make it outside to go to the bathroom anymore. I wanted to see my packmates, my brothers, and my Danny. It was then that I went to the scary place. My mistress was there and so was her pup. My master couldn’t be there. I wished I could have seen him, and Lucy, and Emmy, and my mistress’ pups pups one last time, but my strength was failing. I lifted my head up one last time and my mistress cried softly and whispered, I’m here, you’re alright. She stoked my black fur and I left this world.
I woke up and wondered where I was I turned around and saw my packmates. They rushed over to me and sniffed me from top to bottom. I was overjoyed to see them. They were just as happy as I was. I then heard a bark and I realized that I could hear. I looked back to see my love, my Danny. I ran to him. My hips no longer pained me. He was clean and soft and handsome and all of his sores were gone. Here we all are, Home. We frolic in fields and swim in the lake. There is a never ending supply of bushy long things to be pulled from the local garden and the food is delicious. Most of my brothers and sisters are here along with ma and pa. We are happy and healthy as pups. But each of us are missing those special people. We think of them everyday. We look down and see them weep. I see my living packmates sniff my grave and pine for me. And I whisper to them:
Do not stand at my grave and weep.
I am not there, I do not sleep.
I am a thousand winds that blow,
I am the diamond glints on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn’s rain.
When you awaken in the morning’s hush
I am the swift uplifting rush of birds in flight.
I am the stars that shine at night.
Do not stand at my grave and cry,
I am not there, I did not die…
I am awaiting them to come Home. When they come I will be here waiting. When they are all here we will embark on the greatest adventure of all, together.
I am forever your human Casey,
| Casey |
| Destiny |