March 21 1997 —- Aug. 17 2001
Beagle
We rescued a 6 mo. old beagle from an abusive situation
and worked continuously to rehabilitate her.
Her name was Casy.
It took almost a year to train her not to bite us.
She was crated at her old home and poked at by the kids of this family.
Feeding time was once a day and if this little dog did not eat
she would be left to go hungry.
We had a dog at the time of adoption so integrating this little beagle
into our home was tough.
After working with her for 3 1/2 years we thought we had her to a
point where she would be with us for a very long time.
Unfortunately with the birth of our son little Casy’s life got turned
upside down.
With each cry (as babies do) our beagle would cower and hide.
It would take a great deal of work to get her to come out of hiding.
We worked with Casy to the point where she would not hide when
our son cried but we could tell she was depressed.
When our son began to crawl our beagle regresses to where
she bit me as I was petting her and she snapped at our son
(but did not bite him). It was at this point that we knew Casy could
not stay with us anymore. We searched the internet and called every
beagle rescue center from New Hampshire to Texas to try
and find Casy a new home. None of the centers would take her.
We talked with a behaviorist tried obedience training and our vet even
tried to help find an alternative arrangement for her.
Unfortunately after this diligent and exhaustive search every door
was closed except one – to put her down.
We did this on 8/17/2001. This was the most painful thing my wife
and I have ever done. We stayed with Casy until the end.
Our hearts broke as we watched the look in little Casy’s eyes go
from fear to dismay to a knowledge that she was going to die.
Our other dog knew when we got back from this endeavor what
had happened. She is still looking for her best friend – Casy.
She runs around the yard sits by the windows and
comes to us with a look that drives the pain even deeper.
I have been told that this was the “humane” thing to do,
but it does not feel that way at all.
Our house has lost some of it character and
the fun that Casy brought with her.
We miss you Casy.
The memory of your love loyalty and friendship will
live forever in our hearts and minds.
I pray that your spirit is free and that one day
we will cross paths again.
Tearfully yours,
P B & I
| Casy |