Laid to Rest

We had to put our golden retriever, Casey, to sleep. It was an emotional time as we had had him for eleven years. My youngest grew up with Casey. I remember when we first got him and he used to knock Joel over in play. Poor kid would lie on the ground like a slug with this huge slobbering dog over him. Casey always protected the kids when they went on walks too. He would bound along by their side, warning them of snakes and badgers, as well as the occasional vicious bunny. He kept our livestock safe, keeping coyotes away with his deep "woof".

Casey developed kidney failure. We opted not to have the vet perform heroic measures on him, but kept him comfortable at home until he could no longer stand on his own. At that point it was time to say good bye.

Kyra went with me to the vet. We put Casey in the back of the car and the vet came out to the car so we didn't have to carry him. We took some last pictures and gave last hugs. The vet gave him a shot in the vein. Casey barely reacted. We pet his soft body until he was no longer breathing. With tears running down our faces we drove home and buried Casey between two rose bushes.

Our other dog, Penny, had died in her sleep some months earlier. I am sure that she was waiting for him to get to doggy heaven so they could run in the grass and frolic like they used to. I'm crying now, just writing about this, so I will end the post and wish all of you pet lovers a good night. Give your doggies an extra hug for me.