In Memory of Casey (aka Brewsky #09-23)
We adopted Casey from GRRIN in the summer of 2009. He was 3 years old. His original name was Brewsky so we decided to give him a more family-friendly name. We thought Brewsky should be his middle name and affectionately called him Casey B. Our oldest children were 3 years old and 18 months old when we adopted Casey. We fell in love with him instantly. By his third day in our home he was snuggling up for naps with our little ones. Casey hadn’t been showered with this much love before and he soaked it all in and gave us so much love in return.
Casey was a very smart boy. During his early time with us, he would steal the kids’ favorite stuffed animals from their beds at night and we’d find him snuggled up with them in the morning. He was a very powerful chewer with his dog toys and could only have the expensive toys that come with a guarantee, but somehow he knew not to chew up those precious stuffed animals.
We have a general rule that dogs don’t sleep on the furniture and Casey was a quick learner. He never jumped on the furniture unless invited. However, if one of us arrived home early from work or out of our usual routine, we’d catch him fast asleep on the couch! So it turns out, he was so smart that he only followed that rule when we were home!
Casey had a major ball obsession. Any type of ball would catch his attention. He was fondly remembered by his foster mom, Julie, for his craziness about balls. We quickly figured out that Casey really did best with balls when they only came out for the purpose of playing and were put away when we were done. Then he could relax and just be a regular dog instead of worrying about where his ball was. He was an expert at playing fetch and we never met another dog that could beat him to his tennis ball in a game of fetch. He could even carry 3 tennis balls in his mouth at once! Once Casey intercepted a football from a group of boys at the playground and brought the football to me!
When we adopted Casey he was a little out of shape. Long walks and daily games of fetch quickly changed that! We joked that the more we played fetch, we built his endurance up to the point that we could no longer wear him out! He had boundless energy but it was a perfect fit for our family. He became my running partner and we covered many miles together every week. Just the sight of me in my running clothes and shoes would have him jumping straight up in the air and spinning in circles.
Casey loved children. He was the popular neighborhood dog and his favorite places to visit were the nearby school playground and the park. If we let him lead the way on a walk, he went straight to one of those two places. We often joked that if he ever ran away from home, we’d know exactly where to find him!
Casey saw us through some of the best years of our life. He accompanied me through many sleepless nights after our 3rd child was born and was often in our son’s room before I was when he woke up crying. Casey was a true velcro dog and regularly joined us in the bathroom! He was always running into me because he was usually just ½ a step behind. I truly think that Casey felt that his job was to take care of us, and he spent every minute doing just that. He was a true companion and best friend to all of us and a perfect representative of the Golden spirit.
In October 2013 he suddenly stopped eating and we knew something was wrong. After 3 weeks of thinking he was just having some stomach and digestive issues, the vet did an ultrasound and identified an abdominal tumor. Knowing that he had only a short time with us, we spent every minute possible snuggling with him and telling him how much he meant to us. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge on November 30th, two days after Thanksgiving.
Although we are still very heartbroken and miss our Casey dearly, a part of him will always be with us. Our lives are better because of him.
The Stohs Family
Greg, Brooke, Garrett, Avery, & Emmett
