I got to name her - Cassie Leigh. I can't remember why I picked the name but I thought it was cute! Cassie slept in my room an in my bed every night. She was the sweetest little puppy! She'd crawl under the covers to snuggle in the warmth then inevitably get overheated and crawl back to the top, sticking her little tongue out panting. So funny! That's her up there next to dad's Gold Panning Association of America hat. You gotta love retired rednecks, eh?
One of Cassie's favorite people (besides me of course!) is my dad. When he would step outside to smoke, he would say 'go for smoke?' to her and she would RUN outside! He always called her his "baby girl". They had a pretty adorable bond.
Eventually, I moved out of my parents' house three years later. I would go visit her every day during my lunch time and let her out for my parents who were both working in Modesto. This continued til my mom and dad retired about four years ago.
Sadly since then I didn't really visit often. Life got busy and I knew mom and dad were taking good care of her. But every time I walked in and said her name she came running right over.Boy, she was spry! She jumped so high and far even in her older years that people never guessed her to be as old as she was.
For the last year she's been slowly failing. She reached 16 in July of this year. I had previously told my mom if she and dad needed to, they could put her to sleep when she became too hard to take care of.
Well, in late August my mom called me to tell me that they felt it best to do just that. So now my parents are petless. My mom's thinking about a cat but is kind of enjoying her new-found freedom of a truly empty nest.
So this is dedicated to Cassie Leigh - or as I once teased her - Ratgirl! All of these pictures were taken on my birthday in June 2008.
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