We found Cassie on October 8, 2000 laying in a pen at the Santa Monica animal shelter. She was one of many , many animals there that were dying for attention and longing to belong. As we walked from pen to pen talking to the sweet dogs we were drawn to her for one main reason: her quiet eyes and gentle licks through the cage. She wasn't barking, she was whining, she wasn't bouncing around. She simply looked at us and literally begged with her eyes for us to take her. And that was it. We paid the $12.00 to take her home. From the moment we brought her home she was grateful, gentle, playful and loyal. After several early trips to the vet we came to find out that she was very sick, but after gentle care we nursed her back to health and she came "alive"!
Flash forward to 2006 and I am pregnant with my first baby….Cassie was my protector. She followed me everywhere and slept where Chad and I slept. When my contractions started ( and lasted for 4 days) she was the one who stayed by my side consistently. She NEVER left. When we brought our sweet Olivia home she greeted her with gentle "sniffs" and "kisses". Most pictures of Olivia from birth-6 months include Cassie. Olivia was "her" baby too…
With every child, with every change, and with every new direction our lives have taken in the last 13 1/2 years, Cassie has been there. We noticed her beginning to age and put out of our minds that the time we had with her was dwindling.
On her last earthly day we made the choice to spend it happily enjoying our time with her instead of wallowing in the past. We took her to her favorite spot…the beach. We walked her slowly down the beach and watched her walk straight into the water and simply stand and watch the waves. She pawed at the sand and greeted two small dogs that were running in the sand. She laid on the blanket on the sand and just smelled the sea air and watched the water. Finn fed her treats we petted her and talked to her. At home earlier in the day, we put her paw prints in cement and decorated the stone with her picture and gems. It was all bittersweet but gently and peaceful.
Cassie was our friend. She never faltered. She loved us and we loved her…and although in the end her body was old, her spirit was alive and will remain that way always.
We love and miss you girl.
NOW for the public service announcement: Please, please , please…when you or your family are thinking of getting an animal companion…ADOPT! ADOPT! ADOPT! There are so, so many wonderful and amazing animals suffering in shelters and pounds are the US. Don't BUY so-called purebred animals for you are just perpetuating a cycle of unwanted animals….Cassie is the PERFECT example of this. She wasn't a purebred, she was a mutt…and she was AMAZING!!!!!!!
xoxoxo
1 comment:
There was nothing "Mutt" about your Cassie. She is and will always be Royalty♡
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