Anyone who knows me well knows that there are six of us in my immediate family: four are human and two are canine. Casey came into our lives in 1994, and then Chloe in 1996, and these two doggies have been important family members for the majority of my life. My parents got their first dog, Hildy, before my sister and I were born. Hildy was adorable, and I wish I could remember more about her. She died in October 1994 at age 14. I cried a lot when she died, and I was eager to have a new puppy to cheer up our family. My mom and I found little Casey at the Humane Society. We called my dad and told him to come meet this puppy, whose papers said she was a lab mix. “A lab? She’ll be huge! And you want me to come all the way down there? What a big waste of time,” my dad said.
Always so cozy and always wearing a bandana. That's how I will remember my Casey.
We jokingly quoted that for years, even this summer when we found out that Casey had skin cancer. It turned out that Casey wasn’t a lab mix; she was a small terrier that perhaps had a great-grandpa lab, my mom said. Whatever her breed, she was the greatest dog a kid could have ever asked for. She was my first puppy, and I remember being scared of her as she raced around the backyard to get out that puppy energy. I called my mom at work one day to ask what was wrong with the puppy.
Casey studying with Natalie and I in high school, but also hoping to get some of our popcorn...
I was 9 years old when we got Casey, which was the perfect age for a girl to get a puppy; she made me lots of friends! She was the most adorable little puppy, so everyone at school loved her instantly. As she got a little older, she hung out after school with my friends and I nearly every day. As I ran around the neighborhood with my friends, I often had Casey at my side. “Take your sister! And take Casey!” my mom would say as I ran out the door, headed to the park after school. She let kids pet her and pick her up and dress her up in absurd outfits. She was incredibly tolerant and gentle. If she ever really got annoyed with kids, she would simply run to my mom, who would always protect her.
Julie and Casey lounging at the park
Our family wanted a very well-behaved dog, so we signed Casey up for obedience classes with Judy Strickland, a.k.a. The Sgt. She was a very strict lady, but that’s what works! Casey not only learned how to sit, shake, lay, stay, come, etc., but she also won the agility prize in her class! She got a blue ribbon for being able to walk on the balance beam, walk over strange surfaces, and jumping over little hurdles. I was very proud of her and my sister and I made agility courses in our backyard to help her keep up her skills.
Casey reading with Jon in Kentucky
Because Casey was a real family member, she got to go on a lot of adventures with us. She went to Kentucky Lake many many times, and she’s also been to Arkansas, Illinois, Tennessee, and probably more places that I just can’t remember now. I was hoping that she’d make the trip to visit me in Pittsburgh, but it was too late. Casey became very sick this past week. She couldn’t eat and could barely walk. On Wednesday, November 18, my parents decided that she was in too much pain, and that they should put her to sleep. Although I didn’t see Casey in that terrible condition, I know they made the right decision. And although I wasn’t there, I can still feel that she is gone. She was the friend that was always there. She was full of love and personality. She had a different bark for every kind of situation, and we understood her language. Even though we brought another dog into her life, our funny Chloe, Casey still knew she was important. She slept at my feet for years, and I cried so much when I had to leave her for college. She always knew what it meant when I had suitcases. I think no matter how much I try, I can never express how much Casey meant to me. And I will not fully understand it, either, until I go home for Christmas and experience our family without her.
Casey Marie Barbier Bularzik: October 13, 1994-November 18, 2009.
