Chapter 1 - Our Beloved Weirdo

This is one of the earliest pictures we have of Casey in the fall of 2009. I can't go through the puppy years, because my future wife (Stef) did not get her until she was two-years old as a rescue. Her former family was moving to Alaska and not taking her along for the ride, and we are so happy they made that decision. All we really know is that she had puppies early on, but it's probably best those puppies found good homes, because she did not seem to maintain any sort of maternal instinct.

Usually weimaraners have slender waists and are as sleek as a Lamborghini. Not Casey. She was a chooch and built more like a sausage than a sports car. She would have gladly used that trash can as a trough.

It's impossible to tell the story of Casey without mentioning Lola (right). Stef's sister Natalie, originally got Lola when she was in Jacksonville. Stef got to take care of her when Natalie went to vet school in St. Kitts, and she fully embraced the weim lifestyle. Since Stef knew that her sister would take Lola back, she decided to get a weimaraner of her own, and that's how she got Casey from a weimaraner rescue house near Des Moines. When Stef first met her, Casey was busy drinking out of the toilet, and her love of drinking out of weird things instead of her water dish never stopped.

Lola was super smart, talkative, a bit of a troublemaker, and a total alpha. Casey was none of these things. She was just seen as a happy-go-lucky dum-dum who had terrible spatial awareness and constantly ran her head into things. Lola totally dominated Casey early on as they both slept in Stef's bed, but Lola was up by her head where Casey was down at the foot of the bed. She was a very cool dog who was just so expressive in everything she did, and she really knew how to work a crowd to be the belle of the ball. Casey was dopey, and even Stef thought she was a bit weird.

I was only partially in Stef's life when she got Casey, but I immediately liked Casey more than most. Lola had built a connection with all of Stef's friends and co-workers (myself included), and Casey was so different that she wasn't as beloved as Lola early on. Maybe it was the part of me that loves an underdog, or maybe I enjoyed the simplicity of playing with a happy dummy who only needed the most basic things in life: Food, Water, Play Time, and Love.

So about Casey needing to play. Yeah, this wasn't a want for her as this dog needed to play. She is the front dog with Lola in back, and I think it's best if we enhance this picture.

Look at those paws digging deep into the sand as she propels her body forward, and she is using that intensity after already fetching the ball. This is the victory lap, and she is playing for keeps. That is a face that only a parent could love. If you're still unsure, let's enhance again.

It's no wonder I fell in love with this beautiful beast.

She also needed love. Weimaraners are a breed that get obsessed with their owners fairly easily, and Casey was no different. This picture is symbolic. At first, she was stuck trying to wedge herself into Stef's arms with Lola already firmly in place. She just wanted her equal place, but Lola had already established the dominant position. It's funny, because when Stef first got Casey, the rescue she was at said that Casey needed to have another dog around, so Stef misled them and didn't mention that Lola would be leaving in a few months to go back to living with Natalie. Lola leaving was one of the best things to happen to Casey, and don't worry, although Lola may have missed tormenting Casey, she was more than happy to go back to Stef's sister.

She also wasn't totally great with boundaries as if there was a situation, not a specific situation, just any situation, she was going to try to insert herself into it to get attention. "Oh, people are busy posing for a picture. No problem, I'll just head on over and see if they need any help." She was so dopey and precious.

This is the first picture I could find of us together. We are in Ohio visiting Stef's family for Christmas. The reason Casey is wearing clothes is because Stef is an asshole (I say this in the most loving way) and played dress-up with that poor dog. The reason I am wearing stupid earmuffs is partially because Stef wanted me to, and I had to impress her if I wanted to make a real go at this relationship thing. Looking at the picture, I have to admit that Casey probably isn't totally enjoying herself, but she's a people pleaser so she was going to allow it as long as she was getting her much needed attention. 

Going back to her home for Christmas was a very big deal, and Casey was there to help me through it. People are exhausting, but dogs are little balls of forever fun. If I stopped talking with people and hung out off to the side, I would be looked at like an antisocial weirdo. BUT if I stopped talking with people and just started wrestling around with the dog that constantly craved attention, I was just a really great dog owner and a caring person. This was 2011, and in 2019, I would still use this trick when my wife went on just a little too long about things happening at work. She did sometimes call me out for not paying attention to her in the middle of a story, but sometimes she would just continue to ramble while I was only paying attention to Casey, and that is a huge win.

Chapter 2: Moving In Together