Through this, my relationship with Casey has basically been one giant lovefest, but even though social media guides us to only display our best life, there were times when things were not as wonderful as they seemed. Although our romance was usually strong, she would occasionally play hard to get.
No means no, so we had to take a temporary step back in our relationship.
Luckily, the fights never lasted long, and we were still very much in love.
Very, very much in love.
Yes, that's us making out like a couple of horny teenagers, and we are loving every second of it.
My wife was around also, and even though she didn't get as weird with Casey The Dog, she loved the dog just as much. We were basically in a menage a trois, but we kept things at a PG level. Both of my ladies needed romancing, so they both came out on most of our date nights, especially at breweries.
Clearwater really worked out well for all of us. We were all able to be outside, and the brewery scene was incredible which gave us a chance to drink beer and also take our dog with us for just about every date we went on. Although she loved to be playful, she was also pretty content to just hang out as long as she was right in the middle of things.
Stef and I enjoy a good beer, but I do not think we would have been nearly the beer connoisseurs that we became if nearly every single one of them weren't dog friendly. We would often eat at food trucks instead of restaurants just so Casey could come along, and I am glad we did, because she was a lot of fun to have around. Even Casey liked to partake every now and then.
To be fair, she was a bit of a lightweight. Sometimes she got wild...
...and sometimes she would just pass out.
Even if she couldn't hold her booze, it was always good having her there, but it was probably best that we monitored her drinking at home.
Sometimes, it was better to do more casual outings with Casey, like a simple drive to the library where she discovered that a sunroof could be even more exhilarating than a window.
Although she loved her car rides, she hated sitting in traffic.
One thing I frequently wondered is what she thought about traffic. We would be cruising along, the wind would be whipping in her face, and she would be smiling from ear to floppy ear, and then all of a sudden I would slow down to a stop. And the air got a little more stale, and it wasn't nearly as fun. Was she mad at me for stopping? Maybe, but then I would start going again to resume the good times.
But we tried taking her everywhere, so if it was dog friendly she was coming along.
Here we are at Home Depot. Since I'm never in much of a hurry, I would let Casey guide me around Home Depot and hope that she could help me find what I needed. She never took the most direct route, but since she wanted to see everything the store had to offer, we always made it to the right destination eventually.
Home Depot also stands out, because my wife legitimately got angry with me for taking her there for the first time. She had suggested that we take her there sometime, and I can't remember if she was out of town or sleeping, or maybe Casey and I were just out at a park, but we decided to stop by. I took a cute picture to send to her, thinking that she would enjoy seeing it. She was none too pleased, because where I focused on the part where she wanted Casey to go to Home Depot, she was more concerned with the "WE" taking Casey to Home Depot. So my wife wasn't real happy, but Casey had a blast, so I still ended up even on the adventure.
Oh, and something about HD made Casey's bowels move, because she once attempted to shit inside the store, but I noticed a little puckering of her butthole (What? It's not gross if it's your dog) and rushed her outside, barely avoiding the crisis. I was not so lucky when she definitely did take a dump in the gardening section, but it's outside, there were a lot of plants around, etc. What I'm saying is that it could have happened to any of us as I fully expect to drop trou behind some azaleas sometime in the future.
Casey also helped guide us through our first natural disaster when Hurricane Irma came rolling through town. Stef's family, without any hint of sarcasm, told us we should put pots and pans on our heads. We decided this strategy on Casey first.
The pot didn't seem to be working quite as hoped, so we made our laundry room a bunker.
Casey was shockingly calm considering that she usually freaks out during a storm. We lost power early on, so it was super hot in there, but we managed to survive, and she was just happy to have full snuggle capabilities as we were crammed into a very tight space.
The hurricane may have had an impact on her though, because she actually started showing interest in other dogs. I still wouldn't say she was good with other dogs, but she would at least meet them by sharing some sniffs. Occasionally, she would actually play with other dogs, but she preferred to have a significant size advantage.
Yes, my sweet baby puppy girl was still a little socially awkward, but it was a huge step forward for her.
Of course, I can't be totally sure that she actually enjoyed playing with another dog as there may have been a shady, behind-the-scenes, backdoor deal to ensure that Casey would play nice with others.
This is a case where it is clear that bribery isn't always bad. We all got what we wanted, and nobody got hurt.
And even though she had that size advantage, she actually showed some intelligence by stacking the odds even more in her favor when she needed to win a game of tug of war.
That's home field advantage paying off right there. She knew she couldn't do anything on the wood floor, so she kept her feet on the rug to give her grip while forcing Brewer, the poor tiny Corgi, to fend for himself.
Casey was still an extreme pacifist and never really understood the size advantage she had on most dogs.
Plus, there were advantages to being friendly with other dogs which led to Casey's best birthday party ever.
It started at home where she got some new toys, then she got ample amounts of play time, but her hanging out at a brewery in Palm Harbor is the true story of her 10th birthday. We picked de Bine Brewing for ourselves, but it turned into far more than a relaxing afternoon where we would have a beer or two and Casey would hang out.
When we got there, it was madness. There are not pictures and videos of the party, because it was off the chain. There were five other dogs in there, and they were all off leash and loving life. It turned out that it was another dog's birthday, and these people went all out for their dogs. Party supplies and doggy friends were invited. The best part was that it was the other dog's 11th birthday party so all of the other dogs were older and way more chill. So we let Casey off leash, and she just got to cruise around and work the room at all of the tables and get loving from absolutely everyone there. Also, these people got doggy birthday cake, and Casey definitely ate too much of that. It was basically like a 21st birthday party, because she definitely overindulged and puked later. After the dogs cruised around getting attention, they all passed out in unison next to their respective owners and got some nap time while we enjoyed drinks. It was my all-time favorite birthday party, and it wasn't even for me.
To wrap up the year, we took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to do some hiking and enjoy some breweries. Asheville is usually in the 50s-60s at the end of December, so we figured it wouldn't be too bad. Instead they had unprecedented cold, and the weather was in the 20s-30s.
We stayed in a tiny little cabin that was called The Snuggle Inn. We thought we would spend some time out on the porch with our rocking chairs, but with the weather, we decided to spend most of our time on the inside of our cozy accommodations.
Casey immediately overtook the bed which is exactly what I would have expected. That was good, because we needed as much body heat as possible. Although we were both born in the midwest, four years of living in Florida had turned us into massive babies when it came to cold weather. We were shivering like wusses, but Casey was loving life and taking in the beauty of nature.
We were luckily able to find some comfort indoors where our bodies could not only warm up, but we had some beers to dull the pain for when we had to go back out into the cold. Although it wasn't quite the adventure of hiking in the outdoors, Casey definitely had a good time.
With the weather being far below expectations, it wasn't an ideal trip, but Casey thrived in every environment and being able to share that vacation with her made it a great trip that we still look back on fondly.
No means no, so we had to take a temporary step back in our relationship.
Luckily, the fights never lasted long, and we were still very much in love.
Very, very much in love.
Yes, that's us making out like a couple of horny teenagers, and we are loving every second of it.
Stef and I enjoy a good beer, but I do not think we would have been nearly the beer connoisseurs that we became if nearly every single one of them weren't dog friendly. We would often eat at food trucks instead of restaurants just so Casey could come along, and I am glad we did, because she was a lot of fun to have around. Even Casey liked to partake every now and then.
To be fair, she was a bit of a lightweight. Sometimes she got wild...
...and sometimes she would just pass out.
Even if she couldn't hold her booze, it was always good having her there, but it was probably best that we monitored her drinking at home.
Sometimes, it was better to do more casual outings with Casey, like a simple drive to the library where she discovered that a sunroof could be even more exhilarating than a window.
A fun fact about my car is that the center console is just absolutely torn to shit from Casey The Dog. She would stand on it to put her head out the window, just stand there to be in the middle of things, and most frequently jump from the front to back and vice versa as we were getting close to our final destination. There are holes and claw marks all over, and it has probably ensured that I am never able to sell that car as people will probably assume that I murdered innocent women in there.
Although she loved her car rides, she hated sitting in traffic.
One thing I frequently wondered is what she thought about traffic. We would be cruising along, the wind would be whipping in her face, and she would be smiling from ear to floppy ear, and then all of a sudden I would slow down to a stop. And the air got a little more stale, and it wasn't nearly as fun. Was she mad at me for stopping? Maybe, but then I would start going again to resume the good times.
But we tried taking her everywhere, so if it was dog friendly she was coming along.
Home Depot also stands out, because my wife legitimately got angry with me for taking her there for the first time. She had suggested that we take her there sometime, and I can't remember if she was out of town or sleeping, or maybe Casey and I were just out at a park, but we decided to stop by. I took a cute picture to send to her, thinking that she would enjoy seeing it. She was none too pleased, because where I focused on the part where she wanted Casey to go to Home Depot, she was more concerned with the "WE" taking Casey to Home Depot. So my wife wasn't real happy, but Casey had a blast, so I still ended up even on the adventure.
Oh, and something about HD made Casey's bowels move, because she once attempted to shit inside the store, but I noticed a little puckering of her butthole (What? It's not gross if it's your dog) and rushed her outside, barely avoiding the crisis. I was not so lucky when she definitely did take a dump in the gardening section, but it's outside, there were a lot of plants around, etc. What I'm saying is that it could have happened to any of us as I fully expect to drop trou behind some azaleas sometime in the future.
Casey also helped guide us through our first natural disaster when Hurricane Irma came rolling through town. Stef's family, without any hint of sarcasm, told us we should put pots and pans on our heads. We decided this strategy on Casey first.
The pot didn't seem to be working quite as hoped, so we made our laundry room a bunker.
The hurricane may have had an impact on her though, because she actually started showing interest in other dogs. I still wouldn't say she was good with other dogs, but she would at least meet them by sharing some sniffs. Occasionally, she would actually play with other dogs, but she preferred to have a significant size advantage.
Yes, my sweet baby puppy girl was still a little socially awkward, but it was a huge step forward for her.
Of course, I can't be totally sure that she actually enjoyed playing with another dog as there may have been a shady, behind-the-scenes, backdoor deal to ensure that Casey would play nice with others.
And even though she had that size advantage, she actually showed some intelligence by stacking the odds even more in her favor when she needed to win a game of tug of war.
That's home field advantage paying off right there. She knew she couldn't do anything on the wood floor, so she kept her feet on the rug to give her grip while forcing Brewer, the poor tiny Corgi, to fend for himself.
Casey was still an extreme pacifist and never really understood the size advantage she had on most dogs.
So this reminds me of a time in the way back machine, either 2010 or 2011, before Casey and I were even living together. I was taking care of my brother's dog and also needed to check in on Casey. So I brought over Ollie, who is 18 pounds and thought he could play with Casey who was literally over four times his size. Well, Ollie pulled a similar move to what Brewer is doing there, except it was toys instead of bones. Somehow, Casey only had two toys in the house, and Ollie was perched up on the couch chewing on one while laying on the other. Casey just paced back and forth in front of the couch, hoping that a toy would fall her way. If she tried to close the distance, Ollie would growl and she would jump back. Ollie was totally owning her, and it was one of the most pathetic things I had ever seen.
Eventually, Ollie got down on the ground to torture Casey. He was whipping around and Casey was being a total beta and jumping back from fear that she might experience even the slightest discomfort. Ollie was hopping around, and I'm not sure how Casey pulled it off, but she just plopped down and laid right on top of him. Ollie was stuck on his side, and Casey seemed oblivious to the entire situation. Ollie was definitely not oblivious, as he was scratching and clawing with all his might to get out from under her, and I will never forget the look of fear he had on his face as he simply could not move from under her weight.
After that, Ollie was a lot nicer to Casey.
Plus, there were advantages to being friendly with other dogs which led to Casey's best birthday party ever.
When we got there, it was madness. There are not pictures and videos of the party, because it was off the chain. There were five other dogs in there, and they were all off leash and loving life. It turned out that it was another dog's birthday, and these people went all out for their dogs. Party supplies and doggy friends were invited. The best part was that it was the other dog's 11th birthday party so all of the other dogs were older and way more chill. So we let Casey off leash, and she just got to cruise around and work the room at all of the tables and get loving from absolutely everyone there. Also, these people got doggy birthday cake, and Casey definitely ate too much of that. It was basically like a 21st birthday party, because she definitely overindulged and puked later. After the dogs cruised around getting attention, they all passed out in unison next to their respective owners and got some nap time while we enjoyed drinks. It was my all-time favorite birthday party, and it wasn't even for me.
To wrap up the year, we took a trip to Asheville, North Carolina to do some hiking and enjoy some breweries. Asheville is usually in the 50s-60s at the end of December, so we figured it wouldn't be too bad. Instead they had unprecedented cold, and the weather was in the 20s-30s.
We stayed in a tiny little cabin that was called The Snuggle Inn. We thought we would spend some time out on the porch with our rocking chairs, but with the weather, we decided to spend most of our time on the inside of our cozy accommodations.
Casey immediately overtook the bed which is exactly what I would have expected. That was good, because we needed as much body heat as possible. Although we were both born in the midwest, four years of living in Florida had turned us into massive babies when it came to cold weather. We were shivering like wusses, but Casey was loving life and taking in the beauty of nature.
We were luckily able to find some comfort indoors where our bodies could not only warm up, but we had some beers to dull the pain for when we had to go back out into the cold. Although it wasn't quite the adventure of hiking in the outdoors, Casey definitely had a good time.
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