My 17 Year Old Casey

by Mike Montano
(Marlton NJ)

I bought my first Norwegian Elkhound when she was 8 weeks old. My ex and I drove from NJ to NY about a 6 hour drive in pouring rain along some dark country roads.

Then the whole drive back she sat in a pet carrier in the back seat eventually finishing the last leg on my ex's lap. Over the years she was always consistent, friendly and had some crazy antics. She endured three moves, a sad divorce and a new marriage to the ripe age of 17 give or take a month.

Yesterday I came home from the gym and noticed she was panting heavy and when I tried picking her up she couldn't stand. She would look at me with a sigh and sadness in her brown eyes. I imagined the worse that her inability to get up, was failing health and something deeper. I spent 6 hours laying by her so she wasn't alone and finally made the trip to an emergency vet. She apparently had tumors causing her loss of standing and normal self.

Casey I love you pray for you in a better place and I will look for you every day in this life and the next my dearest friend.

Yours always, Mike