1994-2008
Corey became part of our family in the fall of 1995. He was adopted from the Irvine Animal Shelter, where his big brown eyes and bright smile stood out from the rest. We were surprised that the adorable Cocker Spaniel/Golden Retriever mix had not been claimed by his previous owner, and fell in love with the happy, skinny pup right away.
Any dog would have been a handful for my family--whose previous experience with animals consisted of a few goldfish and hamsters--but Corey proved to be a challenge. Like all young dogs, he liked to scratch, bark, bolt through the house and run away. His biggest vice: food. In addition to napping and receiving belly rubs, counter-surfing was one of Corey's favorite activities. He would do anything for a morsel of bagel, even if our fingers were in the way. It didn't take long for our scrawny pound-puppy to plump up!
Despite Corey's naughty behavior (certainly a reflection of his owners' inability to scold such a sweetheart), he always managed to put a smile on my face and melt my heart. He was there, tail wagging, to greet me as I walked through the door, and was there to comfort me when I was sad or upset. More than anything he could make me laugh, whether prancing through the house in sneakers (put there by me and my sister, of course!) or on the sidelines of my soccer games, supporting the team in a Lasers jersey. Though he mellowed as the years went by, his love for food never did. It always took a couple slices of bread to lure Corey home after taking himself for a walk in the greenbelt!
What my first (and only) dog taught me is best summed up by John Grogan in his book Marley and Me:
A dog judges others not by their color or creed or class but by who they are inside. A dog doesn't care if you are rich or poor, educated or illiterate, clever or dull. Give him your heart and he will give you his. It was really quite simple, and yet we humans, so much wiser and more sophisticated, have always had trouble figuring out what really counts and what does not.
Despite our shortcomings, Corey was there for my family, knowing that we would be there for him. Corey was diagnosed with cancer in 2007, and after several rounds of chemotherapy passed away in the spring of 2008.
I think about Corey everyday, and miss his sweet, goofy personality. I will certainly own more animals throughout my life, but will never forget my first dog.
I miss Corey very much and think of him often. He always looked after you and your sister including watching for and barking at strangers that came to the door and staying by your side when you were sick. I remember one time being at home with Corey and one of those guys came around to leave a flyer at the door. Corey saw him, barked and the guy turned right around and left without making it to the door. I thought to myself "good boy!" I always felt that if you girls were home alone that with Corey, things were just a little safer.
ReplyDeleteRIP Corey. I hope you're playing with Holly up in dog heaven :)
ReplyDeleteSome of my favorite memories of Corey Bye:
ReplyDelete-Finding him in my living room randomly after he would wander into my house, alone and unannounced
-Seeing him headfirst in the trash looking for leftover treats
-Watching him literally leap onto the kitchen counter, paws first, to "sneak" food that was clearly not for him
-my sister coming home through the green belt with him because he had wandered off and she was returning him home
We miss you Corey! I firmly believe you and Sarge would have been BFF...an old champ and a young pup!