Very short but very important:
As a parting note I must mention that all of my original characters are at least in part based on real life figures.
Casey was the name of my next door neighbor's German Shepard. However this story's Casey is based on a dear friend's dog Bo—who had a tail that really was a weapon.
As for Colin, well, there is someone who he's based after—but only in name and in the fact that he's a great guy.
Colin's sister Viv is named in honor of my Grandmother who was loved by everyone that knew her.