Queso

Queso was a member of the Golden Ratio family, having been adopted on December 1st, 2017. Born on November 5, 2004, she was both the oldest and largest member. She was formerly named Casey: "Queso" originated as a nickname which later became her official name after being adopted. She was the first foster dog after thegoldenratio4 instagram was formed.

As an elderly doggo, Queso did not use stairs. She did go on half-mile walks with GR mom, which GR mom did sometimes use as a "cool-down" after a run.

Due to her worn down and damaged teeth, she became the founding member of Team Roasty so she can eat carrots after meals along with the other dogs.

In July of 2018, Queso did not eat for several days. From X-rays, the veterinarian was able to determine that there was a large "foreign object" in her stomach, obstructing her digestive tract. Emergency surgery was performed to remove the object, which was later determined by GR mom to be pieces of a few dog toys. Queso had since made a full recovery with the help of Cheez-Its. During her recovery period, GR mom would reference her shaved ankles (where the vets had injected anesthesia) by singing "boots with the fur." This is a reference to the song "Low" by Flo Rida. Queso slept at the bottom of the stairs at night, while the rest of the dogs sleep on the second floor. She was often joined by other members of the Ratio, most notably, her best pal, Venk.

Queso's solo day for pictures is Tuesday, usually "Taco Tuesday with Queso." Queso "loves to play-so" and "has a nice face-o,” “lives with us in the place-o,” and "her arguments are quite persua-so." Her face was completely white. She was very large for a Golden, but her exact weight is unknown, as she didn't like getting on the dog scale.

Queso was in bad shape when GR mom and dad started fostering her. She could barely lift herself up from a lying down position and initially they did not think Queso had much time left. Seeing Queso's condition, GR mom and dad decided to keep Queso for the expected short time she had left. It was during their trip to Key West in 2017 that Queso hit a turning point and began her recovery into the playful, face chomping, permanent member of the Golden Ratio.

The house the GR parents rented during the winter of 2017-2018 in Key West is elevated, and had a long staircase or a platform elevator required to enter the house. Queso had to ride up the elevator upon arrival, but did not like it at all. Shortly after arriving, when the girls were all outside the house, GR mom and dad could not find Queso and became concerned. After searching around a bit, GR dad entered the house and found Queso, who decided to use the stairs rather than wait for the scary elevator. This was the first turning point. One of the final days of the trip, Queso was found playing outside with Jasmine, another sign that she had reversed her physical decline, and was on a healing trajectory.

Over the time she has lived with her new family, she has come out of her shell. Many people who have known Queso in real life since she was adopted by GR mom and dad have commented that she seemed to be getting younger every day. She loved to play, and her favorite pal to play with was Venkman. On December 13th, 2018, over a year after being adopted, she gave her first face lick to a human (it was bestowed upon GR dad). It was such a momentous occasion that GR mom and dad released a special podcast episode to announce it. Over half a year later, on August 10th, she finally gave GR mom her own facelick, to much great rejoicing on earth. Of course, they made another episode on their podcast to talk about it.

Some scholars say she was the best of the group, but that is debated.

Queso was diagnosed with the scourge that is hemangiosarcoma and passed away February 11, 2020. She remains awesome and always shall be.

Song lyrics:

Queso, queso I love your fluffy face-o

SHE LIVES HERE WITH US IN THE PLACE-O!

(Derivative of GR Mom's Big Cheese chant posted on twitter by user @maryann\_jamison after Queso passed away)

Big cheese, It's the big cheese, we love you big cheese

You are our big cheese, The Key West big cheese, Escape-o big cheese

Florida big cheese, Forever big cheese

1. ↑ https://twitter.com/TheGoldenRatio4/status/1016791279068418048