Animals In Our Lives

[dot-matrix]

Someone sent me this when my first Golden Retriever, Reeba died, it still makes me cry

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.
 
All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor. Those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.
They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. His bright eyes are intent. His eager body quivers. Suddenly he begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, his legs carrying him faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.... 
Author unknown...

I've got lots of canine friends waiting for me at that bridge     my babies
 

[Scott6373]

I love my little Grady, but everday I think about Rupert and cry.  He was my baby, and I miss his kisses and gentle spirit.  I miss his deep and abiding love for carrots, and his tail that twirled like the propeller of and airplane when he was excited.  He left me so quickly, I hope, everday, that he knows how much love and joy he brought to our lives.

[mvansand76]

I love my little Grady, but everday I think about Rupert and cry.  He was my baby, and I miss his kisses and gentle spirit.  I miss his deep and abiding love for carrots, and his tail that twirled like the propeller of and airplane when he was excited.  He left me so quickly, I hope, everday, that he knows how much love and joy he brought to our lives.

 

How long did you have him? I bet he knew, Scott, dogs have such an amazing sense of these kinds of things... I hope Grady will heal the wounds a bit, although it might of course never entirely heal.

 

[opinionista]

I think we can use a little humor. I've always loved this one from The Far Side. It's so true!



http://www.thefarside.com/

[Shasta542]

I love my little Grady, but everday I think about Rupert and cry.  He was my baby, and I miss his kisses and gentle spirit.  I miss his deep and abiding love for carrots, and his tail that twirled like the propeller of and airplane when he was excited.  He left me so quickly, I hope, everday, that he knows how much love and joy he brought to our lives.

What kind of dog was Rupert? It is like a loss in the family to me too. Sometimes they are there for ya when no one else is. I can still think of dogs I've loved--even from childhood--and cry from missing them.

I've had friends say they'll never get another pet when they lose one---too hard to bear. But I would have missed out on a lot of love and happiness if I'd let a broken heart keep me from making a home for another pet. Everyone grieves differently.

Grady is such a cute bundle of joy!! I loved it when my dogs were puppies---fun stuff. (Except that by the time I got my "mastador" raised, she had eaten my house.) She grew up to be a responsible member of the family, I'm happy to say---her sisters and brothers look up to her as a role model now. LOL

[delalluvia]

I had two cats from when I was very young - Algie and Tanne. They both died of old age infirmaries at the ages of 17.5 and 14 years.  They were my loves and much beloved.

I was and still am in grief over their losses...but they had long happy lives, full of travel and adventure, ease and some hardship - for cats.  So I can't grieve too much.  They had satisfying lives and passed over without fear.

We should all be so lucky.

I, too, hope to see them - and other loved pets who have passed - and share some part of our afterlives together due to my overweening love for them...but as a friend pointed out, while it goes without saying that I loved them, it doesn't necessarily follow that they loved me.  So I decided to just hope that they have a great afterlife and if they choose to share some part of it with me when the time comes, then I'll be grateful.

Dogs are bit more obvious when it comes to signs of love and affection shared than cats. 

My current beloveds - the "K" cats as my sister calls them - (l-r) Kabuki and Kenobi, who - despite being shining examples of purebreeds - unlike their predecessors - are just bursting at the seams with intelligence and personality:



Despite the beauty mark, Kenobi is the adventuresome, tough one, full of curiosity and contrariness and is channeling the Dark Side.  I should have named her Anakin for all the trouble she causes and gets into.  She is very loving but, like her owner, prefers to seek affection only when she wants it.

Kabuki is the diva - proud, vain, jealous, high strung, vastly loud, amazingly affectionate and an extremely timid homebody.  She jumps at her own shadow.  She reminds me of that internet joke that goes around - The Commandments for Cats "the dog has lived in the backyard for 6 years, thou shalt not freak out everytime thou sees it". 

[Scott6373]

What kind of dog was Rupert? It is like a loss in the family to me too. Sometimes they are there for ya when no one else is. I can still think of dogs I've loved--even from childhood--and cry from missing them.

I've had friends say they'll never get another pet when they lose one---too hard to bear. But I would have missed out on a lot of love and happiness if I'd let a broken heart keep me from making a home for another pet. Everyone grieves differently.

Grady is such a cute bundle of joy!! I loved it when my dogs were puppies---fun stuff. (Except that by the time I got my "mastador" raised, she had eaten my house.) She grew up to be a responsible member of the family, I'm happy to say---her sisters and brothers look up to her as a role model now. LOL

Rupert was also a TT, and we had him for 12 years.  We just lost him this past April, and it was very quick.  Liver cancer that grew so rapidly, it was impossible to take care of surgically.  Grady is a welcome addition right now, but sometimes I think that it could have been too soon.

[mvansand76]

I had two cats from when I was very young - Algie and Tanne. They both died of old age infirmaries at the ages of 17.5 and 14 years.  They were my loves and much beloved.

I was and still am in grief over their losses...but they had long happy lives, full of travel and adventure, ease and some hardship - for cats.  So I can't grieve too much.  They had satisfying lives and passed over without fear.

We should all be so lucky.

I, too, hope to see them - and other loved pets who have passed - and share some part of our afterlives together due to my overweening love for them...but as a friend pointed out, while it goes without saying that I loved them, it doesn't necessarily follow that they loved me.  So I decided to just hope that they have a great afterlife and if they choose to share some part of it with me when the time comes, then I'll be grateful.

Dogs are bit more obvious when it comes to signs of love and affection shared than cats. 

My current beloveds - the "K" cats as my sister calls them - (l-r) Kabuki and Kenobi, who - despite being shining examples of purebreeds - unlike their predecessors - are just bursting at the seams with intelligence and personality:



Despite the beauty mark, Kenobi is the adventuresome, tough one, full of curiosity and contrariness and is channeling the Dark Side.  I should have named her Anakin for all the trouble she causes and gets into.  She is very loving but, like her owner, prefers to seek affection only when she wants it.

Kabuki is the diva - proud, vain, jealous, high strung, vastly loud, amazingly affectionate and an extremely timid homebody.  She jumps at her own shadow.  She reminds me of that internet joke that goes around - The Commandments for Cats "the dog has lived in the backyard for 6 years, thou shalt not freak out everytime thou sees it". 

Oh they are precious! Look at the facial expression of Kabuki!!!

 

[Brokeback_Dev]

Hi everyone.   Sorry about your sadness scott.  Sometimes i think about what i will do without my dogs and it really scares me.  My sympathies go out to you.   

I have a pure bread Jack Russel Terrier. JRT's were bred to be working dogs.  He's been with us for a little over 7 years.  I picked him from a litter or I should say he picked me.  I visited him regularly at the farm where i bought him from before he was ready to come home.  i love that little dog.  His name is Coby. 

Next is our Border Collie.  Ironically they are working dogs too, bred as sheep herders.  We rescued him from an abusive family.  We went through a lot with him.   It took a lot of patience, and much time, love and devotion to make him who is today; a wonderful beautiful pet named Boomer

Then we have Candy.  She a pit bull.  Normally i would never even entertain the thought of having such a beastly dog, but Candy~omg she's so sweet.  She came here around Christmas.  Hence the name Candy Cane  We rescued her too.  She's white and has a black ring around one eye like Pete on the Little Rascals

Both Boomer and Candy are about 1 year old now.

We have cats too. Right now we have a black and white cat named Merlin, after the magician, and Thumper whose our oldest pet.  He's pure white with one blue eye and one gold eye. He must be about 8 or 9 years old.

And we used to have birds as well.  Ill tell you I never cried harder then when we buried our Quaker Parrot.  He was amazing.  My god i could have a 10 minute conversation with that bird.  He had quite a vocabulary, tough im not so sure he knew what he was saying. 
 

[Kelda]

My pets as an adult were sooty and skimble - rescue kittens whose mum had been run over so they were hand reared - they were grat and like Lynne really got me through a miserbale tome when I had just split from my long term boyfriend and I thought i was going to be alone forever. They are such great company.

For those of you who read my blog you know that sadly at the end of May, Sooty was clipped by something and killed.   

I got up today and toddled about as I normally do on a sunday. It wasn't until tea time that I realised that, I hadn't seen one of my cats, Sooty for a while.  I went out and did a bit of a walk looking and calling for him after he didn't come when I called. I never found him. Callum went out and found him. He was dead - lying on the grassy verge of the road (a bus route road which isn't particularly busy. It seems he has been clipped by a car. He was only about 100 metres from the house. I'm so upset. I guess it happened late last night or this morning. He is black so difficult to see but he still had his reflective collar on.

We took him over to my mums and she has buried him in a very large pot and put my grans rose bush on top of him. (I have stone chips in my garden as I'm not green fingered.. my mum has made me some pots up to colour the garden but I'm useless at watering them.) I'll bring it back over and put it in the garden in a few weeks. I'll be sure to water that pot thats for sure.

Skimble is much more meowy these days and is enjoying a bit more attention - I have my Mums cat and dog staying with me at the moment and I think he feels a bit lost as he doesn't have his friend to gang up on them. he's staying upstairs a lot... but we're still making sure to cuddle him at night. Here he is playing with his toys....