*Animals are at the very heart of our community, they bring us together to share their unconditional love and the joy they have for life and their people
On Pet Remembrance Day this is our place to connect, share memories, photos and beautiful moments we had with our animal family members when they were alive and present in our lives …
“Smile at the memory of your beautiful pet, for they lit up this world with their joyous spirit”
Who will you be remembering on this special day … and always?
I love the synchronicity of this message as I have been this very weekend pondering how to express my thoughts and feelings on this. I first met Sydney in 2019, my second sit in the UK. It was to be the first of many weeks over several years and I had 3 visits scheduled with him this year.
An only “child” to his amazing cat mom, an incredible professional woman, with 3 shelves of travel books (all places she has been to and or lived in) and two shelves of the supporting photo albums. Culturally diverse, multi-lingual, well traveled, a worldview and compassionate lifestyle that I find admiral.
Like many, she was isolated, unable to travel for 2 years, in her home with Sydney boy her sole companion. Just as the world was opening up, she and I made arrangements so that I could enjoy his company whilst she took her first international trip. Unfortunately, quite unexpectedly, young Sydney passed this April.
This week I am in the middle of house and plant sitting where the memory of Sydney is quite prominent and I have at times found myself looking for him, I can’t imagine how she must feel but I know that he is greatly loved and that his absence has left a huge void in this home.
On this very special day, we are remembering our little girl Sassy, whom we lost just this past November. My tribute to our little one:
OUR SASSY GIRL
Who rescued who? We ask ourselves this all the time. We had moved cross country and didn’t ever think we would adopt another pet after having lost two labs within the previous year, but we found our house was just that, a house, not a home, without the unconditional love of a little furbaby. Fast forward to finding our baby girl, Sassy. She was a year and a half old when we “found” her. She was skinny, wiry, timid, and really didn’t have that love look in her eyes. We almost passed on her, but something told us that she needed us as much as we needed her. Taking her home, we found she was scared to cross the threshold into our home and hid for days in the corner. She wouldn’t eat and wouldn’t let us love on her. We couldn’t leave her in the house alone as she would tear up doors, blinds, etc., so we found we needed to leave her outside when we were gone….which led to her jumping the fence every time. We thought about taking her to the shelter as she was a true handful for both of us, but neither of us had the heart to do it. Over time (and lots of patience) Sassy came to trust us and discovered her favorite place was in bed with us at night…something my husband swore would never happen! This time seemed to really bond us all together and over time, she became the sweetest, most loving pet we had ever had. Everyone loved Sassy as she would snuggle with you at any given time, whether in bed or on the sofa.
We could never take her to a kennel when we traveled so for quite a while, we had someone coming to our home to check on her three times a day, but as she aged, I had a hard time knowing she was alone for hours at a time. Hence, the start of THS with us. Over the course of about 2 ½ years, we had at least twenty sitters come to our home (many were repeat sitters). Every time, they would tell us how Sassy was one of the sweetest dogs they had ever met (and they were right).
We lost our baby girl quite suddenly this last November from blood cancer. Fortunately, she did not suffer long but we struggled with the decision to let her go, and still cry when we think about her. I didn’t ever think we would grieve this much over a little black dog but we still struggle. I contacted most of the THS sitters who had come to our home and let them know about our loss. The outpouring of love and support from these folks only strengthened our belief that this is probably one of the most important organizations for anyone who loves their babies or wants to share their love with those pets for short periods of time.
“Dogs die. But dogs live, too. Right up until they die, they live. They live brave, beautiful lives. They protect their families. And love us. And make our lives a little brighter. And they don’t waste time being afraid of tomorrow.” – Dan Gemeinhart
Radar and Misty were brother and sister Shelties who shared our lives from the time they were six months old until they were in their late teens. Both were bred to be show dogs but were slightly out of standard. Radar had the perfect show-dog demeanor: reserved, observant and easily trained. He lived to play “dog soccer” in our living room (the doorways being the goals) and show off his outstanding skills as a goalie. He also liked being close to his people, whatever we were doing.
Misty, on the other hand, was boisterous and fun. She loved to run, cuddle, romp in the snow and herd Oscar, our cat. She graced our lives with her love and boundless energy for 16 years before finally calling it quits to join Radar in the land of never-ending-play.
Both lived good long lives. Both are deeply missed.
It was a cold winter day, and you couldn’t have been more than six or eight weeks old. You were the smallest ball of fur, with big kitten eyes, and you wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. You’d decided we were the mom and young son who would love you and treat you like the royalty you were, so you followed us home from the market as fast as your little legs could go in the snow.
An indoor-outdoor cat, you loved prowling the neighborhood, hunting and capturing the little critters who entered your realm. You lived for the hunt but didn’t kill your prey. Instead you brought them home, into the house when possible, giving us lots of little critters to chase around the house before safely ushering them back outside (with you safely inside for a while, to give your traumatized toys a chance to escape). Oh, those were exciting times!
You were a world-class cuddler who loved nothing better than snuggling into a warm lap and draining the lap-owner of their energy so you both could take a nice nap.
You were with us for 19 wonderful years. Thanks for all the great times and cuddles!
I struggle to find just the right words when sharing thoughts about our beloved boy who left us 2 years ago at age 12. Bodhi - short for Bodhisattva, the “Enlightened One,” had the most loving gentle spirit. He was an old soul with a sweet and playful temperament. Although he was born deaf - a double merle Australian shepherd - Bodhi never knew the difference and would always share his bright light with anyone he touched.
One of our weekly outings was to the Senior Center in Napa where Bodhi would make the rounds and bring joy to those who needed a little extra love or just canine company.
When we moved from Napa to Baja, California Mexico, Bodhi (and sister Ellie) would take great pleasure in beach romps, chasing waves, shorebirds, each other.
He truly was a great white light whose radiance shines on. We miss him every day.
This wonderful boy. 1999-2015.
Across two continents and many trials and tribulations (and joys) of my life, this handsome, affectionate, very smart, and loving kitty stayed by my side.
I miss him so to this day.
A few years ago, before my husband and I were ready to settle down in any sort of permanent situation, I still craved the bond that one forms with a pet. We couldn’t get a “real” pet because we traveled way too much, didn’t have enough space and, especially, time to care for a family pet. We knew that someday we would eventually get a dog (and I count my lucky stars every day for our Zorro) but in the meantime I needed something to lend my nurturing to…so I bought us a beta fish on a whim and named him Drago.
There wasn’t a whole lot of selection at the store I went to, and he looked like he had lived far too long in a small cup in a soulless pet mega-chain pet shop, so I snagged him up along with all the other necessary accoutrements. This wasn’t my first foray with a beta fish, I had one growing up that I kept alive for about six years. Beta fish might appear to be boring pets, but I do find them very interesting as this blog post recently pointed out.
After owning Drago for about a year, I was able to train him to swim up closer to the surface and rest on a faux leaf which was suctioned against the glass and created a nice holding bed for him. We even upgraded him to hydroponic tank where I could grow micro green and a few herbs above the tank. It worked well for a while but required a lot of upkeep that I just didn’t have time for. After owning Drago nearly two years, my husband and I decided to rent out our home and travel the world working remotely. So, we needed to find a good home for Drago since he surely couldn’t travel with us (although I did contemplate it).
Giving up any pet (even a fish) can sometimes be just as difficult as losing a pet. My good friend made a very nice home for Drago and would send us updates on his wellbeing. However, after about six months after we gave him up for adoption, he passed away. My friend wasn’t quite sure what had happened as he wasn’t showing any signs of illness or lack of appetite (and she took great care of him making sure never to overfeed him.) It was a such a bizarre pet loss because I was never able to say goodbye (although we all know the goodbyes are only for us the humans.) I’ve never owned a fish since Drago and I’m not sure I ever will again. It’s not because I remain devastated by his loss, it’s just more that he taught me what I needed to learn at the time about being a good pet owner. I valued our time together, as ridiculous as it sounds. He made difficult work days easier and just watching him do his little beta thing always brought me such calm. So, here’s to you Drago thank you for the time you spent with us.
What a beautiful story @Debbie-L thank you so much for sharing. And thank you for choosing to save a life by adopting. Sassy made a PAWsitive impact on so many peoples lives, she wouldn’t have had that opportunity if it weren’t for you.
Thank you @Karen_E for giving Radar and Misty a wonderful loving home. They were beautiful pups, I know they are smiling down on you from the land of never-ending-play.
Wow @KarenS what an amazing life you gave Bodhi and his sister Ellie. That is so sweet you all chose to spread PAWsitivity by visiting the senior center. Bodhi will be remembered by so many.
