Remembering special pets is one of the pleasures of owning pets and pet sitting and having lots of pets through our hands each year. Thirteen dogs this year and eight cats… Are there special pets and memories of them that you remember vividly? Can you share why?
I saw this tatoo and wondered how do you keep such pets in the forefront of your mind?
My own pets I had an artist paint them. I still have albums full of photos of them , some are framed and on display
We have photos. I also can’t throw out our dog’s registration papers, silly but one piece of paper in a file. We kept his collar and bowl for ages, just couldn’t throw them out. We will never have pets again, small townhouse, but sitting last year brought home what we have missed for the last 5 years since our last cat passed. Also sitting for affectionate cats showed me how aloof mine had been! I am actually searching out sits now for pets rather than because I am wanting to travel.
@Highfive I travel the world with my dog’s collar in my suitcase, just so a part of her is always with me. I am going to use her lead to glue around a pot and put a plant in it with her ashes, a permanent place for her. We can’t do normal burials for our pets like humans but doesn’t mean we loved them any less.
I petsit because my Ziggydog is irreplaceable to me and having other animals around me to love gives me the fix I need. Couldn’t go through the heartache of losing another pet ever again, despite people telling me otherwise.
Just read an article about a couple who lost their home in the California forest fires. Their cats went missing too.. They spent a year and a day returning to the site and looking for them everywhere. They hope they were taken in and loved by someone.. it must be so hard not knowing.. they have a new home now and keep thinking how much the cats would Iove it where they now are…
I expect most have heard of the terrible train accident in southern Spain recently. Not all the bodies and possibly survivors have been located yet. Among the missing is a dog. A cross Snauzer and Spanish Water dog. He’s called Boro. There have been false reports that he’s been reunited with his owner but these have been denied by the family.
One of my reasons for continuing to pet sit and housesit is to rekindle that love I felt from the pets I owned and cared for. Full time is a huge commitment. But I can do full time for short bursts and that is what I do with much joy.
Just been reading about a wonderful dog who spent ten years living in a cemetery where his owner was buried in São Paulo, Brazil. He inspired a new law permitting the burial of pets with their families in the Brazilian state. Nicknamed Bob Coveiro- meaning gravedigger in Portuguese, the loyal dog brought comfort to mourners and became a fixture at the graveyard until his death in 2021, when he was buried alongside his guardian.
The law came into effect on Tuesday and recognizes the emotional bond between pets and their human families, the state government said.
Bob attended his owner’s funeral at the cemetery in Tabarca da Serra and refused to leave thereafter, even returning when family members tried to take him home.
Local animal protection charity Patre,which led a fundraiser for a statue in his memory, said Bob “ won the hearts of everyone who met him.”
Love does not end at goodbye.
Brazil has the world’s third largest pet population with 160 million animal companions, according to data from the Pet Brazil Institute.
Other great examples of loyalty are the famous Japanese Akita, Hachiko. - a statue of him stands outside the Tokyo Railway Station. He became famous in Japan after meeting his master every day at the train station in the 1920’s. The dog continued to make the journey nine years after his owner’s death.
A similar case was also reported in the Uk in the 19th century. A Skye Terrier called Greyfriars Bobby became known for guarding his owner’s grave for 14 years in Scotland. A statue still stands today to commemorate the loyal dog, in Edinburgh.
Gelert is a legendary, faithful hound from Welsh folklore, owned by 13th-century Prince Llywelyn the Great. After finding his child’s cradle overturned and Gelert covered in blood, Llywelyn mistakenly killed the dog, only to discover it had actually saved his son from a wolf. The village of Beddgelert (“Gelert’s Grave”) in Eryri (Snowdonia) National Park is named after this legend, and visitors can walk to the dog’s grave and a statue near the river
I’m a direct descendant of Griffith Morgan (1700- 1737). He was better known as Guto Nyth Brân (English : Crow’s Nest) the name of his parents’ farm in Porth. He was a Welsh athlete. A ballad was written about him and he became legendary for being very fast at running. it’s alleged he was so fast he caught a hare. He was also credited with catching foxes and birds. He ran a race against a man whose name was Prince of Bedwas. The race was from Bedwas to Newport (12 miles).The wager was 1,000 guineas( £210,000 equivalent in 2023). Guto won the prize and took the honour of being named the fastest man of his time. But the race took a fatal toll on Guto: it is reputed that during the post race celebrations he collapsed and died in his lover’s arms after an over vigorous congratulatory back-slap.
A memorial race is run annually on New Year’s Eve and passes a memorial statue to Guto in Mountain Ash. The course covers Guto’s first competitive race. Each year a mystery runner competes. One year it was Linford Christie. It is timed to end about 21.00 for the convenience of family entertainment
There is a statue in Oxford Street of Guto and his dog. The statue in bronze was sculpted by Peter Nicholas.
I’d love to know more about his dog. So often owners have dogs that suit them perfectly! This one looks just as fast as his competitive owner!
