Has anyone ever lost a pet?

[Don'tLiveonMoon]

Aw, Rubberducky, that is such a sweet story! I'm sorry about the other ducks.
Erin

 

[RubberDucky]

Aw, Rubberducky, that is such a sweet story! I'm sorry about the other ducks.
Erin

Thanks I guess I can always hope that if one turned up then the others might also be in some new location. I really can't put together how she could have gotten so far away, though my mom suggested some theories. One of grandpa's nearest neighbors had a hunting retreiver dog who sometimes wandered over. Maybe he picked up my (very disgruntled) duck and took her home. then the people took her to the zoo not knowing where he had found her but knowing that it was not a native wild duck. Or maybe there was indeed a fox and she got scared,flew away, then landing somewhere she didn't know somehow arrived at the zoo. However it happened she sure beat the odds!
All these memories make me really want baby ducks again. Curse this urban Detroit setting and it's livestock restrictions!

 

[Zack the Dog]

Yeah! That was a great story RubberDucky! I really love ducks and have had my fair share of taken care of baby ducks, once I saved one from drownding in mud after it's leg was caught in a fishing wire hidden under the muck.

I hope to own a house with a big pond someday so many ducks would come and go as they please.

 

[whattheduck]

I love ducks!!!
-sorry just had to say that

 

[Convincing John]

I lost a pet, too.

This past July, my family lost one of our cats. Her name was Venus, and she passed away just three weeks shy of her 18th birthday.

Venus was a golden tabby cat. Think of an athletic Gaffer without the eyepatch, with a hint of Mr. Rogers' "Daniel Striped Tiger" mixed in.

About a year ago, Venus had a stroke and, after a few months, couldn't move her back legs or tail. For the longest time, we kept her in a basket and fed her well. We even gave her baths in the sink sometimes.

Anyway, from a combination of old age and the stroke, Venus passed away this past summer. She was truly a member of the family.

It was hard on all of us, but I think it might've been hardest on our other cat, Saige (named after a town in Colorado). Venus and Saige came from the same litter, and they had been "sisters" for nearly 18 years. Both were complete indoor cats, neither one of which have ever eaten a mouse or a bird. They prefered people food...Saige ate some Crunch N' Munch just last week.

I guess one of the most interesting things about our cats is that they liked to watch television. (Saige still does). One time, I remember walking into the living room, and there was only Saige in there. She was sitting on the footstool, staring at the screen. I'll never forget that. That cat was watching "Ferris Beuller's Day Off", just as if she were human.

Venus, however, was seemingly a Fozzie Bear fan. I'm not sure what it was about Fozzie in particular that would attract a cat's attention, but whenever Fozzie was on, Venus would usually watch him. I first noticed this when Venus was hanging out in my sister's room. My sister was cleaning her room, and Venus was sitting on her bed, watching Fozzie on TV. I even remember the number. It was "An Actor's Life For Me" with Fozzie and Rowlf. Venus watched the number all the way through to the end. I thought "A cat that watches the Muppet Show? That cat can't be really watching TV..." So, I decided to do an experiment. I had the number on video and played it later on that day to see if Venus would watch it...she did! Venus sat on the recliner in the living room. Her ears twitched as the melody played, and she actually looked from Fozzie to Rowlf as they exchanged jokes.

A cat that liked Fozzie Bear...who knew?

Venus was loved very much...and we all miss her.

Convincing John

 

[Zack the Dog]

Hi Convincing John,

That was a very heartwarming story about your cat Venus and i'm sorry for your loss. It's very cool that she watched the muppet show with interest, and wow just about 18 years old.


Zachary,

 

[Docnzhoss]

To lose a pet is a terrible thing.

Where I live now, there are two dogs, three cats, two guinea pigs and an assortment of rats, hamsters and mice. There had been four cats, but we had to put one to sleep because she had a blood clot near her spine. She had been suffering for quite some time. Of all the cats, she had been known as the sweetest so her loss was tough. There had been three guinea pigs, but one died recently, we don't know the cause. We also lost a hedgehog to cancer (he was so cool...his name was Harley).

Back home, my dog Beau (a sheltie) had been diagnosed with some kind of kidney problem over a year ago. We had been told that he wouldn't make it past two weeks. Of course, we prepared ourselves for the worst and treated Beau like a king--but the day never came. He pulled out of it and he is now as chipper and playful as ever.

Life is a funny thing. All I can say is love and appreciate what you have to the fullest because you really never know when the final day may come.

 

[Muppet Newsgirl]

I have - last month, we lost one of our dogs, a German shorthaired pointer named Marta. She'd been losing weight for a while and the vet had found some large mass in her stomach. Of course, she was also 13.5 years old, and GSPs tend to live 12-14 years, so I guess she was ready to throw in the towel.

We're coping, but it's hard. At first, I almost didn't want to come home from school to see my family, because I'd be constantly reminded of how Marta was gone. But on my visits home, I go out to where she is buried, on the hill overlooking the creek where we go kayaking, and just talk to her a bit. It helps; it's as if she's just reclining on her favorite pillow in the kitchen.

 

[Zack the Dog]

Hello! I'm very sorry to here about Marta. It looks liked she lived a good long life though. Thank you for sharing and i hope you will be alright.

Wow it's been a few years since i started this thread about my old dog Barney and about a year ago I got a new dog. He's an Australian cattle dog named Bo Duke (Bobo for short) He's a great dog and we're glad to have him! It is very hard to lose a pet. They are one of your family members, But it's great getting a new pet and forming a new bond with them! I'll never forget my first dog Barney but there is always room for more pets to give a good home!

 

[Katzi428]

Last year,my dog Corky passed away due to something called Addison's Disease. (I posted about it on this board sometime last year.)
But Zach... I can identify with you having to put your dog to sleep because it bit your brother. When my younger brother was a baby (we're talking over 20 years ago here.) he was probably doing something as innocent as playing with the dog's (Buzzy) ear & Buzzy bit him.
So thank goodness my brother was OK.But we put Buzzy to sleep.
I've had cats and other dogs pass away too. Anyone ever hear of a poem called The Rainbow Bridge? It talks about when animals die.And they wait for us at the Rainbow Bridge.It's supposed to be a part of Heaven.Our pets wait for us and they're healthy again.
((((HUGS to all who've lost a pet))))
Kathy (who remembers singing "Rainbow Connection" to her tuxie cat Goobie as he was dying )