MyPrecious Is Gone

[XenoTheMorph]

losing a loved pet is a truely painful experience and it seems the older you are the more painful it gets, even if you can deal with it better. The only thing i've found that compares (indeed is worse than) is losing a close family member, probably because a pet (especially a cat, dog or other 'smart' animal) IS a member of your family.
Most importantly don't forget the good times, keep them in your heart.


Xeno.

[AgentZero]

Deepest sympathies, Atrocities. My dog of 13 years had to be put down two years ago. Worst part about it was he was in Canada and I was in Ireland, so I wasn't even able to be with him when he went. Took me a long time to forgive my parents for not telling me until after he was gone.
But now, even though I'm admittedly pretty misty-eyed after reading through this thread, whenever I think back about the ol' boy it doesn't take long for me to think of something he did that makes me smile, or even laugh out loud.
And I think that's the sign of a truly good pet. They're only there for a short time, but in that time they enrich our lives and make our world a better, happier place.

[Gandalf Parker]

Imperator Fyron said:

You realize that you live over 400 miles away from me, right? What happens in your area is not at all akin to what happens in mine...

If you are in California then your area has been hit by the same "fix your pets" rules that mine has. 3 years ago I could find free pets in every single copy of the newspaper. Now I wait 6 months to find a litter of "unknown mixed puppies" 1 hour drive away. My local paper even has a "free ad for anything less than $50" section so its not the cost of the ads. They just arent around.

Its a good thing. The pounds and spca are far less full. They can keep them longer. Less animals are put down. So its not like Im wishing that the campaign didnt happen. Everything has its pros and cons. This is more pro than con, its just something Im coming up against lately. Ive been considering becoming a pup-house for one of the working dog Groups. Seeing-eye, hearing dogs, wheelchair helpers, search and rescue, disaster, police, medical sniffers. One of those Groups.

[Slynky]

That IS a good thing, Gandalf!

Each year, the Federal government (here in the US) hosts the CFC...Combined Federal Campaign. It's a massive attempt to get donations for literally thousands of agencies. You get a booklet with all these agencies listed and you choose which ones you want to donate to. This year, my wife and I gave $700 ($350 each). And each year, at least $100 goes to the Atlanta Humane Society and a national animal organization. In Atlanta, we regularly see (on the evening local news...when they can fit them in) adertisements for pet adoption. As you know, animals are put to death after a certain period of time. I'd love to see a long waiting period for animal adoption here but, alas, we DO live in "redneck-ville" where "bubba" doesn't give a second thought to neutering his pets and just dumps the results somewhere.

We have 2 cats now. Trixie was gained before she was taken to the pound. And Taffy was offered to us by someone who found her huddling in the gutter of a street during a cold rainy day. Taffy, incidently, according to the vet, must have been living on the streets for about half a year. Her growth was stunted, she was matted with grease, clumps, dirt, etc. She weighed about 4 and a half pounds. $200 dollars later, and 5 years later, she still remains small never reaching the 10-pound mark. She has a permanent ear infection that can't seem to be cured and has a grooming problem (probably from her hesitation to groom grease off her...or weakness), so we have to give her regular baths. But, for a cat that lived on the street so long and who has permanent physical problems, she's the one the kids love the most and she's absolutely the sweetest (not feral in the slightest).

So, to get back on track, kudos to your community!

[bbq]

Sorry to hear about your loss. Pets are special gifts, our lives are made better because of them.