It?s hard to say good bye

[Rick the Librarian]

We lost three pets, two cats and a dog, within 18 months. Our "chiweenie" was the hardest - he was almost 14 - we left on a Hawaii trip, thinking he was all right. Got a call from our petsitter who told us he needed to be put to sleep. Fortunately, the petsitter had been around him most of his life and loved him as much as we. Still, it wasn't easy. Definitely, the downside of owning a pet!

[Merc]

Looking back, I still think the 8 years of joy Kat brought us was worth it. I would not hesitate to do it all over again and we are actively looking for another female kitten to fill that empty spot in our lives. Only this time, the hard lessons have been learned.

[Merc]

I had to put one to sleep in Nov for congestive heart failure, and one in Feb for kidney failure. I have one more, she's 13 and has arthritis, cushings dease and diabetes. She follows me everywhere, I know she's lonely. My lap and recliner belong to her. When she goes, there will be no more. We're too old to take on a puppy to train, and older dogs have already taken on someone elses personality. I have heald all my dogs as they passed. They were such a big part of our lives, and we of thiers. When I think of them, it feels like someone punched me in the nose.

My late sister lived in Cave Creek, AZ until her passing at age 80 in 2017. She refused to live her life without a dog by her side. She actually left behind two animals. A female horse (Peppy) and a female Golden Retriever (Honey).

I still own Peppy and she is boarded in CC and turned 30 years old on 4/12. She has treatable medical conditions and could live for several more years. My wife and I fly out to AZ once a year to see the horse and visit friends.

Honey came from a Golden Retriever Rescue when she was 5 years old. She turned out to be a real gem. My sisters final wish was to return Honey to the rescue, but I met a retired couple from Scottsdale that wanted her. So, after visiting the family, I decided that they could have her on the condition that I would get to visit her once a year.

I have known many Golden Retrievers and found them to be great companions. They typically have a very 4D56BE1C-7566-4AE5-A1BC-144AA08A3689.jpgmild personality, are very friendly, intelligent and trainable and love to be close to their humans. Before you totally give up the idea of having a dog companion, I highly recommend that you check out the Golden Retriever Rescues in the greater Phoenix area. You might find wonderful dog and a new best friend.

[Allen]

Some breeds ARE better than others but human personality differences determine what breeds are best for them as well. I've been raised with many dogs and cats that my mother had. Living along side a major hwy we always had a dog or cat in need of a home that wondered to us or had been dumped. Often my mother had 2 or 3 dogs and/or cats at a time.

The dogs were beagle's, lab's, spaniels, collie's and mostly terrier mix breeds. Along with the cats, they all developed their own unique personality's probably influenced by us and their surroundings with us.

As a young person living at home with my parents (and the pets) there was always chores, school, homework and later in life, work and raising a family. The time and attention these animals deserved simply wasn't there in abundance. I wish I could have known them all better. Someday, maybe?

When I retired 10 years ago I told myself I was going to give my daughters miniature white Schnauzer all the attention he desired. He was dropped off at our house every morning while she went to work and picked up when returning. We had a standard Schnauzer of our own and these 2 became quite pals.

In an effort to make my long story a little shorter, he became my life, I spent all my time with him. He is gone now (3 months now) and so is a huge part of me.

As stated before, everywhere I look I visualize him since we did so much together. His loss is overwhelming to me but he (and all the others) will always be with me.

My last pictures of him.

[Merc]

Some breeds ARE better than others but human personality differences determine what breeds are best for them as well. I've been raised with many dogs and cats that my mother had. Living along side a major hwy we always had a dog or cat in need of a home that wondered to us or had been dumped. Often my mother had 2 or 3 dogs and/or cats at a time.

The dogs were beagle's, lab's, spaniels, collie's and mostly terrier mix breeds. Along with the cats, they all developed their own unique personality's probably influenced by us and their surroundings with us.

As a young person living at home with my parents (and the pets) there was always chores, school, homework and later in life, work and raising a family. The time and attention these animals deserved simply wasn't there in abundance. I wish I could have known them all better. Someday, maybe?

When I retired 10 years ago I told myself I was going to give my daughters miniature white Schnauzer all the attention he desired. He was dropped off at our house every morning while she went to work and picked up when returning. We had a standard Schnauzer of our own and these 2 became quite pals.

In an effort to make my long story a little shorter, he became my life, I spent all my time with him. He is gone now (3 months now) and so is a huge part of me.

As stated before, everywhere I look I visualize him since we did so much together. His loss is overwhelming to me but he (and all the others) will always be with me.

My last pictures of him.

Allen,

We will be returning from our week in AZ on May 13th and, being cat people, we will begin the process to adopt a cat, preferably a healthy young female who has been spayed before her first heat, is FIV negative and has had all her shots. I hope she will outlive both of us but I am willing to accept what ever comes our way.

I think you have waited long enough and should adopt another miniature Schnauzer. We both know the feeling. Your dog and my cat were always there to give or demand attention. They occupied a lot of our days and nights. Now the house is empty and too quiet. We both loved our pets. It is time to let him go and give some other dog a great home.

[Allen]

I think you have waited long enough and should adopt another miniature Schnauzer. We both know the feeling. Your dog and my cat were always there to give or demand attention. They occupied a lot of our days and nights. Now the house is empty and too quiet. We both loved our pets. It is time to let him go and give some other dog a great home.

I hear ya. If one comes our way, maybe, but we're not going to go and seek one. They don't live long and the heart just can't take another loss like this. I have a 2 acre fenced in yard and have wanted to get 4 or 5 hens to eat the clover and dandelions that sprout up. Now, I don't even want to pursue that. A chicken is not a dog or cat but still, over time, there may come some attachment and they too will die on my watch.

My mother once had a female Golden Retriever too, a beautiful dog perhaps only a year or two old. She also has a 2 acre fenced in yard. My brother paid her a visit and left the gate open. While inside visiting my mother the dog went through the gate and was instantly struck and killed on the highway. A very sweet loving dog that we didn't have long, nor get to know very well.

Getting to cats. Not only do they have different breeds, I've noticed by color too that their personalities differ, the Siamese being the most loyal and "one owner" species of them all.

Where I live we have shelters of course but also have a PetSmart where you can adopt cats. They have a small room you go into and hold them one at a time. You can see which ones may take a liking to you. It's easier than gong to a shelter and the adoption rate is high so the selection changes from day to day. Some shelters, particularly the "no kill" shelters, have on-line sites where you view what they have.

My wife has an aunt who lost her Toy Poodle. They wanted another pet but wanted something way different so as to not think about the loss of the Poodle so they got a grown cat. It turned out that the cat became vicious, would bite them to the point of drawing blood and even attack them while they slept. They ended up taking the cat to the vet to have it put down or see what was going on. It turned out the cat was allergic to the food they were giving it. This was years ago, all is well, and they love the cat. Just an FYI.

Good luck with your new adoption.

[Merc]

5D792A80-6F84-4A7A-8F58-853F6722D4FE.jpgWe adopted a 4 month old male kitten named Beckham last night from a pet rescue known as Homeward Bound of West Virginia. We were taken in by his warm and friendly personality. The attached photos pretty much tell “Hammy’s” story. He’ll be available to come home with us after he receives his final vaccination next week.

F8580970-A9E4-4B92-8924-98A855167C00.jpg2498900F-9CE9-4249-A3CF-44C6279174AF.jpgCBD446CC-37BB-48C8-AD34-A1D8A7EA0BCC.jpg

[Allen]

Congrats. Looks like you did well.

Just another FYI and perhaps you know it. If you let him in and out he will probably "tomcat" some when he gets older, staying gone for long periods of time and coming home all scratched up. If you keep him inside he may "mark" his territory or pee on everything.

Just the nature of a male cat. Getting them fixed early in life helps but doesn't always eliminate the problem completely.

[Merc]

I can think of four neutered indoor male cats in my family who never did that. Hammy will be an indoor cat and was neutered when he was 12 weeks old. It is a gamble for sure. You never know how they will turn out, but we are willing to give him a chance.

[Allen]

Males usually have a more gentle nature around humans. Some never scratch even accidentally.