In memory of my dog

[Dremora]

sorry, had to share this.. with the talk of moving the cat food out of the way..

my parents have a golden labrador called Bracken. She's not very bright, getting on a bit, has a gammy leg (deformed) which means she can't walk very far. She also has a HUGE appetite, which is not indulged because as she can't exercise, she would be enormous.

Yesterday, my parents were talking to visitors in the afternoon, and noticed Bracken was chewing something. It looked like bread, but as Mum was busy, she finished chatting, then went into the kitchen to see what it may have been (it was all gone by then). There was nothing she could see missing, no bread on the counter or anything. It was only when my stepdad came back that they realised there'd been a cheese plate on the dining room table with a quarter-pound of fresh BRIE on it! This was, suffice it to say, nowhere to be seen. Bracken's guilt was further determined when she came back to help herself to the cheddar that was left on the table, wandering in quite happily and just putting her paws up on a chair and leaning over to eat the cheese. Luckily she doesn't seem to have had any problems as a result (no upset tummy or anything).

This is in a household where the cat, as a kitten, managed to vanish with a whole raw salmon (complete with plastic bag, which it was defrosting in) and come back hours later with a HUGE tummy and no sign of any fish..

That is hilarious. That's pretty much exactly what Sugar would do (if she could reach the table, that is - she loved cheese), and as for the cat, we have one that will eat corn and leave huge lick marks on anything with icing if you're not careful to put it out of reach. That obviously doesn't hold a candle to your then-kitten's appetite though

Pets...

[Charys Stormchild]

When our old cat, Lucy, was around 23 she'd had a bout of sickness so we starved her overnight, in the morning I cooked some chicken and gave her a little of that (cut up small so it was cool enough for her) which she didn't keep down.

My husband was asleep so I decided to leave it a while before feeding Lucy again and get some things done. I left the rest of the chicken in the microwave with the door pushed shut, but not fastened. Then I went shopping.

Half an hour later I returned to find the microwave door wide open (there was only about 2 inches of work surface in front of this btw), a small pile of chicken crumbs on the kitchen floor, one piece of chicken half off the plate...and a very smug cat curled up under the radiator upstairs. She kept down every scrap of the whole chicken breast and had the one she'd tried to pull off the plate for supper.

If you're wondering then yes, our cats probably do eat better than we do, hehe. Also when I leave chicken to cool in the microwave now I put something heavy in front of the door.

[Sika]

Well, since we're now sharing amusing pet stories...

A few months ago my boyfriend was talking to someone on AIM. He got up to go to the bathroom or get some food or something, and while he was away the cat jumped up on his laptop. She walked around for a second and then hopped off. When he came back a few minutes later all he could wonder was who had typed "gtfo" into AIM. No spaces, no other letters, just GTFO. I guess the cat didn't like whoever he was talking to.

[Dremora]

... I left the rest of the chicken in the microwave with the door pushed shut, but not fastened. Then I went shopping.

Half an hour later I returned to find the microwave door wide open (there was only about 2 inches of work surface in front of this btw), a small pile of chicken crumbs on the kitchen floor, one piece of chicken half off the plate...and a very smug cat curled up under the radiator upstairs.

A few months ago my boyfriend was talking to someone on AIM. He got up to go to the bathroom or get some food or something, and while he was away the cat jumped up on his laptop. She walked around for a second and then hopped off. When he came back a few minutes later all he could wonder was who had typed "gtfo" into AIM. No spaces, no other letters, just GTFO. I guess the cat didn't like whoever he was talking to.

These just made my day, LOL

[Spirit]

I'm sorry to hear about your loss Dremora. It's sad when you have to let a pet go, especially when they're part of your family for so long.

We had a dachshund too, and he made it all the way to 16 years old. I'm sorry to say it was cancer that finally beat him too, but he had strong character an spirit and enjoyed a long happy life. He was called Bruno, after Frank Bruno I guess (I was too young). He was highly strung, had a Napoleon complex and could be most annoying, but he was nonetheless loved in the family. He did well to put up with a couple of annoying brats like my brother and me. ... one time he even managed to remove the sunday roast from the table!

Cancer was, unfortunately, a fairly frequent problem for him. First he had a tumour on a front paw, so he had a toe removed. Then in the nether-regions, so then the coconuts had to go (not good for a stud in his prime... explains much of the Napoleon complex). The cancer called half-time, but then he ended up with water on the lungs and a heart problem, which was somehow cured with much care and medication. His most serious problem was slipping a disk, loosing the use of his back legs. We went around to a few vets and they all recommended enthenasia (too old) except one. They did an operation, and then it was weeks of keeping him as still as practical ... then physio when it became apparent that his legs were beginning to work again. We had to hold up his back end by the tail and his legs would run lol! It was certainly better when he could pee by himself again, rather than just 'going'. Finally, swimming for more exercise and he was pretty much recovered. His back legs were always wobbly though, but such a recovery at 13 years old...

Then it was cancer, again, this time on the front of his lower jaw. The only way around that was removing part of the lower jaw, and we really thought about the humanity of that. We had it done, but he could only eat food by licking. I can't say I've ever been that heartbroken. But, typical for him, he still ran around and was a pretty happy dog. Fast forward about two years and the cancer was back. This time on a neck artery and he could hardly breath. Dogs having two meant one was removed and he was back to his usual self. A year later and the same happened with the remaining artery, and that was it. No further options. I found it while he was on his bed about a week before starting an nvq course. The growth became big within days. Last time I saw him was 3 days before the course, but I had to leave for all the crud days you get the weekend before (enrichment they call it). He had his head around the living room door while I was closing the front door. I didn't think that would really be the last time I saw him, but it was. The evening of course day 1 my dad called to say he'd been put down. My dad had unintentionally 'told me' earlier when he sent a text asking if I was "having a good day?". I knew. He'd deteriorated pretty fast and could hardly breath. It was the kindest thing we could have done.

He was a fighter; as strong willed a creature I've ever seen, and I will remember him.

Bruno Scott, April 1989 -7th March 2005, R.I.P

Thank you for reading.

Graeme

Edit: Sorry this is hardly an amusing pet story. D'oh!

[Wylonus]

not too long ago, many store had recalled some of brand names pet foods for dogs and cats, and they have been contaminated by lead elements, possible from bad paint jobs somewhere in china.
that happened last late fall of 2007.

i am sure some of tainted products slipped to consumers, then few days and matter of weeks when there are several reports of food poisonings.

sorry for loss of pet as member of family.

[Arietna]

We just found the body of my cat Lucretia today

She's been my companion since she was 7 weeks old, and this May she turned the grand old age of 15. She'd hardly had a days illness in her life, except one incident as a kitten when she lost her voice. It may sounds bizarre, but I was very concerned as she was an extremely vocal, loud cat. She made funny chirruping sounds, and was a very loving, goodnatured cat. She was the only one of the three cats we have that would put up with my children. I think she was getting too tired to object very much when they wanted to stroke her. The other two cats won't go near my kids. So, not only have I lost a long term companion, but the only cat my kids had regular petting sessions with (the kids are age 4 and nearly 3 respectively).

We were getting concerned when she failed to turn up for 3 meals in a row. There were times in her past when she'd disappear for 3-4 days but always turn up again. The times that happened stopped a couple of years ago, I think she realised she was getting creaky and enjoyed the warmth of the house. We live close to quite a busy road, but I've even lived in the centre of a city with her - she was very traffic conscious.

I don't know yet how she died- we will have to retrieve her body from the side of the road that my husband drove past when he spotted her. It may have been a car accident, or it may have been that she found somewhere to spend her last moments so we didn't have to see her die.

Rest in peace, Lucretia.

[Dremora]

My condolences, to Spirit and Arietna both.

That's the real downside of having a pet; you get attached but you have to deal with them passing away.

At least they had good, long lives. =)

[Charys Stormchild]

Spirit and Arietna, I'm so sorry for the loss you have both suffered, it's so hard to lose a member of the family and, despite what some people think, that's what our pets are.

*hugs everyone*

[Veruliyam]

I haven't expressed my condolences to anyone until now.

Sorry to hear about your losses, everyone.

There are times I still miss Pepper, Max, and Pretzel.

A poodle, and two dachshunds, respectively.

[Kandin]

I am sorry for your loss. I understand it all too well, as I grew up on a ranch. More than half our family members weren't even human... hrm.

My family and I had to put down a dog that I had actually grown up with, back when I was still in highschool. I was almost 17 at the time, and my dog Beau was about the same age.

Ancient for a springer spaniel, or any dog really.

Well, this dog just would not go on his own. We kept thinking (and to a degree, hoping) that he would die in his sleep, but he just refused to take the easy way out. We ended up having to put him down, once it became obvious he was in quite a bit of pain.

At the time we put him down, he was nearly completely blind, his skin was yellowed (failure of some organ, I can't think which one. Liver? Kidney?). He had bad arthritis, he was well into the senile phase.

He had been my best friend since before I could walk. I named that dog (since I couldn't talk at the time, so it was baby-talk), he was practically my nanny. And in the end, I was the one taking care of him, instead of the other way around.

Now, I have a dog that stays with my parents on their ranch in Nebraska. She's a great guard dog (she barks at anything that moves. Horses, cattle, tumbleweeds, clouds... you can even tell what she's barking at by the pitch and speed! You don't even have to look.) However, she has become notorious for stealing food. We've learned this using the trial-and-error system, and ended up practically handing out free steaks. What started it was my mom grilling pork chops one afternoon. She went inside to get the phone. Came back to turn the chops and.... counted one less than there had been ten minutes prior. She looked around to see if she had dropped it, and found nothing but my dog laying down next to the front door with a smug look on her face.

We keep her chained to a post in the yard now. We still don't know how she opened the top of that grill and took the pork chop without my mom knowing, but she finally caught her in the act on the third round.

My cat, who lives with me, has a bit of a mean streak. We can't normally walk around the apartment with shorts on, and we're thankful he doesn't have claws on his front paws. Not that he needs them... As you walk by, he will race up behind you and attack you from behind, wrapping his legs around you like a monkey and attempt to bite you through whatever you are wearing (or, if you're unlucky, he'll actually get you with his teeth). If my roommate or I are minding our own business, watching tv or on the computer, he will run up behind us and jump on our backs or shoulders and try to get us in the neck.

The funny thing about this cat, though, is that he doesn't usually make traditional feline noises. He chirps, twills, squeeks, grunts, growls, hisses, snarls, and has once or twice barked and only half-meowed once. I kid you not. We're waiting for a neigh, oink, and maybe a crow, and then he will have made every noise in the animal noise spectrum.

His name is Loki. Yes, after the shapeshifting Norse god. He does his job very well, to the point where I fear for my life when the "world ends" or the "veil falls", whichever you prefer.

[Dremora]

I am sorry for your loss. I understand it all too well, as I grew up on a ranch. More than half our family members weren't even human... hrm.

My family and I had to put down a dog that I had actually grown up with, back when I was still in highschool. I was almost 17 at the time, and my dog Beau was about the same age.

Ancient for a springer spaniel, or any dog really.

Well, this dog just would not go on his own. We kept thinking (and to a degree, hoping) that he would die in his sleep, but he just refused to take the easy way out. We ended up having to put him down, once it became obvious he was in quite a bit of pain.

He had been my best friend since before I could walk. I named that dog (since I couldn't talk at the time, so it was baby-talk), he was practically my nanny. And in the end, I was the one taking care of him, instead of the other way around.

Aw, I'm so sorry. Your dog sounds like he was really sweet.

I was hoping our dog Sugar would go in her sleep as well, but then her eye poofed up and.. yeah. =/

At the time we put him down, he was nearly completely blind, his skin was yellowed (failure of some organ, I can't think which one. Liver? Kidney?). He had bad arthritis, he was well into the senile phase.

That would be the liver, though I didn't know dogs could get jaundiced - learn something new every day.

[pevil2000]

A little late, but my condolences to you all. I've lost enough pets myself to know what you are going through, including my lifelong companion, a golden retriever called Millie who ended up with Leukemia. Kidney failure is no fun to live with at all As others have said just remember the happy times, as hard as that may seem to do at first