Category Archives: death of a pet

This Too Shall Pass

Posted on by

I don’t know about you, but I can’t say 2023 ended on a good note for me. In fact, I’d say it was a bad note. Totally off key. Actually, I should have known something was up toward the end of December when I had one of those days where everything that could go wrong, did. Maybe the moon was in the Seventh House and Jupiter aligned with Mars (to steal a line from The Fifth Dimension).

Basically, something was off. I knew it the minute I stepped in a pile of dog poop (I suspect Skip) on my way to the bathroom at 5:30 a.m. Why that early? Because my dog Taffy, who snoozes next to me, sneezed right in my face. I’d been asleep approximately 2 1/2 hours and knew that was all I’d be getting. And to be honest, it was diarrhea. I almost left that out so as not to repulse you but I changed my mind.

Continue reading →

Meant to Be

Posted on by

I believe in meant to be.

Like when you’re at a low moment and something happens, an unexpected occurrence that ends up being a godsend (so to speak) exactly when you need it most. That’s what happened recently to my friend Leanne.

Leanne was dealing with the possibility her black and white 15 1/2 year-old blind Papillon, Kingston, was near death. Congestive heart failure had him struggling to breathe and his seizures became more frequent.

Late one night we were texting when Leanne called in tears. Kingston was still struggling to breathe and she worried he was suffering. Soon we were on our way to pet emergency to have him humanely euthanized. It’s the toughest decision we make for our pets, knowing when it’s time to say good-bye. But they count on us to know.

Continue reading →

That’s Just Jack

Posted on by

Marley and Me

I just watched the movie Marley and Me with my fat cat, Jack. Yes, Jack watches TV. He’s a very observant guy. But if you haven’t seen the movie, I’m about to ruin it for you so you should probably skip the next paragraph.Spoiler Alert

Marley and Me is a comedy about a dog but also a tear-jerker because Marley dies, as dogs will do. I’d already seen the movie but I still cried like a baby. I’m talking crocodile tears that spilled from my eyes, missed my cheeks entirely, then landed on Jack, who lounged on my lap. Pathetic? Yeah, I’d say so.

Now that you virgins of Marley and Me are back with us, let’s continue.. Continue reading →

The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

Posted on by

My dog died Monday.

Now don’t get me wrong; this won’t be a sad post that leaves you in tears. This is supposedly a humor blog, although admittedly there’s nothing funny about losing my 13 1/2-year-old Greyhound, Nellie (a.k.a. Nervous Nellie, Whoa Nellie and Naughty Nellie). Her time simply ran out. But it comforts me to know she had a long, wonderful life and left me with great memories.Nellie up close

Yes, 2019 isn’t promising to be my favorite year, having also lost my cat, Tippi, last month. Still, death reconfirms the importance of appreciating what and who we have in our lives while we have them. In addition, the day Nellie died I attended the funeral of Mama Lou (my friend Sharon’s mom) whom I’ve known for 43 years. So yeah, not exactly an uplifting start to the new year. But the sun will come out tomorrow.

Mama Lou

Continue reading →