Tag Archives: death of a pet

This Too Shall Pass

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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.

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Meant to Be

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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.

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The Sun Will Come Out Tomorrow

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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

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Gone too Soon

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tippi in my bed

Five years ago, under a rural grocery store, I trapped a kitten I named Tippi. That day, I helped her escape living a feral life. At midnight on New Year’s Day, I brought Tippi to pet emergency where I was with her when, 13 hours later, she left this life.

This outcome is hard for me to comprehend because Tippi didn’t appear to be ill and just weeks ago had her yearly well-check. She was prone to upper respiratory infections but that was nothing new, having come from a sickly colony. So her passing was unexpected.

tippi on my lap2

Her favorite nappng place

Not even a week ago Tippi attempted, for the 100th time, to climb the tree in the family room. As usual, I yelled at her to get down and as usual, she obliged. That same day, she sunned herself on the bench in my backyard. A couple days later she was a different cat; not eating, throwing up, barely able to walk, hiding…

tippi on counter 2

Wishing she had something to knock off the counter

Our trip to the vet revealed Tippi in kidney failure. They ran every test imaginable but were dumbfounded as to the cause. The ultra sound was fine but her creatinine levels were off the charts. You might be asking yourself how Tippi’s death fits into a humor blog. You’re right, it doesn’t. So to remedy that, let me tell you how Tippi lived. Continue reading →