Board members pets

[Lord Gibson 0]

Hello friends! Just wanted to share the memory of a beloved pet.

Yesterday at 9:14am I witnessed my 7-week-old Black Labrador?s last breath. His name was Bartleby. His story is short but meaningful: Where I live it is very common for people to abandon there unwanted pets in the streets to defend for themselves. Since I live in front of a park dogs are very likely to turn up, puppies especially. Usually if you see a stray puppy one day, a week later you?ll see its body on the side of the road, victims of human stupidity and indifference.

About 5 weeks ago I arrived at my home late at night, and at my front door sat a cold and hungry two-week-old dog. Just like his namesake, an orphan. I took him in, and the rest as they say, is history. After five weeks attachments were made; Bartleby was a part of the family, so we fought hard to keep him healthy when he became ill about a week ago. But it wasn?t meant to be.

The family decided to go to the movies, to take our minds off our loss. We saw ?One hour photo? with Robin Williams (I highly recommend it, one of Williams?s finest roles) and as I watched, I realized that all we had left were our memories, that is, we didn?t have a single picture of Bartleby. You see, I take a lot of pictures, just as a hobby, but still two or three rolls a week are common. Pictures of doors, shoes, friends, flowers, family, and so on. But, not one of Bartleby.

So I decided that I would share a picture of my other ?best friend?. His name is Chucky. In this picture he is about 4 years old, but today he is actually about 14 human years. His face has a few more gray hairs than in this picture.

I know that Hector Guzman and Harry have dogs, and I?m guessing that the dogs in Ocelot?s avatar are also pets, and I think I?ve seen a few cats around. So I would like to ask everyone to post a picture of their beloved pets, and/or a short description (if pictures are a trouble).

Thank you all.

~Lord Gibson ? who loves all creatures big and small.

- ¡¡Viva México!! Este 16 de Septiembre. Inicio de la guerra de la independencia.

[The Five Tones 303]

L.G., I have no pets but grew up with lots. How sad! My heart goes out to you and your family, and respect to you for taking care of an animal in need like you did, especially with the number of unwanted dogs on the street in Mexico. Good to know someone made a difference for a little while.

P.S. Chucky is soooo cute!

[Rogue_Leader 2]

I once had a rabbit but it got run over by a car. Needless to say I have not had any pets since.

[Ren 77]

I LOVE KITTIES!!!!!!!

(obviously, uh, duh hello kitty!)

But I don't have one now. I used to have deux chats they were 15 years old when they died I believe. Stash and Toni. They were long hair domestics and boy were they lap cats. As soon as I get a scan in I'll show you their pics. Before them I had a dog (german shep), Buffy. She was insane so my sister took her!

As soon as I get a bigger apartment this is the cat I will get (as a kitten of course)

My sister LOVES dogs. She has two shelties. Muffin and Katie. They are the cutest things! She has a twin stroller she pushes them around in....

I love pets!!!!

[Mari 279]

I love cats

Miranda is my avatar. My other cat Prospero (also black and white) passed away in April at the age of 18.

Mari

[Justin 2]

Well all I can say is the past year has been one heck of a heartbreaker for me.

First there was Wilber who was (corny as it is) probably my best buddy.

And then 1 month later little Winky died.

:cry:

Note: the pigs above are not my little guys but just some pig pics I found off google.

However I still have my big ol' black rabbit named Chubsies who is very sweet and very big.

Justin -Who'd love to get a dog or cat, but does the "fam" want one? Oh noooooooooo...

[Marian Schedenig 8,751]

Sorry for your dog, Lord Gibson.

Me, I have a cat, about two years old, named....Jerry. Sitting on my lap right now. He's of course named after Mr. Goldsmith, and the cool thing about it is that a guy from the FSM board did a cartoon about the cat, and Goldsmith got to see it.

Marian - wondering if Goldsmith likes the idea of having a cat named after him... :roll:

[ocelot 549]

I am so sorry for your loss!!!!!!! It is a heart breaker when a pet goes, and they really are part of the family. I lost my part asian leopard cat last year to heart failure!!!

Yes, my Avatar are pictures of our two dogs, French Bulldogs, The blonde one is Diggs and the black one is Gunew. Gunew we adopted after we heard that he was going to be put down as a puppy because he has a level 5 - 6 heart murmur. They said he would live a month or so and we said no problem, we still want to take him in. Now he is 2 and a half years old and he's a happy boy. He is on a lot of meds but he runs around like crazy. Every day is another day and no matter how long he lives, he has had a great life. The same goes to your little baby. He was at your door because you were the right person to take him in and give him the love and attention he deserved until his time had passed. People like you make me proud!!!!!!!! You have my respect!

We also have two cats, Angel and Tai. I love them to pieces and so do our dogs, although Angel wishes they weren't all over her all the time. Tai doesn't mind.

Then we have an aviary outside with star and gouldian finches, canaries, diamond doves, fruit doves, parottlets and my special babe, a green araccari (who is in a seperate enclosure. He is a miniature toucan. He is extremely friendly and loves being petted. His name's Mowgli.

Then Brian, my partner has bearded dragons and panther chameleons, and we have a koi pond too.

Basically it's a petting zoo here and our friends love coming over for BBQ's and parties. I love it although it takes time to feed and look after them daily!

I wish I could put their pictures up but I don't know how unless it is the avatar (which Neil taught me)

And Ren, a Russian Blue!!! Beautiful cats. Tai is a blue abbysinian. He's just like a dog.

[Lurker 5]

Lord Gibson, that story got me all choked up. I had something similar happen to me...

My sister and I took in a cat that we found at the beach (heartless bastards have summer homes, go home and abandon their pets). She was a sickly little cat (we're suckers for all animals, but especially cats) and we only got to have little Ginger for a week. The poor little cat had leukemia. Apparently that is quite common in felines. When we took the kitty in to have her euthanized, my sister and I were a mess. The doctor said we were doing the right thing and wondered if we had the cat our whole lives. That made us chuckle, and between tears Sand (my sister) was able to get out, "We've only had her a week". Little baby Ginger really got to us.

Sand was able to later adopt a 3 year old cat that I named Xenia. She has golden eyes.

As for me, I have a beautiful (arguably the cutest kitty in the whole wide world ) named Peppi. I found her when I was walking home from school 11 years ago. She is a sweet kitty cat. She's an indoor tabby. She really is another member of our family, in fact I like her more than most people in my family. I don't have any place to post a picture of her, but I do have some, but really not nearly enough. I should take some more. Here kitty, kitty, kitty.

Neil

[Kradia 1]

Lord Gibson, I'm so sorry for your loss. :cry: :bawling:

I have a dog: a pug; he's almost completely deaf now...but still he's happy, loves playing and loves to eat...

Animals are really special....i can't believe that some people can do a hit and run....I bet they've never heard an animal cry in pain.....

Big hurrah to those of you who adopt pets!

[King Mark 3,666]

I have a cat named King Cat,and some tropical fihes in the group of the australasian Rainbowfishes.

K.M.Who's cat got a nearly deadly deseases from Crusher's flea infested cats.

[PetePan 163]

Indysolo.

Does your avatar also have something to do with your pet?

[Omen II 1,249]

Lord Gibson,

Sorry to hear about your dog. At least he ended his days in a loving home.

I like cats. My cat is called Jingles (named after a piano piece by James P. Johnson that was one of my Dad's favourites). I do not know how to post a picture but he is a tabby that was found wandering in the woods. He is here with me now so I will put him on the keyboard to type his own cat-message:

hyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyiui

I couldn't agree more, Jingles.

Damien

[Ross 1]

Sorry Lord Gibson. Five hours were enough to devastate me when I took care of an agonizing dog from the streets and he then died.

Now I have a tropical parrot, named Remus (or Artoo, as I call it).

The bird is stupid enough to stare at me blankly for three weeks, when I spent 3 hours daily teaching him to hum the Imperial March. Dumb parrot . He does hum the tune to The Flinstones, though.

I don't particularly like animals. But I know that his death will be a missed one. It's so good to have somethng to talk to when you are all alone at home. And since he doesn't really understand what you are saying, I confide him with my deepest problems. All I get back is the same stare, though.

So he will leave a big blank when he dies. Hopefully this won't happen until 60 years into the future (parrots have long lives). Unless of course, I found a talking, sarcastic cat like the one in Sabrina. Or an A.I. Teddy bear.

-ROSS, who would post a picture of Remus if he know how to.

[Ren 77]

I wouldn't mind having a parrot who could talk and sing!

[Ross 1]

Not if you have neighbors!

-ROSS

[ocelot 549]

You don't like animals? I can't imagine living without them. They make me laugh every day!!! And they just give you the purest form of unconditional love!!!!

[PetePan 163]

Since our dog (who was really a nice and friendly pet) attacked 20 young sheep one day, I have to say that I don't like dogs anymore. All sheep had to be slaughtered, and the dog, well the veterinarian gave him an injection. It was a really sad day in my life...

[Ren 77]

that's horrible. :cry:

[Lord Gibson 0]

Nice new area.

Thank all of you for your comments. Pets are great to have around, somtimes better than people.

Update: I've noticed that Chucky is acting very strange, a bit sad... I know he is a very old dog. He may not survive the winter. So we're trying to make sure that his last days with us are as comfortable as can be.

I'll keep everybody posted.

Thank you all.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

This is a great topic, I love reading about all your pets!

We (my family) got our first pet last August. My parents finally going along with getting pet was like them saying we could do drugs or something, we were NOT pet people.

Anyway, we got a puppy from a breeder in Chicago. He's a Tibetan Terrier (not really a terrier, that's just the breed name), and we named him Joey. I wish I knew how to post a picture, but I don't, so I'll try to describe him as best I can. He's about 22 lbs and 18 inches tall at the shoulder full grown now (over 1 year old), black with some white, and quite shaggy. He's so cute, and we love him like family. I'm glad so many of us know the joy that animals can bring into our lives. And I'm sorry to all those who have lost pets, I can only imagine what that's like.

Ray Barnsbury

[Uni 306]

My condolences on your loss.

My dog, Pepper (half German shepherd, half collie), lived to be 17 years old - like 238 to you and me. In the end, she was blind, deaf, and could hardly walk....so, reluctantly, we decided the best and most compassionate course would be to put her down. I was there, too, when my dog drew its final breath....and I wouldn't have it any other way. She lived a long and full life, bless her heart. I do still miss her, though.

Our current pets aren't as great as a dog would be, but we love 'em anyway. Two hamsters, affectionately named (by my son) Chewie and Bacca. Appropriately named, too; Bacca's the sweet one, but Chewie's a biter.

- Uni

[King Mark 3,666]

I had a Hamster as a pet when i was a kid.Pretty docile,I would play "catch" with it with a friend and it semmed to enjoy flying :wow: .

K.M.

[Luke Skywalker 1,925]

I'm sorry for all your losses.

As ironic as it can be i'm not allowed to have pets. I love animals

Well i 'managed' to have little sparrows for a day, then free them.

I also had a gold finch- who died becausea friend of my father told him that with home insect aerosol the parasits will be killed. When it didnt work . I had a new born sparrow who had fell about 20 meters hioh, he was well when i took him, but died in a few days. Well and this summer i had a little swift. He was so cute BUT he didn't shut up in the night LOL . IT was nice seeing him raise the feathers and it made me happy to release him after a month as see how he left flying in his first flight!

I hope to have a big parrot or a raptor (bird of prey ) sometime when i'm independent

[Lurker 5]

Now with the very cool "attachment" feature, I can now show you what my kitty cat Peppi looks like.

Neil

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Awww, Neil, your cat's so cute! I think I'll follow suit. Here's my dog Joey:

[Morn 8]

I dunno, that cat sorta looks like a sith.

[DU Lou 1]

Well I had Sparky...

She was a Black Lab mix 35-38 lbs the runt of the litter. I'll see if I can scan a pic when I get it working again.

We had to put her down when she was 20...

She survived getting hit by a car when she was about 4 years old and then three strokes when she was about 16-17. The 1st stroke was severe and incapacited her for a few days I had to basically give her water with a turkey bastor. Then the swelling in her brain went down and I encouraged her to walk again, only when she walked around her head was "crooked." It was the most precious thing. We of course were worried about her pain and quality of life but the Vet assured us she was in no pain and as long as she had a healthy appetite (which she did) her appearance was just that. In fact he said alot of people euthanise their pets at that point when it really isnt needed but just becuase its too hard for the Owner to deal with or too much of a "burden."

Anyway about a month later she had 2 smaller strokes which "straightened" Sparky out and she looked just like she did before she had them - it was the strangest thing. She continued to live a healthy life for another 3-4 years after that before severe arthritis made her legs give out and her health just rapidly deteriorated. It was sad, my dad brought her to the vet and said "Sparky is here for her last visit"

[charlesk 0]

I was raised with a dog who was one year older than me. She lived 16 years, died when I was 15, not because of natural causes, but because she had several age related complications that required painful treatment.

My mother decided to stop her suffering. After the dog was put to sleep, for two months we could swear we saw her, or heard her doing her usual stuff at the house.

I'm always amazed at how pets have a sort of personality, unique to each one, just like us (and in some cases, a richer and more interesting personality than many vacuous people I know )

[Melange 448]

My worst memory of the loss of a pet was with our cat MAX whom we'd had for about 10 years. In his old age he was literally falling to pieces internally and of course led to painful kidney infections and loss of control in similar areas. This became quite a pain for our family and although i was youngish at the time (about 12-13) we brought him to the vets. I had thought it was something that this visit would fix and we'd soon be on our way home with Max. Little did i know that the Vet had it in his mind that the best thing to do would be to put him to sleep due to his suffering (he had cysts internally and all sorts of nasty things). I sort of remember my mother asking me too to get my consent as well as hers...i think i was just so confused by what was going on that i probably just nodded or something out of confusion and the Vets constant repeating of "Its the best thing for him etc etc". I felt pressured. Before i knew what was happening, MAX was in front of us on the table and had the injection. The last meow cry he made as the needle went in is something that haunts me to this very day even though it was a long time ago (i'm choking up a bit now reliving that).

Since then i've been torn apart about if we did the right thing or not (quite common i think when it comes to an owners choice about putting a pet down). I used to think "how much longer would he of lived? or would he of recovered naturally?". Its a stupid thought i know (the chances are he would of suffered more painfully over the next few months and his dignity would of dissapeared completely) but its one of those thoughts that fills you with guilt and real painful sorrow for years and years. I dont know, but if the same situation ever came again i'd like to think that i'd let nature take its course. Why?. Well MAX almost had a look of suprise in his eyes as he was injected as though it was'nt what he wanted (yes, my mind playing tricks most probably). But my pain has come from "Was he in that much pain that warranted putting him to sleep?...or we he not as bad as we had thought?". Oh, i'll have to leave this post for now because it brings back too many sorrowfull memorys. Like many doctors, i wonder if Vets go for the "putting to sleep" option out of the sheer ease of it compared to long treatments etc.

[Erik Woods 582]

Here's my little buddy Mac. He is 3/4 West Highland Terrier and 1/4 Poodle... that why he is black and not white. He just turned 3 and I love him to death.

[Ray Barnsbury 8]

Melange, that story is very moving. Obviously I don't know the situation as well as you, but it sounds like you did the right thing, and Max is above and beyond pain now. Sometimes I can't help thinking about that inevitable day with my 1-year old dog Joey (see the picture several posts above), and it is very painful. Thanks for sharing your story.

Ray Barnsbury-btw, Erik - cute dog!

[Morn 8]

Better to to suffer than to not be able to experience anything.

[Marian Schedenig 8,751]

I guess you haven't really suffered yet, Morn... :roll: (which doesn't imply that I have).

[Morn 8]

Suffering may be bad, but you'll still have the things that make life worth living around you.

[Marian Schedenig 8,751]

That depends on where/what/how you suffer.

[Lurker 5]

My pet lizard, Norbert, died yesterday. I didn't have him very long, but I really loved the little guy. I used to look forward to spraying down his cage to see him drink the water off of the leaves with his little pink tongue. Poor little guy. I'm going to miss him.

Neil

[Melange 448]

Oh dear. Its all going wrong with Pets lately is'nt it :cry:

[Ren 77]

Well I don't have QUITE that sad a story.

This thanksgiving I was home helping get dinner ready and lo and behold, a kitty was outside on my porch scrawny as hell. The temp was 12 with a windchill below zero. I begged with my mom and dad, I couldn't keep it, my boyfriend said no BUT I was allowed to put it in our warm workshop and feed it and play with it until we could take it to a shelter.

here it is. she is very young (3 months?) and she is litter box trained herself.

i love her and want her, i thought fate was on my side, but at least she didn't die from the cold!

[Lurker 5]

Ren, you did a great thing for that kitty.

Neil

[Lord Gibson 0]

Ren, you did a great thing for that kitty.

Neil

I agree. I wish you and your kitty the best! His name isn't Stimpy by any chance? If not, have you named it?

~Lord Gibson, Slythrin to the core!!

[Ren 77]

thanks, i still REALLY want that kitty but i guess it's just not meant to be. I am sure she'll find a nice home at the shelter because she IS only a kitty and she is litter box trained now and she is very loving even after being a stray for awhile.

I just hope that they treat her nicely.

I don't know what I'd name her. . ..maybe holiday?

[Mr. Breathmask 566]

We used to have a goldfish a long time ago, which got really old. It's name was Vis (that's "Fish" in Dutch). It's dead now.

We can't get any other pets, because my dad's allergic. Kittens are cool though.

- Marc, who wants a new goldfish, dagnammit!

Main Title March (Alternate) from Superman: The Movie

[Melange 448]

2 Cats. One called Snap (Ginger) and Fizz (black,white,ginger)

I've taken many photos of them in the last few months. Here are 3.

[Lord Gibson 0]

Since September a new member was added ti the family: SMILEY

[Lord Gibson 0]

And my best friend CHUCKY

[Ren 77]

you people need to publish your photos of your pets. they are very well done.

[BigKenLittle 6]

I love the affection that is being shown for family pets... These are my kids...

Gizmo (the grey one)

and Stifry (the Calico)

[Marian Schedenig 8,751]

Jerry:

(That was two years ago, he's grown up now)

Marian -

[Ren 77]

oh you guys and cats! i love you all. i love cats. dogs are ok, they make me sick though..

i NEEEEEDDDD a cat.

Ren, just found out her best friend is engaged.