Loss of a Pet

I have been around animals my whole life, we have had large and small dogs and a few cats over the years, I have a picture as a toddler loving on our dog.   As pet owners we will do anything for them, they are pampered and spoiled, and as owners there are a couple times in our pets lives that are the worst to handle; when they are sick and at the end of their time with us.   With all the joy and unconditional love they give us, its a helpless feeling to not be able to help them when they don't feel well, as much as they are frustrated that they can't tell us what is wrong.

For my husband and I, the last six months have been very hard on us, we lost our sweet cat, Miss Charley to cancer at the age of 6; and two months later we lost our dog Gracie to seizures at the age of 11.  And just a few days ago we lost our male dog, Petey to kidney issues at the age of 17.   It has devastated us, all three were very unexpected and were gone within a matter of days.   When dealing with our loss, it can be just as heartbreaking as losing a family member, since they have become members of our family.  

All of our cats and dogs are rescues and we have found that they seem to give all they have to you for rescuing them.  As the saying goes "they rescued me", it is so very true in our household, we have literally taken animals off the street and kept them for years.  Our Petey we rescued 15 years ago, from a parking lot across from our house at 3:00am on a cold January morning.   And my husband has brought home two cats from industrial parks where they were being kicked around my the workers at the plants who didn't want them around.  They are our furry babies, and whether you have cats or dogs, any animal(s) you let into your home and heart become your "furry" babies so when you lose them it does tear at your heart and leave you heartbroken.  With our sudden losses, they left open a spot for another animal in need to come into our home and we have since adopted two kittens and a little girl pup who has helped us heal. 

As is in life, we move on but we never forget the paws that have touched our hearts and made our lives better.   This is dedicated to Charley, Gracie and Petey until we meet at the rainbow bridge I'm sure your siblings are happy to see you again and now you can live forever without any pain.

Gracie

Charley laying with Gracie
(she absolutely loved her dogs)

Petey