9/27/07

Pets I remember

~~~One of my daily blogs reads is always Because I said So. A stay at home mom with 6 kids all named after cities. Her wit and writing skills match Erma Bombeck and remind me also of my favorite comic, "For Better or For Worse"
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~~~In today's post she talks a little about her son's hermit crab that died plus other daily happenings. What I liked what her oldest son went into the garage and made a little tombstone with a piece of wood and distressed it to look old with white out! There is even a picture.
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~~~So that brings me to remember of all the pets I've had and burials we've done.
In no particular order...


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1. Goldie the gold fish, we had many, all the same name and they all died either from too much food, or the cats scared them to fishy death.
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2.Hermit Crabs. We brought some home from the tide pools once and they lived for a week in the bath tub. then they died and stunk up the place.
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3. Parakeets, My Mom was really fond of parakeets despite the mess they made. She had the cage hanging to the right of the dining table and the cat's were always doing acrobatic leaps to hang off the cage. I think my mom went through 2 or three birds. I remember also that the feathers were so tiny and a pain to clean up.
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4. Mama Kitty was the 1st and best cat. she eventually got eaten by a wild animal.
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5. Quincy Jones got poisoned by a neighbor
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6. K.C. She died 2 year ago and is buried at my Mom's desert house.
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7 Tyera was my cat and I gave him to my mom when I got married due to Brian's allergies. It was good for him and her. He died last November. He's buried at her house but I have his dish that I made him here and I want to make a little spot for him in my garden.
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We had full on burials for all the pets in my mom's tiny patio garden, and I think that's why her plants always bloomed their best plus she's got a greener thumb than Martha Stewart.



22 comments:

eb said...

well... we had a beta fish named "Splash" - my son's first pet... Splash had gorgeous flowing iridescent blue "scarves" - he had a real fashion sense... then we got "Namaste" - she was a rich red with the same flowing "scarves" but not so elaborate - and in another bowl - for obvious reasons...

well... both Splash and Namaste were painted many many times by my son and my young students - and lived to well over 5 years - so I am happy to say that they are immortalized - and hanging - in various styles and palettes in the best of homes for all of us to admire and remember...

thank you for visiting me - and it was fun to visit you and remember these 2 illustrious fish pets...

xox - eb.

calicodaisy said...

We were close to our neighbor's basset hound, Red. He would have the biggest howl everytime he heard a fire truck or ambulance go by. He died at a nice old age, and my husband helped bury him in the backyard. He made a cross with a sign that said, "RED. He always heard the siren first!" Very sweet.

java diva said...

For his third birthday, my son received all the tools needed for his first fish from grandma. I remember taking him to the pet store to pick out the lucky winner. It wasn't a goldfish...but I don't remember what it was. Something like "sunburst." I just remember wanting blue rocks to highlight it's pretty color.

My son had rules...basically mommy was to do ALL the work--clean and feed it. One day he came to me saying, "Mommy feed the fish."
"I already did, Bailey."
"Only Mommy feed the fish."
"What are you talking about?? Yes, only mommy feed the..." as I walked into his room and saw the fish drowning in what seemed like it's entire bottle of food, which was actually maybe only half. Poor thing didn't have a chance.

We will never have a fish again.

Anonymous said...

We had a Shetland Sheepdog (sheltie!) for 17 years !! Buddington Nicholas Casey..."Buddy Boy" for short...He could open his own presents at Christmas, roll a bowling ball, fetch the EXACT rock if you tossed one, sing when he heard sirens and if you told him to sit, he wouldnt move, until you told him too....We forgot once and I think he sat still for over an hour ! ...He was a very special part of the family ! He was my sons first pet...and sadly he passed away last October 29th ! I miss him very much.....He was a wonderful friend.

Laura , Fiskateer # 1943

Pepper said...

I have had fish, fish, fish and some more fish...but our most recent actually belong to my 8-year-old son. He got a tank for Yule a couple years ago. He wanted a bala shark - and got one. We were also sold some other fish that were "perfect" company for the Bala. Well, the "perfect" company bit, and bothered the bala, and he died shortly after arriving at our home. It was unfortunate. When the other 3 "perfect" fish passed on, we started over. We have an assortment of fish - their names change on a weekly basis :) The most memorable was our algea eater "Wierd Al"gea Yankovic. (My son picked his name.) We lost him a couple months ago.

I had two dogs growing up. A golden retrevier named Follie. I used to ride her around the house when I was two. She was a good dog - soooo patient! :) When she passed on, we got Misty...a terry-poo, that had very little terry and no poo! She looked more like a mini black lab with spaniel ears. She was a sweet dog. My parents (after 13 years of pestering) got me a cat who I called Toonseus (after Saturday Night Live)...and who everyone else called TooToo. She was a long hair calico and had the most beautiful coat. I miss them all...thanks for letting me remember them here!

Trinkapuppy said...

hmmm...I work animal rescue, specifically exotic pets such as birds, reptiles, etc.
Unfortunately, in many cases, the method people use to deal with exotic pets they no longer want is neglect...meaning I've gotten many just a hair too late to save.
The most unusual was a leopard gecko that randomly showed up in my house one day. No idea where it came from at all!
One day, it was simply here!
Emaciated, dehydrated, and almost dead...an animal that is completely not native to the area managed to find my home--the one in the neighborhood that knew how to take care of it--to wander into.
After much vet care, and daily baths and feeding it from tongs for 2 months, it survived quite nicely for over two years!!
We don't know if it was just side effects from its near death experience, or if it was just really old when it found us, but, we do know that he lived a wonderful life with us for those two years! I chose, after all the struggles he'd already been through, to keep him as part of my permanent collection. We named him Chance, as it really was pure chance that he found us, and even more, that he actually managed to survive all that!

Anonymous said...

I have had either Collies or Shelties since I was a kid. The Collie was named Duke and then my parents got another named Lady. They were so smart and the most loving type dog in my experience. We also got a Sheltie named Scooter. He was one of my brothers mainly but what a spunky little guy. Now my Husband and I own a Sheltie and a Maltese. The Sheltie is named Snickers and the Maltese is Scooter. My husband taught the Sheltie to sing to Andy of Mayberry theme song. The little Maltese watched and listened and now he sings with his brother. That is unheard of for a Maltese. We can just state the words now and they start singing. Our lives are so much better with our pets.

doverdi said...

Growing up over the years, I have had so many animals both domestic & wild. All of them have a special place in my heart.

1. Daisy (our cat) & had kittens that we named Pussy (for Pussywillow), Rose, Dandy (Dandelion) & Lily (Lily of the Valley)
2. Smokey (cat) we had her at the same time as Daisy & she too had kittens - Fluffy, Fuzzy & Snoopy.
3. Senior (raccoon)
4. MoMo (turtle)
5. Bandit (raccoon)
6. Monami (labrador retriever) he lived til he was about 12 or 13
7.Tush (cat)
8. Sambo (cat)
9. Tequila (toy poodle we had to put down when he was 17 years old)
10. Mikey (red-eared slidder turtle died at 10 yrs)
11. Hammy 1 & 2 (hamsters)
12 Jasper (goldfish)
13 Nikita (current dog she's 13)
14 Keesha (current cat who's 14)

As you can see, animals have always been a huge part of my life and my heart.

Embley Veronica said...

I have had so many, I'll start with one, and post some more hopefully this weekend.

I just recently lost my sweet little girl, Drucilla. She was brought to another animal rescue (I run 3R Rescues) with a beautiful sister (who I also adored, but this is Drucilla's story), both very inbred. Drucilla had severe maloclusion, a cleft palette, and an eye problem due to a deformed sinus cavity. The rescue's vet wanted to put her down--she was just a little pup, but I asked if I could get a second opinion. If my vet agreed, we'd put her down, but she just didn't seem to be in any pain or discomfort. She just looked odd. My vet agreed completely. She was guessing that the first vet was probably not convinced that anyone would take on the expense of keeping her teeth trimmed down. She warned me that dremmelling them under anesthesia (the only way to prevent the teeth from overgrowing and/or splitting and causing her suffering and death) was the only hope for keeping her comfortable and happy. Yeah, I know a lot of people out there are saying, "there are lots of rats out there who don't cost $40 every 2 weeks for the rest of their lives" but, you know, I just couldn't let her be killed because she needed to see the dentist more often than others. So, I adopted her as well as her sister. Despite the odds, considering her obvious genetic deformity, the likelihood of other genetic disasters we couldn't see, and the stress on her system frequent anesthesia can cause, she not only outlived her sister, she lived past the average life span of a healthy rat with everything going for her. Yes, we saw the vet more than other people and yes, in the end, her deformity was her demise, she was a happy, active, playful, and silly mama's girl. She kept me company while I took my baths each night, she was always up for a shoulder ride, and she absolutely loved sniffing my perfume, lotions, candles, anything that smelled "ladylike". She even showed some of my friends who were frightened of rats that they're not so bad (she only had 2 teeth and couldn't bite if she'd wanted, which was only once in her life, when she was ill and had to take some really awful medicine. Before she died I made an entire scrapbook devoted just to her. When it was time to let her go, she was still alert, happy to see all her friends at the vet, and was the only rat I've ever had to let go who rode my shoulder right into the euthanasia room. She nuzzled her nose against my hand, even as she passed on. Her body lies beneath the flowering butterfly bush, near my squirrel feeder, since she never met an animal she didn't like. I miss her every day, though I have 5 young, also rescued rat girls now, they can never replace her, only carry on her tradition of love. If they grow up to be hald as wonderful as she was, nothing would make me happier. :)
BTW, I am Fiskateer 1135. :)

Anonymous said...

I am Turtlelady #1715. I don't know how to start a blog. Sorry "=(
I had a very large turtle, named Killer. She got that name from my DD after she feasted on the goldfish. We finally made her a small area outside and she loved it. This is how we found out she was a girl. She laid eggs!!! Since we didn't have a friend for her, the eggs weren't fertilized. We sure miss her.
Turtlelover@firehousemail.com

Anonymous said...

I went to Best Buy one day to purchase a game for our son at the time he was 12.
I collect lambs and as dd and I were approaching I see what looks like a baby lamb........
Of course I holler scuze me can I see your lamb? lol
She said its a LLHAPSO??? HUH I thought they had long hair???
She said, "I work at Pet Smart and this doggie was beaten and left to roam around was all matted and hurt badly so we took him and shaved him once he was brought to us."
So I said oh can I pet him? She said sure, well once I went towards him he just layed on me wouldnt move. We laughed at how wow finally a dog that likes me more than my dd lol.
My dh works for Fed Gov and so we move every 2 years and we had never had a animal since 90 days we stay in a hotel during each move.......
What did I do you ask???? BOUGHT THE DOG.
I walk in the house with Newman(get it a new man in my life lol)
and dh and ds were playing a nintendo game.
"Where did ya get that? asks dh?
ds runs to the doggie.
Now what we find out two days later is this lol
Newman LOVES ME hates everyone that gets near me lol.
I know it might not sound funny but it was.
Ds would come in from school walk over to kiss me or show me somthing and BAM Newman was there to bark at him......move away from my momma lol
I loved that dog as did dh and the kids but yes he was a bit off.....

So we had him for one year in Florida where we bought him and moved to Lubbock, Tx.
Had been there our 3 months in the hotel everyone at hotel loved Newman.
Came to our new house we bought and needed roof replaced, well less than being in our home a few months Newman was kidnapped.
We NEVER EVER let him stay outside as it was to hot.
But that one day I needed to shower and get ready to run some errands so put him out in LOCKED GATED back yard while I did my thing, let him do his........
I go outside less than an hour later to get him and he is gone!
We couldnt figure out how as gate locks on inside? Dog doesnt use a key????
Sure enough while going door to door asking if anyone saw him we learned that 5 other homes dogs were taken.
Seems there was a dog theft ring happening in our lovely neighborhood?
The roofers were stealing nice dogs to sell?
I did a page called Newman Gone but not Forgotten.
I still to this day miss that doggie.
Thanks for letting me share this, hadnt talked about him in a few years.

billiejo said...

I lived in a floating home for several years and our dock adopted an injured goose and named her Mary Lou. She would wobble from one house to the next, looking in the doors, checking on her family. Her food and water was at the house in the middle and it didn't take long for her to learn how to open our sliding screen doors. Soon enough, she was wandering around inside our homes, leaving little reminders everywhere. We loved having her around even though she did scare me a few times by sneaking up behind me. Then she started nesting, even though she was far too old to have babies. She laid 11 eggs and she sat and sat and sat. Eventually, we carefully emptied them and laid them back in her bed empty. The vets said she may spend the rest of her life nesting and she did exactly that. She was so happy sitting on her nest/bed and getting so much attention from the six families who lived there. Of course, Mom (she lived next door to me) and I painted a placemat and bowl for Mary Lou, so she'd know she was welcome.

Sandy / Fiskateer #1781

Michelle Frae Cummings said...

I love all these comments! And I'm glad that this post helped you remember the good times of your treasured friends!

Anonymous said...

Well, before mom put Killer outside, she had her in an aquarium. I had a beautiful kitten named Zen. She was so tiny. To be so tiny, she was smart. She climbed up the steps and went through the bars on the steps, to get on top of the aquarium. She almost fell in quite a few times. I sure miss her.
My #1835 and my email is turtlelover@firehousemail.com

Monica-FC said...

We had a cat named Lucky, who was all white. He died 2 years ago 2 hours after my dad did. Abood clot paralyzed his back legs and the vet could not do anything for him. This is the same cat who had a heart conditon also. ;) BUT the heart condition didn't do him in, the blood clot to his back legs that parayzed him did. Oh,was he in such pain, we could not let go like that so we had to put him down. It was the only humane thing for us to do,even though we would miss our BABY. It was one very LONG night since I had just lost my dad also. and now to just lost my baby also. to some he wasn't my baby ,BUT he was, since I am not able to have kids, he took the place and kept me company. They sure can get into your hearts really quick and stay there no matter what you do to try not to think about them after they are gone but you cannot help it. There are pictures to scrap so you can remember, and it helps to scrap them as it helps you get over a hurdle some. He use to to come running into the kitchen really fast whenever I start the canopener, just for anything. Lucky would want some of it. lol. He was also hubbys cat mostly but when it comes time to doing the cleaning of the litter box,MY JOB,lol, and did you ever hear of a cat walking on a leash?? I trained him when we got him from a friend. Took a while, and he didn't like the grass either,walking on it either, took a while to train him to walk on it also. Now whenever he heard his leash jingle he would come arunning and he knew he was going outside.:) He loved going outside but he knew only on his leash. I had him spayed and declawed on the front claws only. so whenever he went outside , I was with him. or hubby was. we protected our baby. he had a heart condition and I gave him his pills everyday,twicew a day up to the he we put him down. He had all his shots also. I always made sure Lucky had all updated shots as cats need those too. we stiil him but he will always be in are hearts and I am still scrapbooking his pictures to this day.

Brenmarie said...

This is cool. I have had a few pets. My mother never really liked pets. Our first one was a small black dog called Shadow. We had to take him away because he started to bit the kids for no reason at all. The next one was another dog. A nice Blue healer German shepherd mix called Janga. She was run over by a truck when she was only 8 months old. :'( I got myself a Betta fish then. Cody as I called him lived for 5 months until one day when we changed his water it was either too warm or he ate too much. Now there are three cute kittens running around the place. Zory, Zipper and Toffee. Hope they can stay with us for a long time!

java diva said...

I forgot to leave this info: Fiskateer #2494

kecia deveney said...

hi michelle! i like the idea of talking about our beloved pets - they are such important creatures in our lives!
My pet story is about my kitty, Pebbles. I got Pebbles a few days after i graduated from high school in 1982. I grew up in the military and moved every few years. i tell you this because i continued to move around often and Pebs was probably my one constant piece of stability. My home life was rocky, but i could always count of Pebbles to be there for me. When i got him, we were told he was a she (i rescued him). so i named her pebbles and kept the name even after finding out he was a boy! Pebbles was a white long hair cat with orange spots (big circles) here and there. very unique looking. He was a wandered and a scrapper. always in fights and disappearing on me, making me frantic. Once when i was afraid of the road where we lived, i trained him to be on a leash and i would put him outside on his leash. it was cute. he lived in North Carolina, California, Nevada (reno and las vegas), Washington state and finally New Jersey. He would sleep with me every night and curl up right next to my head. He died in 2000 when my husband accidently ran him over. It is still hard for me to talk about when he died. I still shed tears for him 7 years later! he was a good friend and i miss him terribly.

kecia deveney said...

i also forgot to mention that he is buried in my backyard in my "flower island". i planted a bunch of daffodils to grow on top of his grave. he has a grave stone that i ordered online somewhere and i also found a cast stone angel kitty to sit nearby and keep an eye on him.

Barbara said...

i had a fish named fluffy..(he/she? never figured that out)won him/her at a carnival...ping pong ball landed in his/her bowl...think about this...poor thing probably thought the world was coming to an end as this giant orb came crashing into his/her world...splash, won him/her, dumped his/her whole world into a baggie...along with his/her flippy being...i was proud...of him/her..went out and got a deluxe fish condo ($50.00 for a lucky 3 balls for a dollar fishie although i consider it a RESCUE..*CUE IN MISSION IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC*)...snapped some pics...ya know for the FLUFFY scrapbook two page spread...(i'm a notorious sentimental scrapbookie..)Fluffy passed two days later...we gave him/her a ceremonial burial behind the house only to wake the next day to find the cat nextdoor had other plans...for fluffy...

hugz

Shutterbug said...

i remember a little terrier that we had named shadow. He was always around in the house and quite company. he'd warn you if anybody was coming and he'd growl if it was a stranger. He had to be put away because he started biting. I still think of him so often and wish I could have another just like him.

Unknown said...

Well...growing up my little brother, Eric and I had a black and white mouse named Chucky Cheese...one day he escaped! While trying to catch him we chased him all over the place and finally Eric was gaining on him and then...Chucky stopped..but, Eric kept going...and stepped directly ontop of the little thing! It was very sad and we had a funeral service for him and made a little coffin out of a captain crunch cereal box...

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