A thank you to my animal caregiver

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LeeinLondon
LeeinLondon Member Posts: 103
in Esophageal Cancer #1
This may be silly, but I wanted to write a thank you note to our dog Daisy. Daisy is a 6 year-old beagle, and has been with us since she was a pup. She howls a little too much, but once those big brown eyes catch you, you don't care.

Dear Daisy;

I want to thank you for all your help with the family for the last year. As you know, there is a darkness in the house, and although we don't understand it either, we know that it's here and we need to huddle even closer together for warmth on the cold nights to come. You're such a gentle, affectionate little sweetheart, you've lifted our spirits when we least expected it, acted as my nurse when no one else was around, listened to my fears and complaints without judgment, and made me stop and think about things a few times when you gave me that disapproving look.

So thank you for being such a great dog/pet/companion/nurse/friend, and I want you to know that you have added greatly to the number of happy days I've enjoyed in the last year.

Love always and forever,
Lee

PS: Do you have an animal caregiver in your life? Care to share?
PSS: There is a photo of Daisy in my profile.

Comments

  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    #2
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    Cheers for Daisy
    Lee,

    Daisy is adorable, and your heartfelt letter to her struck a chord with me. My husband has two caregiver pets, Hutch and Laney. They are two of the craziest, happiest, cuddliest mutts you could ever meet. They spend many hours next to husband on the couch as he recuperates from surgery. They go on the very sloooow walks with us everyday as Jeff works to regain his strength, and sleep next to Jeff each night. I have to say these two caregivers give me a run for my money as the most dedicated to Jeff! One of the only times my husband cried is when he had to say goodbye to Hutch and Laney before surgery. I said "You are going to see them again!", he said "I can still miss them!". I am very that you have Daisy by your side. I am sure that Daisy is also a caregiver to Chantal these days. I have had many therapy sessions with my two little caregiver caregivers, they never give me bad or unwanted advice :)

    Thanks for sharing this with us,

    Niki

    PS Hutch and Laney are going to be featured in my profile shortly :)
  • mruble
    mruble Member Posts: 174
    #3
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    Peaches
    What a wonderful tribute to Daisy!!

    Peaches is my husband's animal caretaker. She's his constant companion and most definitely acted like she was in charge when he returned home after surgery. It was probably the fourth or fifth night after he got home that I finally decided to sleep in our bed upstairs instead of on the couch downstairs by Chad. It didn't last for long, however, because Peaches came upstairs and talked and whined until I went back downstairs where she thought I belonged. Within about two weeks of Chad coming home she very gently jumped up into lap as he sat in his recliner. At 43 pounds, she's hardly a lap dog but try to convince her of that! Whenever Chad had abdominal pain, Peaches would hop up and lay on him. Whether it was her warmth or the pressure her body on his stomach, i'm not sure but it always made Chad feel better.

    Can't imagine going through all this without our fuzzy little girl!

    Mary
  • chemosmoker
    chemosmoker Member Posts: 501
    #4
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    PERFECT POST AGAIN, LEE!
    Lee,
    Thanks for that great post! Made my DAY!

    My "H.I. McDunna", my cat, has been featured in my EXPRESSIONS page twice now. Has been there for a while, but what a GREAT idea (CAPS for LEE!!) to write your dear dog a letter and give thanks, and have the smarts to share that with us here!

    Thanks for another great one. You made many smile, again.

    -Eric
  • oriontj
    oriontj Member Posts: 375
    #5
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    Paw prints on our hearts
    We have three sweeties. All are shelties, one is our oldie, 14 a sable and white girl, Darcee. She was my show dog and still thinks she is and she follows Tom all around. We call her Lola now...she thinks she's a show dog.

    Our second caregiver is Red. A funny name for a sheltie who is a bi blue merle, black white and silver with one blue eye. This little guy came from Mobile and helped me through two knee replacements by never leaving my side for 2 months. He then took on Tom, during his chemo and radiation in the Fall of 2009. He'd hop up and keep him warm and just be there for him. He was there for me during those long lonely nights and still is.

    Our newest sheltie from Mobile also, Vaughnie is an American/ Canadian Champion. He's my soulmate. He's like a therapist. He never repeats what you tell him and lays in my lap for hours and is always by me gazing at me. We didn't need another dog, but he needed us and so he's with us.

    To me there is nothing like a furry friend when life kicks you around. They love unconditionally and what they ask for is little compared to all they give.

    A big cheer for the furry friends in our lives.

    jan
  • mrsbotch
    mrsbotch Member Posts: 349
    #6
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    Lee you are so right
    Lee

    I loved your letter to Daisy. Animals are so important to us and I am happy that you think so much of her and she of you. What a great pair you are.
    About a month after Vince passed away I rescued a golden retriever that had been tied to a tree for around a year. I named him Handsome as Vince used to go up to people and Say Hi Handsome if he didn't remember their name. He is a wonderful dog and has LITERALLY saved my life. If not for he and my 91 year old mather I was going to a very deep dark hole and maybe would not have come out of it at all. So thank you Handsome for being my life saver.

    All of us pet lovers are good kind people and You Lee are one of the best.

    I love ya Lee and Daisylin

    Be kind to yourself


    Love

    Barbara
  • sangora
    sangora Member Posts: 213
    #7
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    mrsbotch said:

    Lee you are so right
    Lee

    I loved your letter to Daisy. Animals are so important to us and I am happy that you think so much of her and she of you. What a great pair you are.
    About a month after Vince passed away I rescued a golden retriever that had been tied to a tree for around a year. I named him Handsome as Vince used to go up to people and Say Hi Handsome if he didn't remember their name. He is a wonderful dog and has LITERALLY saved my life. If not for he and my 91 year old mather I was going to a very deep dark hole and maybe would not have come out of it at all. So thank you Handsome for being my life saver.

    All of us pet lovers are good kind people and You Lee are one of the best.

    I love ya Lee and Daisylin

    Be kind to yourself


    Love

    Barbara

    Annie Girl
    I too have a mixed beagle. Have had her in my life for 11 years. She spent the early years of her life watching ove my partner who was also terminally ill with lung and heart trouble and was on a ventilator. She took great care of him, layed on the bed beside him for hours at the time and protected his space when she thought visitors were getting too close. She had a two year break from caregiving after he passed away and then I got EC. She has jumped right back into that old role. She stays by my side continuously, sits in the bathroom while I shower and watches tv with me in the evenings. She seems to sense a bad day and will rarely leave the bed on those days. She's a great friend and I love her dearly.
  • Donna70
    Donna70 Member Posts: 852 Member
    #8
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    sangora said:

    Annie Girl
    I too have a mixed beagle. Have had her in my life for 11 years. She spent the early years of her life watching ove my partner who was also terminally ill with lung and heart trouble and was on a ventilator. She took great care of him, layed on the bed beside him for hours at the time and protected his space when she thought visitors were getting too close. She had a two year break from caregiving after he passed away and then I got EC. She has jumped right back into that old role. She stays by my side continuously, sits in the bathroom while I shower and watches tv with me in the evenings. She seems to sense a bad day and will rarely leave the bed on those days. She's a great friend and I love her dearly.

    Hi dogs are wonderful caregivers
    Hi Lee,
    Excellent post!!!! glad you have Daisy in your life. My lifesaver is a little old pug named Emma. She is 12 yrs young now and helped not only me but my hubby too. I had to go to the hospital alot during my chemo and radiation presurgery and Emma pined for me but kept my hubby company. My neighbors said it melted their hearts to see Ron walking her, since I was the one and only walker for her most times. Once after 2 back to back hospitalizations, she tried to go out the door with us, she had had enough of Mommy being missing. But her unconditional love has been wonderful for us. When I had my famous last chemo treatment on St. Patty's day, I had my hubby cut my sparse hair into a Mohawk, I dyed it green and posed for a pic with Emma on my lap. It really was great, at the chemo center I would whip my wig off and wish people Happy St. Patty's Day and everyone had a grand old time. Cheered myself and everyone else. So any dog or cat canbe a caretaker too for the whole family. Thanks Lee for letting the rest of us share our stories too. take care, and many hugs and prayers for all.
    Donna70
  • AngieD
    AngieD Member Posts: 493
    #9
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    Donna70 said:

    Hi dogs are wonderful caregivers
    Hi Lee,
    Excellent post!!!! glad you have Daisy in your life. My lifesaver is a little old pug named Emma. She is 12 yrs young now and helped not only me but my hubby too. I had to go to the hospital alot during my chemo and radiation presurgery and Emma pined for me but kept my hubby company. My neighbors said it melted their hearts to see Ron walking her, since I was the one and only walker for her most times. Once after 2 back to back hospitalizations, she tried to go out the door with us, she had had enough of Mommy being missing. But her unconditional love has been wonderful for us. When I had my famous last chemo treatment on St. Patty's day, I had my hubby cut my sparse hair into a Mohawk, I dyed it green and posed for a pic with Emma on my lap. It really was great, at the chemo center I would whip my wig off and wish people Happy St. Patty's Day and everyone had a grand old time. Cheered myself and everyone else. So any dog or cat canbe a caretaker too for the whole family. Thanks Lee for letting the rest of us share our stories too. take care, and many hugs and prayers for all.
    Donna70

    Joel's Colby is my cyber pet and inspiration
    Lee, what a wonderful thread! Your letter was perfect and I've loved reading all the responses.

    Since we downsized and moved, we don't have a pet. I had posted about scan anxiety and Joel had responded in part with this:

    "This is going to sound like a crazy analogy but I try to think like my four year old black lab (Colby). We live in a home that abuts about 2000 acres of conservation land and Colby thinks he owns every acre. He rules the forest with an iron paw and has the scars to prove it. He may just be the happiest creature on earth. The funny thing is if we moved into a box under a bridge he would be just as happy there. My advise Angie is to live in the moment and don’t beat yourself up over things you have no control over."

    Since I read this a few days ago, I can't tell you how many times I visualize Colby prancing happily and peacefully through a beautiful forest and then prancing happily and peacefully through a shanty settlement under a bridge. And then I feel happy and peaceful, too.

    Thanks Joel and Lee and all of you!

    Angie
  • LeeinLondon
    LeeinLondon Member Posts: 103
    #10
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    NikiMo said:

    Cheers for Daisy
    Lee,

    Daisy is adorable, and your heartfelt letter to her struck a chord with me. My husband has two caregiver pets, Hutch and Laney. They are two of the craziest, happiest, cuddliest mutts you could ever meet. They spend many hours next to husband on the couch as he recuperates from surgery. They go on the very sloooow walks with us everyday as Jeff works to regain his strength, and sleep next to Jeff each night. I have to say these two caregivers give me a run for my money as the most dedicated to Jeff! One of the only times my husband cried is when he had to say goodbye to Hutch and Laney before surgery. I said "You are going to see them again!", he said "I can still miss them!". I am very that you have Daisy by your side. I am sure that Daisy is also a caregiver to Chantal these days. I have had many therapy sessions with my two little caregiver caregivers, they never give me bad or unwanted advice :)

    Thanks for sharing this with us,

    Niki

    PS Hutch and Laney are going to be featured in my profile shortly :)

    LOL
    Hutch and Laney are adorable! I can just picture happy tails knocking over lamps and stuff :)

    - Lee
  • bingbing2009
    bingbing2009 Member Posts: 177
    #11
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    Loving Pets
    Although I no longer have any pets, I think they are special. Personally, I'm a dog person--they give unconditional love. No matter what you look like, no matter how you're feeling--they don't care, they're always there for you. Pets can certainly be wonderful caregivers.
    Melinda
  • TerryV
    TerryV Member Posts: 887
    #12
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    Griffin & Koda, Scooter & Toby - this is for you
    It's so obvious when there is stress, tension, or worry in the house. Each of you has a unique way to show your concern and attempt to defuse things.

    To our Dogs - Griffin & Koda
    Your demands for trips to the lake and short hikes in the trees have done Nick a world of good. He wouldn’t have come this far without your shared joy in life.

    Griff - it seems you've always been there. Silent, caring, a real rock of support. Your quiet strength and calm helps us believe.

    Koda - you bounce with worry and don't attempt hide your heart on “your sleeve”. It's refreshing to know that we aren’t the only ones scared.

    To our Cats - Scooter & Toby
    You both know when to jump up beside Nick and purr until he sleeps. Thanks for that. You’ve found a way to give an insomniac peace.

    To Lee - Thanks for thinking of this. I know that we would have had much more stress to deal with in our home if it weren’t for the animals. I’ll try to get pictures up soon.

    Terry
  • sandy1943
    sandy1943 Member Posts: 824
    #13
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    Lee, What an inspiring post.
    Lee, What an inspiring post. We have not had a pet since our children's, when they were still at home. My husband and I haven't wanted any, but reading what you all say, makes me wonder what I am missing. Maybe at 68, thats exactly what I need. Now to get hubby to agree--Hmmmmm. Jan, when I started reading Lee's post I did remember the things you have posted before about your pets.
    I've enjoyed all the comments you all have written. It's so good to read about the good happy things in our lives.
    Sandra
  • NikiMo
    NikiMo Member Posts: 342
    #14
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    LeeinLondon said:

    LOL
    Hutch and Laney are adorable! I can just picture happy tails knocking over lamps and stuff :)

    - Lee

    haha
    Lamps, glasses of water, potted plants....you have them pegged for sure :)

    Niki

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