Does anybody have a Pet that helps them through the day
Does anyone else have a Pet that needs some credit?
Brooks
Comments
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Kona and Duke
Good post Brooks, our animals give so much. ****'s life is greatly enhanced by our 2 Belgium Shepherd Malinois. Since the girls and I are gone during the day, **** spends a lot of time with our two dogs. On good days, he brings them for a 4 mile run, some days, they just lay around the house with him. Both dogs love to swim so **** brings them to the beach and the 3 of them swim for 1/2 hour. As I type this, both dogs are within 3 feet of ****. They are so loyal. **** even brings them out on the boat for a day of fishing.
Pets are wonderful!
Aloha,
Kathleen0 -
Yep
We have a 3-year-old boxer who is great! A constant and loyal companion. In the book I recently read about dealing with serious illness there was a list of "Caregiver Tips," among which was the admonition, "Get a dog!"
He keeps us warm and reminds us not to take ourselves too seriously. There isn't a day that goes by in which he doesn't make us laugh. I'll post a pic on my expressions page.0 -
HEY Brooks,I often wonder
how it would be if our12 year old, 95 pound Doberman, Rambo were still alive how I would have handled him as he had been badly abused by previous owner. He did not like other animals but then I was strong enough to control him in street. Tho he was girlfriend's dog, he really loved me and if we argued,growl at her and stay by my side!.Every time I came home he'd jump all over me.Don't know how that would have been once my treatment, etc started as girlfriend had difficulty walking him and I would be too weak to handle him.He went May 30, 2008 due to kidney failure tho we kept him alive for four months after 5 days in hospital.
My 13 year old cat, CAT, was perfectly healthy but out of nowhere showed signs of advanced Kidney failure too, between time of my colonoscopy and Dx. She died two days prior to myDX. I think she knew and to ease my burden she sacrificed herself.I loved them both. In between, my mother had died. Thats life I guess, not funny at times but at others, yes,,,,,Steve0 -
Creature Comfort
Brooks:
Thank you for this thread.
For those of us who are "creature oriented," it is hard to overestimate the importance of our creature companions in our healing plans.
My husband and our Silky Terrier, Misty, are inseparable. When he was in the hospital for his surgeries, I was permitted to bring her to his room to visit. I don't have the words to capture the moving scene when Misty made her appearance (there weren't a lot of dry eyes in the room; that's for sure!)
Curly sounds like a great dog (as do the other dogs to whom their owners have paid tribute in this thread).
I enjoyed seeing Ace's photo of his (and John's) dog on his expression page. (Is Hogarth named after that rowdy, satirical English artist, William Hogarth?)
If anyone is interested in seeing Misty, I've posted a Flickr slideshow on my Expressions page.
Hatshepsut
"If there are no dogs in Heaven,
then when I die I want to go
where they went."
Will Rogers, 1897-19350 -
My fur family
My fur family surrounds me constantly. We have 3 Maine Coons. The oldest female Juniper, is mine and has been glued to me since I first started having troubles (way before dx). Right now she is laying against my leg on the bed and purring. She purred to calm her 5 litters of kittens (she has produced champions, and a red tabby boy that got print work for Iams). She was a great mother to all litters, and she now mothers me! She's a beautiful patch tabby with white.
My husband took a boy from her first litter (before we were married). George is the biggest cat anyone has ever seen (and he isn't fat). He can reach up and pull the light switch. I've had people ask me "What is he?" because he is too big to be a house cat. He is a little possessive of my husband and I. He thinks he is human now. (He used to think he was a dog when we had one.) He sleeps in between my husband and I, and tries to get pillow space for his head. He gets a little upset when we snuggle and he has to choose one side or the other, as he really prefers to be touching us both. Right now is one of the rare moments he isn't with me, because my husband is downstairs watching TV - so he is on his lap. He is a perfect brown tabby male, with impeccable grooming.
My daughter took a female from the last litter. Cooper is the sweetest thing. But she's not so good at grooming. The poor thing doesn't have a long enough tongue, as her hair is very long. She's a brown tabby also, but has some of the red that her mother has mixed in. She has a very quiet little purr, and likes to be held like a baby - and she'll reach up and put her paw on your face and stare into your eyes. She isn't really supposed to be our cat, but is by default. When my daughter moved to Scotland for 6 months, Cooper came back with us. Then she moved to work in the field for Americorp for 6 months, so she stayed with us. Now she was supposed to move to Australia for a year, so Cooper would still stay with us. But for a while last summer the two females all of the sudden didn't get along at all (we still have NO idea what caused the issue, but it went on for 2 months). We had to keep them separated and it was just too hard. So my other daughter moved from an apartment to a house, so she could take her. But then the cats started to get along again, and my older daughter moved back in to help me out. She doesn't want her cat to live with her sister while she is here. But Cooper will move the end of January when Victoria moves to Australia. We will really miss her, but 3 long-haired, large cats is just too much, as all 3 insist on sleeping with us. Right now Cooper is also against my legs, purring. I am sandwiched by the two girls.
With the surgeries and chemo, I'm in my bed a lot. I use my reading pillow to sit up and work from my laptop. All 3 cats are with me all day - our kingsize bed is full.
All 3 love water, but Cooper is the most fascinated by it. Strange for cats, but Maine Coons aren't "normal" cats. They each have such distinct personalities. I've had cats my entire life, and none were like these three!
I really miss Kirby, our golden retriever/yellow lab cross. He was the best dog I ever had, and really helped me through my awful divorce years - he never left my side. I know if he were here now, it would be the same. We lost him to cancer a couple years ago. That was one of the hardest days of my life, sitting with him while we sent him on. The tumor in his chest was huge, with no way to operate, and he was in pain. He never whimpered or complained. Looking back we should have realized something sooner, but thought he was just slowing down with age. It wasn't until he couldn't get himself up the stairs or up from lying down that we realized something was really wrong. I don't cry easily, but I still tear up any time I think of the day we said goodbye. We have not gotten another dog. I've had several and so has my husband, but none could compare with Kirby. He was the most gentle soul and in tune with us, and never a problem.
The cats definitely help me a lot. Their warmth, their purring, and their concern about me is calming.0 -
funny editKathryn_in_MN said:My fur family
My fur family surrounds me constantly. We have 3 Maine Coons. The oldest female Juniper, is mine and has been glued to me since I first started having troubles (way before dx). Right now she is laying against my leg on the bed and purring. She purred to calm her 5 litters of kittens (she has produced champions, and a red tabby boy that got print work for Iams). She was a great mother to all litters, and she now mothers me! She's a beautiful patch tabby with white.
My husband took a boy from her first litter (before we were married). George is the biggest cat anyone has ever seen (and he isn't fat). He can reach up and pull the light switch. I've had people ask me "What is he?" because he is too big to be a house cat. He is a little possessive of my husband and I. He thinks he is human now. (He used to think he was a dog when we had one.) He sleeps in between my husband and I, and tries to get pillow space for his head. He gets a little upset when we snuggle and he has to choose one side or the other, as he really prefers to be touching us both. Right now is one of the rare moments he isn't with me, because my husband is downstairs watching TV - so he is on his lap. He is a perfect brown tabby male, with impeccable grooming.
My daughter took a female from the last litter. Cooper is the sweetest thing. But she's not so good at grooming. The poor thing doesn't have a long enough tongue, as her hair is very long. She's a brown tabby also, but has some of the red that her mother has mixed in. She has a very quiet little purr, and likes to be held like a baby - and she'll reach up and put her paw on your face and stare into your eyes. She isn't really supposed to be our cat, but is by default. When my daughter moved to Scotland for 6 months, Cooper came back with us. Then she moved to work in the field for Americorp for 6 months, so she stayed with us. Now she was supposed to move to Australia for a year, so Cooper would still stay with us. But for a while last summer the two females all of the sudden didn't get along at all (we still have NO idea what caused the issue, but it went on for 2 months). We had to keep them separated and it was just too hard. So my other daughter moved from an apartment to a house, so she could take her. But then the cats started to get along again, and my older daughter moved back in to help me out. She doesn't want her cat to live with her sister while she is here. But Cooper will move the end of January when Victoria moves to Australia. We will really miss her, but 3 long-haired, large cats is just too much, as all 3 insist on sleeping with us. Right now Cooper is also against my legs, purring. I am sandwiched by the two girls.
With the surgeries and chemo, I'm in my bed a lot. I use my reading pillow to sit up and work from my laptop. All 3 cats are with me all day - our kingsize bed is full.
All 3 love water, but Cooper is the most fascinated by it. Strange for cats, but Maine Coons aren't "normal" cats. They each have such distinct personalities. I've had cats my entire life, and none were like these three!
I really miss Kirby, our golden retriever/yellow lab cross. He was the best dog I ever had, and really helped me through my awful divorce years - he never left my side. I know if he were here now, it would be the same. We lost him to cancer a couple years ago. That was one of the hardest days of my life, sitting with him while we sent him on. The tumor in his chest was huge, with no way to operate, and he was in pain. He never whimpered or complained. Looking back we should have realized something sooner, but thought he was just slowing down with age. It wasn't until he couldn't get himself up the stairs or up from lying down that we realized something was really wrong. I don't cry easily, but I still tear up any time I think of the day we said goodbye. We have not gotten another dog. I've had several and so has my husband, but none could compare with Kirby. He was the most gentle soul and in tune with us, and never a problem.
The cats definitely help me a lot. Their warmth, their purring, and their concern about me is calming.
I guess **** is not allowed? We have Maine C o o n cats.0 -
****Kathryn_in_MN said:funny edit
I guess **** is not allowed? We have Maine C o o n cats.
I find this sort of silly censorship not so much funny as obnoxious. A few weeks ago when someone tried unsuccessfully to refer to **** van D y k e, I protested the asterisked result to our administrator, to no avail. I guess nobody else cares.
--Greg0 -
Love my sweet furry friends
I have a wonderful Black Lab named Scooter. He is my dear, dear friend and constant companion. He doesn't sleep with us, because of his size. He is funny and loving, gentle and just adorable. He gives wonderful kisses, too. He's 4 1/2. We got Scooter in Wal-Mart's parking lot. A lady was giving away 5 week old pups. He was the last one.
) Certainly a blessing saved for meeeeeeeeeeeeeee.
We also have a Calico cat named Patches. She sleeps curled up against my chest and purrs so loudly. She loves to be held and stroked. I love Patches, but Scooter is certainly my favorite. She's 5 1/2. We got her at the pound.
Edited to add: Both (any and all) my animals are neutered and are inside animals even tho we have almost a full acre of land. I hate to see a dog tied out on a chain or rope.
Certainly there will be 'pets' in heaven! God created animals and saw that 'it was good'. Certainly we'll be given that joy .... without ever having to lose our beloved furry friends again.
I have pictures of my animals on my Expressions page, too.0 -
pets
I had two Miniature Schnauzers when I was diagnosed. My oldest one Charlie passed away Aug 2008. He was ill in January of 2008. They think kidney failure. My youngest Schnauzer is Radar. He is really his Daddy's boy. I also have a big cat I call him Kitty. He follows me around all day and talks to me. He sleeps by me and always purrs, this usually puts me to sleep. Kitty and Radar play every evening. It's quite a sight to see. One of the boys brought home Kitty, I told him I didn't want a cat. Cat spent the night in bed with the boy. Next day I went up and picked up Kitty he took his paw and brushed my face. I said he can stay but you're taking care of him. That lasted about one week. I started feeding him and changing his box, he became my cat. However my husband teases him on a daily basis. Kathleen I used to work at a Vet Clinic and a Police Dog was seen there. He was a solid black Belgium Malinois. He was the most beautiful dog I think I had seen. He would look and keep his eyes on one thing. I saw pictures one day of a suspect that would not surrender, not a pretty sight. Sadly he died from testicular cancer, his name was Storm. I will mention my neighbor dog also. She is a big bad German Shepherd named Sierra. She looks like she would tear you up, but many treats and lots of talking to her, especially when I'm out gardening, she likes us and I can pet her now. I became very attached to alot of the pets that came to the Clinic, I miss seeing them. Oh I can't forget to mention the Clinic Cat Brasky. He was my love. He lived to be 19 I think. He would sit up on the counter and be good until a big dog tried to put their paws up there. Then he would stand up and let out a big meow warning and try to attack the dog. I fell in love with Brasky the first time I saw him.0 -
Mr. Bo Jangles
When I had my Port put in last year I came home and crashed on the sofa, in and out of sleep with pain at the site. I woke up after a few hours to find the my Chihuahua mix Bo Jangles had brought me every one of his toys and piled them on me the layed down beside me. He's been a great support, he knows when I am not feeling well.
Mike0 -
Maggs and Jazz
I have 2 Lhasa Apsos that I call my old ladies..They are sisters from the same litter and are going to be 13 yrs old on the 17th of this month. Since I had a tumor taken out of my colon that was cancer last year, the two of them have really kept my spirits up; especially while I was going thru chemo. Jazz just lays next to me and "smiles" at me or snuggles up to me (she is almost totally blind now, but she does really well). Maggs has a lot of stuffed animals that she protects like they are her children, but will bring me one almost everyday. She also seems to know when I am having a bad day because she will just act silly, like picking up her tennis ball and throwing it up in the air and then chase it, grab it and hit it with her paw toward me to catch. Of course her aim isn't really good, but she gets me laughing at her antics. As soon as my mood changes, she will lay down and snooze like a normal dog. Sounds like you are also lucky to have a great dog.0 -
We're lucky to have our Petsgreatgranny15 said:Maggs and Jazz
I have 2 Lhasa Apsos that I call my old ladies..They are sisters from the same litter and are going to be 13 yrs old on the 17th of this month. Since I had a tumor taken out of my colon that was cancer last year, the two of them have really kept my spirits up; especially while I was going thru chemo. Jazz just lays next to me and "smiles" at me or snuggles up to me (she is almost totally blind now, but she does really well). Maggs has a lot of stuffed animals that she protects like they are her children, but will bring me one almost everyday. She also seems to know when I am having a bad day because she will just act silly, like picking up her tennis ball and throwing it up in the air and then chase it, grab it and hit it with her paw toward me to catch. Of course her aim isn't really good, but she gets me laughing at her antics. As soon as my mood changes, she will lay down and snooze like a normal dog. Sounds like you are also lucky to have a great dog.
I think we're all lucky to have our pets. I truly beleve that they know something is worng when we're not feeling well. I also have two cats Oliver (a BIG orange cat) and Donut (a small calico). One of them always goes to bed with me. I'm always the first one in bed at our house. I'm more of a morning person. It's nice to have them with me when I first go to bed. They love on me and I love on them. When Curly (my Pug) comes to bed they're out of there!! She just loves to chase a cat. I think the cats like it too!!0 -
My boxer pup
My husband just had to keep another pup 4 generations of boxers now, I did not want
to keep another boxer but she is 4 months old now, very rotten and she helps me to forget about the ca either by keeping busy picking up after her taking her out laughing at her
or just having her cuddle with me after chemo.
Sheri220 -
I actually have 2 cats that
I actually have 2 cats that are pretty worthless as pets. Ya know, they don't wag their tail when I come home, or bark for joy, or basically play any tricks or games and they don't even go for walks, I definitely do not feel more safe and secure with them around.
Which brings me to a point in adding a dog to my life. Problem is the Humane Society wants a fortune, like 300 bucks for their dogs. I keep praying one will smell the tbone steak on the porch and come over, eat and then decide to stay.0 -
pup Zelda Mae
My female Shih-tzu is like an appendage to me- she literally scratches at the bathroom door when I'm in there! We got her about 5 months after my diagnosis and she was a great comfort to me. I was never one to spoil pets before- they always slept in the garage, in a crate, etc. Zelda sleeps in bed with my husband and me (much to my husband's chagrin- she annoys him). I've even toyed with the idea of buying her one of those silly dog "Snuggies" this week, since she's going to get groomed & I'd like her hair cut quite short so I don't have to get it done so often!
My youngest daughter sometimes accuses me of loving the dog more than her- I've got to be careful with that- lol!
Lisa0 -
My cat - Betty
Betty Boop (her full name) is a rescue Tortoiseshell Calico who latched onto my husband as soon as we brought her home. She tolerated me, as I was the one with the food, but was definitely ****'s cat all the way. Then I got sick. Suddenly, she wouldn't leave my side. During my darkest days of radiation she would lie next to me and run her paw up and down my face. It was so soothing. All year she has been my constant companion. Recently, she started to withdraw again. I was busier, wasn't in bed all the time, etc. We had to take a trip last month and my daughter (with 3 kids) offered to cat-sit for us, and keep her until after my recent surgery. She refuses to come home now...she's their cat. The kids and my daughter are thrilled - son-in-law, not so much! Bottom line - I know I have kicked a$$ on this cancer, as Betty doesn't need to take care of me anymore.
Vickico0 -
Pets
When I was Dx we had our shih tzu poodle mix who turned 18. We lost her to heart failure in September. One week before my surgery (some people thought we were crazy) at the end of October, we rescued 2 puppies and haven't looked back since. Even though I am recovering and we are house training them I think they have helped me get better quicker.
Brian0 -
3 feral cats...that adopted us!
They took turns keeping watch before, during, and after my treatment. Unfortunately, all of them are gone now, falling victim (we found out later) to some VERY hungry wild animals in the area we live in.
They were born in our yard, and to everyone else, they ran away as soon as the doorbell rang. But, for us, they were lap cats...although they spent the night outside, and could only be inside for awile before getting a bit anxious. They did yard work with me, especially Sugar Ray, who would lie down in the very patch I was trying to weed so that I would pet him. I have a wonderful pic of the 3 of them 'helping' me find eggs one Easter when the adults hunted eggs that the kids had hidden...I'm smiling!
Edmund (named for the explorer/climber Sir Edmund Hillary) was the first primary sentry. He never left my side during my time before diagnosis, laying with his head resting on my pubic bone, and purring. I was in such pain, and this was the only thing that could relieve it.
Sugar Ray (named for the black fighter) took over when his brother disappeared. He and his other brother, Friskie (named because he looked EXACTLY like the cat on the food bag), would sleep with me on the couch, purring and snuggling all day long. Behavior that as I said, was not the 'normal' when I was well. They only left my side to go outside to relieve themselves.
Friskie became the last sentry, and saw me thru the ending of treatment. He was the most stand-offish of the 3, but became close, even sharing my breakfast with me (as long as it was croissants!!!!!).
They entered my life as small, abandoned balls of fur, peeking from around the lawn furniture. I am sad that I could do nothing to 'save' them from their fate, but, at the time, felt that I could not expect these travelers to adjust to life inside. I am blessed that I had these furry guardians during my journey...I can't imagine what would have happened without them.
Thank you for the wonderful memories!
Hugs, Kathi0 -
Fish Tankmac1212 said:Pets
When I was Dx we had our shih tzu poodle mix who turned 18. We lost her to heart failure in September. One week before my surgery (some people thought we were crazy) at the end of October, we rescued 2 puppies and haven't looked back since. Even though I am recovering and we are house training them I think they have helped me get better quicker.
Brian
Angel really loved his fish tank and fish Even when he was so sick and dying he still asked me if i turned the light on in the fish tank we did that every nite.We had some dogs years ago but since we were always on the harley on the weekends the fish are easier to take care of.
michelle0 -
Chloe and Cammy
I have two black rescue cats. We are actually dog people but a lady in my husbands department e-mailed him letting him know if someone did not take the cate (kittens then) they would go to the pound. Well the rest is history.
The other night I was not feeling to well and so I was trying to rest-sitting up-on the couch. Cammy was on the back of the couch with her paw on my head and Chloe was laying right next to me. What sweet girls!
Jan0
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