Amen to that! People that try to should expect more heartbreak than relief.
The Pet Thread
- Thread starter DaveM
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I still get choked up thinking about my little guys that passed on. They occasionally still show up in my dreams, 20 years on. I wake up practically in tears. There's nothing you can do about it. Get out there and nurture another little life. The grasp of this mortal coil is woefully short and fleeting.
Each pet you have is special in it's own way and you will never be able to replace that.
Right! some people don't learn that, causing themselves more sadness.
Strong emotional reaction, grief, to a loss. Sounds normal and healthy to me. Some people can be obviously more bonded with their pets than other people are. When my dog goes, it's many years of shared living and experiences broken. It's an empty space in the room. A silence now silent, not that comfortable silent silence.
I'm 61 now, so if another dog lives as long as mine now, I'd be approaching 80, too old to have another. So this big croissant shape will be my last and only, probably...
I generally talk to strangers through two ways. Someone likes my old Triumph. Or my old dog. So I'll be that bit lonlier too, walk around the neighbourhood less. Who's going to sit, looking me in the eye? Who going to be there for my son, who is unwell?
What you're saying is OK. You recognize each pet, like humans, is an individual, and you're not replacing the previous pet. You're just filling the hole, if you choose to.
I'm not quite that old but personally… and I have thought about this, I wouldn't necessarily let that my age restrict me from taking on another dog. Owen is just under a year old and God willing he lives a typical Heeler life span, I'll be in my mid-late 70's when he gives up the ghost. At that stage I probably wouldn't bring on another puppy but an adult rescue is something I hope I could seriously consider, health permitting. So far I've dodged significant health issues. "Inshallah" I'll still be in decent shape in my senior years, and that is NOT far off.
We were taking on senior rescue cats for a few years and I can assure anyone interested in going the senior rescue route that there is NO shortage of those animal at shelters, be it dogs or cats. At the SPCA seniors are pretty much on death row, just waiting to be euthanized. They are old, abandoned, lonely and confused. The good folks at my local SPCA let seniors roam the shelter a bit more than the general population as their execution date looms closer. They get special privilege. SPCA employees have a strenght that is hard for me to even fathom.
So when I'm on short final to the Pearly Gates, and most of my kin make it to their late 80's/mid 90's, I intend to take on some old discarded mutt. Like I said, this is something I have contemplated. Moreover I'm blessed with an amazing wife just over 10 years younger than me who can manage the flock for some years when I'm gone. Even without a presence like that in one's life a "pass the torch" plan can be implemented with trusted family and friends. IIRC correctly @solomon you have kids or nieces/nephews so they can lead the charge. I have not been that similarly blessed.
All that being said @solomon, I advise taking on a senior rescue dog when the time comes to fill that void. Let's not kid ourselves here, your pup is really getting up there. Reality is imminent. It seems like you're doing a stellar job keeping your old boy active and in the fight. That dynamic supports both your Lab and you yourself. Clearly you're a man of great love of pets. You'll need to continue that interactive dog presence when the void presents itself. Hit an SPCA shelter ASAP and go rescue another old boy/girl literally from the jaws of death. Give them another 2 or 3 years of well deserved retirement. You'll be their only way out.
We were taking on senior rescue cats for a few years and I can assure anyone interested in going the senior rescue route that there is NO shortage of those animal at shelters, be it dogs or cats. At the SPCA seniors are pretty much on death row, just waiting to be euthanized. They are old, abandoned, lonely and confused. The good folks at my local SPCA let seniors roam the shelter a bit more than the general population as their execution date looms closer. They get special privilege. SPCA employees have a strenght that is hard for me to even fathom.
So when I'm on short final to the Pearly Gates, and most of my kin make it to their late 80's/mid 90's, I intend to take on some old discarded mutt. Like I said, this is something I have contemplated. Moreover I'm blessed with an amazing wife just over 10 years younger than me who can manage the flock for some years when I'm gone. Even without a presence like that in one's life a "pass the torch" plan can be implemented with trusted family and friends. IIRC correctly @solomon you have kids or nieces/nephews so they can lead the charge. I have not been that similarly blessed.
All that being said @solomon, I advise taking on a senior rescue dog when the time comes to fill that void. Let's not kid ourselves here, your pup is really getting up there. Reality is imminent. It seems like you're doing a stellar job keeping your old boy active and in the fight. That dynamic supports both your Lab and you yourself. Clearly you're a man of great love of pets. You'll need to continue that interactive dog presence when the void presents itself. Hit an SPCA shelter ASAP and go rescue another old boy/girl literally from the jaws of death. Give them another 2 or 3 years of well deserved retirement. You'll be their only way out.
I got a free Triumph backpack with my Speed Twin. Lately Thena's pretty much claimed it. As soon as I set it down she hops right on it, and she'll throw paws to maintain her stake.
They love sitting on anything like this by the looks of it.
Spikey's chosen some high ground for R&R. He was hiding up here with the work clothes when Thena was establishing herself as "Alpha" and pretty much bullying him. It was amusing to watch her stalk around the room scanning and sniffing at everything completely unaware that he was just above in the closet. They get along great now and are rarely apart but every now and then I guess he needs a break from all the chaos.
He stands up to the dog like a boss too. Owen just wants to play but Spike doesn't know that. Owen gets all frustrated that this new guy is all about business and not play. He's really good at staying just out of reach of Spike's needle-like claws. It's cool to watch.
So obviously Spikey has joined the family. At this point we're, especially me, are too attached.
He stands up to the dog like a boss too. Owen just wants to play but Spike doesn't know that. Owen gets all frustrated that this new guy is all about business and not play. He's really good at staying just out of reach of Spike's needle-like claws. It's cool to watch.
So obviously Spikey has joined the family. At this point we're, especially me, are too attached.
For those that have cats as their masters what do you do to stop them killing your furniture. I see so many people complaining that their cats just destroy everything in site.
We have always been luck with our cats as I normally have at least two cat trees around the house for them to kill. If I do find then trying to kill the furniture they get a stern talking to and normally stop it compleatly. At times when they get excited they might try it out but a stern word and it passes.
When we adopted Snowflake that was already an older cat this was my one worry that she would attack the furniture but it turned out she was also very good about not doing this.
We have always been luck with our cats as I normally have at least two cat trees around the house for them to kill. If I do find then trying to kill the furniture they get a stern talking to and normally stop it compleatly. At times when they get excited they might try it out but a stern word and it passes.
When we adopted Snowflake that was already an older cat this was my one worry that she would attack the furniture but it turned out she was also very good about not doing this.
We used couch covers. I think the Mrs got them off Amazon but if you're really interested I can get some exact links. They seem to be working well. I recommend them. We also have a couple towers and 3 or 4 cat beds laying around but at the end of the days cats are gonna cat. They do what they want.
I've started using the squirt bottle more on them when they jump up on the counters and table but that's my fault to begin with. I've spoiled them as kittens. If they take an interest in something that I'm not cool with I just remove it from the equation, cover it, or reposition it.
Overall our guys aren't really destructive per se. They don't climb the curtains and they're pretty clean. We use an enclosed litter box with a top entry, so they don't splash cat sand everywhere. I'm in charge of litter box detail and I'm OCD about smells so I run a tight ship in that dept. They rarely puke. They just get periodically rambunctious. Thena's around a year or so old and Spike's like maybe 3 or 4 months. They're still youngsters. Cats gonna cat.
I've started using the squirt bottle more on them when they jump up on the counters and table but that's my fault to begin with. I've spoiled them as kittens. If they take an interest in something that I'm not cool with I just remove it from the equation, cover it, or reposition it.
Overall our guys aren't really destructive per se. They don't climb the curtains and they're pretty clean. We use an enclosed litter box with a top entry, so they don't splash cat sand everywhere. I'm in charge of litter box detail and I'm OCD about smells so I run a tight ship in that dept. They rarely puke. They just get periodically rambunctious. Thena's around a year or so old and Spike's like maybe 3 or 4 months. They're still youngsters. Cats gonna cat.
Anyone owning cats will know the pain of having to regularly vacuum cat hair especially when they loosing their coats. One just never seems to be able to get on top of this task so yesterday I ordered myself one of these to help with this task. People that have them say they really help with this type of maintenance.
https://www.bestcordlessvacuumguide.com/dreame-bot-d10-plus-review/
https://www.bestcordlessvacuumguide.com/dreame-bot-d10-plus-review/
Its just disapproving of your presence, their have not been many reports of people being killed by a cat but it can happen. 
All kidding aside, it’s captivating how seemingly random color arrangements and intriguing. patterns on animals are in fact effective camouflage. You can’t truly appreciate it until they’re in their element and implementing it. Even more fascinating is that common cats are almost exclusively urban dwellers, so relatively newer additions to “Club Darwin.” Yet they’re still practical masters of overt concealment like their rural, much larger cousins are far away out in the bush.
Talking of this the cat we adopted you would think she would stand out and you could never miss her. It turns out she seems to blend into surroundings better than our other cats.
Cats rule, dogs drool.
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