- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #61
- Joined
- Jul 6, 2013
- Messages
- 109
- Purraise
- 149
It's so unfortunate that we as pet parents have to go through this with our beloved animals. I have let go of 3 pets previously. One was our first family dog who had severe hip displaysia. He was only 9 months old; just a baby. I remember I cried for days after it happened. I was only 7 years old and my parents were very honest with me about it. After that I decided that I wanted to become a vet so I could figure out ways of preventing stuff like that from happening.
Because my dad had bought the pup from an AKC certified breeder, they gave us another pup free of charge. He was completely different and had behavioral issues. We had him for almost 5 years and then we moved to a new city and because we had to move into an apartment my dad left him behind with a friend who had always admired him. Well, because he had behavior issues he attacked my dad's friend several times and he ended up putting him down because he was so aggressive. I'm not sure I completely believe the story but I wasn't there. I was totally heartbroken then as well. I was just 12.
Then a few years later my sister went away to college and her and her flatmates decided to all get kitties. 4 little kitties from a shelter. They had no idea what they were doing of course so two of the kitties died. Then my sister moved back home after a semester and brought Paprika with her. She was only 2-3 months old and so sick. I nursed her back to health and we immediately bonded. My parents didn't want another pet in the house so I begrudgingly started looking for someone who might be interested. Then one night Paprika crawled up onto my dad while he was napping on the couch and fell asleep snuggled up in the crook of his neck. My dad woke up all surprised and his heart immediately melted. Of course she was granted acceptance into the family. She has been my kitty since then. 16.5 years!
Later on when I was in college, I went away to be a counselor at a summer camp. It was a zoo camp and they had several exotic animals. One in particular was a hedgehog who had 4 little babies. They went up for adoption at the end of the summer so I bought one and took her home with me. Unfortunately in the state where I lived, hedgehogs are illegal so I had to give her away to a sanctuary where they were legal. I was very heartbroken as well but glad I had my Paprika waiting for me at home.
Pet loss no matter what kind is never easy but I fear that the loss of my kitty will be the hardest. She has been with me the longest and has endured a lot of stuff with me. The thought of having to decide her end, when and how, has not been easy on me. I still feel like I can't make the final decision yet because I don't know how. I know she is really sick and I can't let her syffer anymore so I have to be brave for her and just decide. It's just a horrible thing that I guess we sign up for when we become pet parents. It's not easy but it is a part of life [emoji]128532[/emoji]
Because my dad had bought the pup from an AKC certified breeder, they gave us another pup free of charge. He was completely different and had behavioral issues. We had him for almost 5 years and then we moved to a new city and because we had to move into an apartment my dad left him behind with a friend who had always admired him. Well, because he had behavior issues he attacked my dad's friend several times and he ended up putting him down because he was so aggressive. I'm not sure I completely believe the story but I wasn't there. I was totally heartbroken then as well. I was just 12.
Then a few years later my sister went away to college and her and her flatmates decided to all get kitties. 4 little kitties from a shelter. They had no idea what they were doing of course so two of the kitties died. Then my sister moved back home after a semester and brought Paprika with her. She was only 2-3 months old and so sick. I nursed her back to health and we immediately bonded. My parents didn't want another pet in the house so I begrudgingly started looking for someone who might be interested. Then one night Paprika crawled up onto my dad while he was napping on the couch and fell asleep snuggled up in the crook of his neck. My dad woke up all surprised and his heart immediately melted. Of course she was granted acceptance into the family. She has been my kitty since then. 16.5 years!
Later on when I was in college, I went away to be a counselor at a summer camp. It was a zoo camp and they had several exotic animals. One in particular was a hedgehog who had 4 little babies. They went up for adoption at the end of the summer so I bought one and took her home with me. Unfortunately in the state where I lived, hedgehogs are illegal so I had to give her away to a sanctuary where they were legal. I was very heartbroken as well but glad I had my Paprika waiting for me at home.
Pet loss no matter what kind is never easy but I fear that the loss of my kitty will be the hardest. She has been with me the longest and has endured a lot of stuff with me. The thought of having to decide her end, when and how, has not been easy on me. I still feel like I can't make the final decision yet because I don't know how. I know she is really sick and I can't let her syffer anymore so I have to be brave for her and just decide. It's just a horrible thing that I guess we sign up for when we become pet parents. It's not easy but it is a part of life [emoji]128532[/emoji]