Yesterday I took a call from a pet owner who lost their sweet 16 year old Shih Tzu last week. She found the heart shaped pet urn with angel wings and had some questions about the engraving. She sounded young on the phone, but was a "mature" woman and her story was that growing up, her mother never allowed dogs. Ever. Because she'd never had a dog, she passed that on to her child. At some point the little girl wanted a lop eared bunny and obsessed over it. Teachers at her school … [Read more...] about Pet Loss – I Feel Your Pain
pet loss
Grieving a Lost Pet: 5 Tips to Coping with the Death of a Pet
I’ve got to say; writing last week’s post, “Courage’s Story” A Pet Quality-of-Life Lesson,” opened the door to a flood of emotions, likely spill over into this follow-up post about pet loss. Honestly, many pet owners tell me the death of their pet, regardless of whether it was unexpected or not, was far more traumatic than the death of an aging relative. Grieving the loss of a pet can be an intense experience – especially when (as in Courage’s case) – the pet’s illness is prolonged and … [Read more...] about Grieving a Lost Pet: 5 Tips to Coping with the Death of a Pet
What I’ve Learned From My Dogs
Every pet owner has a sad dog story. My dogs are elderly and we're preparing for the end of the journey, as are a couple of our friends lately. Here's a few tip from our board of directors. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride. Allow the experience of fresh air and wind in your face to Be pure ecstasy. When it's in your best interest, practice obedience. Let others know when they've invaded your territory. Take … [Read more...] about What I’ve Learned From My Dogs
I Slept With Elvis
What I learned today: For 10 years one of my clients showered and shared her bed with a cockatoo named Elvis. Elvis liked to ride in the car and eat cheeseburgers and ice cream at the DQ. He would hold up a foot and scream "Raspberry!" and want you to blow on his toes. Client has nine other birds in the parrot family, and Elvis was never really part of the bird population. He preferred to perch on the shoulder of his master. He was kind of an attention whore, and had to be near … [Read more...] about I Slept With Elvis
Like the Son He Never Had
Florida passed a piece of legislation that allows humans to be buried with their pets. Previously, funeral homes were prohibited from handling animal remains and ashes of humans and animals could not be co-mingled. At the Best Friends Animal Hospital at Gateway, office manager, Rainy Hoy, said about half of their clients take home their pet's ashes. "They just want to keep them. They're like family to them," Hoy said. Fort Myers resident Joe Castrogiovanni wouldn't consider euthanizing his … [Read more...] about Like the Son He Never Had