Animals are a precious gift that God blesses us with, to make our stay on earth more bearable through the hard times, and filled with love and joy through the happy times. It is my comfort knowing that none of these animals are ours -- they belong to God. He puts them in our care, and we give them as much happiness in their lives as we can. When it is their time to depart us, they are taken back up to the arms of their creator.
~Shadow~
November, 2001 - January, 2012
Shadow had the biggest heart of anyone I have ever known. All he wanted out of life was to give and receive love. We always said that God made Shadow's heart so huge, there wasn't any room for a head! That's what made him so beautiful, he was living proof that it's the size of your heart that matters, not your head.
Shadow was always there and thrilled to see us, no matter how long we had been away. He always had to be with us everywhere and couldn't stand to be anywhere without us. We loved taking him out back to go swimming in the stream. He would shoot ahead like a bullet, then bounce back to check on us and urge us to walk faster! He wouldn't go swimming without us there with him.
Whenever one of us, his "little girls" were sick, we would hear him softly "click clack" up the stairs. He would nose open our door and come up to the bed to check on us. Often times he would come up on the bed with us until we fell back asleep, and when we woke up, he had left.
He loved playing ball, and every Christmas we would wrap one for him. It was absolutely hilarious ... he got it in his mind that every present was his and had a ball in it! When we gave him his gift, he'd rip it open and toss wrapping paper every which way.
Shadow taught me more than I could ever fully realize about unconditional love. We all miss him deeply and he has left a painful hole in our hearts. I will carry his memory forever.
Shadow was always there and thrilled to see us, no matter how long we had been away. He always had to be with us everywhere and couldn't stand to be anywhere without us. We loved taking him out back to go swimming in the stream. He would shoot ahead like a bullet, then bounce back to check on us and urge us to walk faster! He wouldn't go swimming without us there with him.
Whenever one of us, his "little girls" were sick, we would hear him softly "click clack" up the stairs. He would nose open our door and come up to the bed to check on us. Often times he would come up on the bed with us until we fell back asleep, and when we woke up, he had left.
He loved playing ball, and every Christmas we would wrap one for him. It was absolutely hilarious ... he got it in his mind that every present was his and had a ball in it! When we gave him his gift, he'd rip it open and toss wrapping paper every which way.
Shadow taught me more than I could ever fully realize about unconditional love. We all miss him deeply and he has left a painful hole in our hearts. I will carry his memory forever.
~Yuffie~
April 16, 2012 - September, 2012
Yuffie was the funnest, best natured little guy I've ever met. Whether you needed a playmate or a shoulder to cry on, he was there. He was a very understanding friend and seemed to know exactly what we needed at the time.
When our kids were small, I had to sit out with them whenever they were outside to protect them from a big hawk that had its eyes on them. Because I didn't want to shut them in long, I spent a huge amount of time out with them each and every day until they were big enough not to tempt the hawk. Not for a moment was I bored. These hours outside with the kids are some of my most precious memories. Yuffie was my "buddy". If he wasn't sitting next to me, we were running around together making fools of ourselves.
Yuffie loved to play piggyback. My sister and I would lean over -- Yuffie would jump on one of our backs, and his sister, Leona, would jump on the other. Then we would race. It was his fun-natured spirit that make Yuffie the center of attention to everyone who visited. But there was another side to Yuffie ... a softer side. He knew when I was upset, he had an understanding. He would come up to me, curl up on my lap, and look into my eyes with that sweet face. In the time that he lived with us, Yuffie was one of my best friends.
Yuffie was taken unexpectedly due to Urinary Calculi. Yuffie is gone now, but I rest in the assurance that he knew, throughout his whole life, how loved he was. I hope through this experience to educate others about UC, and maybe save them from this tragedy.
Yuffie lives on through his sisters, his mother, and our hearts. He will always be my image of the perfect little wether pet, and why it is that I love these creatures so very much. A few days after he passed I was sitting with the rest of the kids, and the clouds right in front of us opened up and showered down beautiful golden rays. I have no doubt that Yuffie was letting us know he was okay, and he would be watching out for his sister.
When our kids were small, I had to sit out with them whenever they were outside to protect them from a big hawk that had its eyes on them. Because I didn't want to shut them in long, I spent a huge amount of time out with them each and every day until they were big enough not to tempt the hawk. Not for a moment was I bored. These hours outside with the kids are some of my most precious memories. Yuffie was my "buddy". If he wasn't sitting next to me, we were running around together making fools of ourselves.
Yuffie loved to play piggyback. My sister and I would lean over -- Yuffie would jump on one of our backs, and his sister, Leona, would jump on the other. Then we would race. It was his fun-natured spirit that make Yuffie the center of attention to everyone who visited. But there was another side to Yuffie ... a softer side. He knew when I was upset, he had an understanding. He would come up to me, curl up on my lap, and look into my eyes with that sweet face. In the time that he lived with us, Yuffie was one of my best friends.
Yuffie was taken unexpectedly due to Urinary Calculi. Yuffie is gone now, but I rest in the assurance that he knew, throughout his whole life, how loved he was. I hope through this experience to educate others about UC, and maybe save them from this tragedy.
Yuffie lives on through his sisters, his mother, and our hearts. He will always be my image of the perfect little wether pet, and why it is that I love these creatures so very much. A few days after he passed I was sitting with the rest of the kids, and the clouds right in front of us opened up and showered down beautiful golden rays. I have no doubt that Yuffie was letting us know he was okay, and he would be watching out for his sister.
~Alex~
Feb 3, 2013 - Feb 19, 2013
Edit: With growth of experience, we have come to the conclusion that Alex may have been suffering from constipation - sometimes known as the "silent killer of kids", since it is often the last thing you think of. It can be caused by selenium deficiency. If you ever have a previously healthy kid that starts to lose appetite, hunch up and be lethargic, I strongly reccomend giving the kid an enema. If that resolves the issue, or produces hard, yellow, rice-like poops, your kid may need a BoSe shot, and your herd may be selenium deficient. While I am extremely heartbroken and frustrated that this was an issue that may have been easily treated, I would like to make his life meaningful by educating those around me and preventing other tragedies.
We are extremely saddened to report the premature passing of our precious little Alex. In two weeks I have never grown so close to a kid so quickly, and he is very deeply missed. He had an incredible personality, and we all loved him. He was such a goof, he would follow us around and ask to be on our laps. He loved movies, especially "Robin Hood", and loved giving kisses. He was brave, clever, and the best little buddy anyone could have asked for.
Our very kind vet who performed Alex's necroscopy discovered there was an organic blockage in his stomach. While I will always wonder if I could have done anything differently, most likely this was something we could not have prevented.
Play in peace, my precious baby.
We are extremely saddened to report the premature passing of our precious little Alex. In two weeks I have never grown so close to a kid so quickly, and he is very deeply missed. He had an incredible personality, and we all loved him. He was such a goof, he would follow us around and ask to be on our laps. He loved movies, especially "Robin Hood", and loved giving kisses. He was brave, clever, and the best little buddy anyone could have asked for.
Our very kind vet who performed Alex's necroscopy discovered there was an organic blockage in his stomach. While I will always wonder if I could have done anything differently, most likely this was something we could not have prevented.
Play in peace, my precious baby.