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Pets can become more than family

I suppose the hardest thing about owning a pet is knowing their lifespan is shorter than ours. We fall in love with our pets as we get to know them. On the other hand, our pets love us instantly. They put their trust in us for all their needs. We call them pets, but they become family as time goes by. Then certain pets become more than family to us; they become a part of us. In this post, I will be talking about two of my pets that have passed away recently. Murphy, my little poodle, passed away last night at the time I am writing this. 

When our pets pass away, it is hard on us, and some make us believe that we can never have another because of the sadness we feel. Time moves on, and we end up with another pet that we know will probably pass on and break our hearts once again. We are not replacing our pets, but we need to fill the void our loved ones have left in our hearts. And then there are the ones who will hold that void open for the rest of our lives. These are the truly special ones who have touched us in a way we never thought could be possible by a creature that is not human. No matter how many others we have in our lifetime, these certain ones are always on our minds and part of our souls.

Photograph of a Siamese cat laying in a blanket
Bear

I am now in my fifties and have owned more pets than I can count on both hands, but only a few hold my heart and will hold it until the day I pass away. Usually, these are few and far between, but I have lost two in a very short time. My Siamese cat “Bear” was a very special friend of mine. She was very wild because we didn’t get to her until she was an older kitten. I guess you could say she was a feral cat. She would’ve been a great barn cat if I had let her be, but I felt a connection to her that I really can’t explain. I tamed her by feeding her small bits of cooked steak. We became great friends through the years. She would come if I called her and would even run to me if I rubbed my forefinger, middle finger, and thumb together. There was very little sound in this gesture, but this was how I would call her to me for the bits of steak I fed her. Bear was an extremely loving and obedient feline that probably should have been born a dog. Cats aren’t usually the ones that take well to training, but she was one of the exceptions. She passed away not too long ago and left a hole in my heart.

Photograph of a Poodle dog laying in a blanket
Murphy

The pet that I just lost last night was my dog, Murphy. I say that he was my dog, but in all rights, he was my brother’s dog first, my mom’s, and finally mine. My brother was killed in a motorcycle accident years ago, and my mom took over full custody of Murphy. When my mom moved across the country, it was too much on her to take care of him. I became his owner, and he and I enjoyed many years together. He only knew one trick, and that was “Hide the face,” or so we called it. When my family and I would play with him, we would say, “Hide the face, Murphy,” and he would tuck his head down and cover his face with both paws. For the last three or four months of his life, he wouldn’t do this trick anymore, so we knew his time was getting close. I suppose it was hard to lose him because we came to be so close. The second part was because he was the last true thing I had left of my brother. So, in a way, I lost my brother all over again. This hit me harder than I ever believed it would. Murphy was well into his senior years, and it was just a matter of time. But I can’t seem to shake what that little fur ball meant to me. I miss my brother a great deal, and I know that Murphy too will be in my thoughts until it is my turn to leave this world behind.

I wrote this more for my own selfish needs. I need a way to move on from this sadness. However, if it brings some peace to you for your loss, then I’m glad that, in some small way, it did help. To all our loved ones, whether human or not, that we have lost along the way, I salute you for bringing love into this wicked world for us. We miss and still love you.

Bridge with a rainbow at the end
Rainbow bridge

There is a poem that I, along with other pet owners, like to think about when our little friends pass away. The poem is about the Rainbow Bridge that we like to think our pets head to when they are gone from this earth. Here is the link to the poem for anyone who would like to read it. I suggest that if you own a pet that you love and have lost, click the link above and check it out. It will help with the sadness you feel.

One last thing I would like to say concerning all of our pets. Show love to your pets, as they have shown love for you. Never take for granted what may be gone far too soon. Their eyes look upon you with love and admiration. They deserve all the love you can give them. Trust me when I say, “You will never out-love your pet.” Take care, my friends, and remember, we are all in this together.

Love like your pet and end war!!

     If only humans could love each other like our pets love us. We have all heard about unconditional love and yet we know nothing about it. If you would like to see the true meaning of unconditional love, take a look into your dog’s eyes. I choose a dog because they are the one animal that truly has this kind of love for their owner. A dog will lay his life down for you even if you have mistreated him. Now if you are mistreating your pet, then I hope you are punished.

White labrador retriever

     We as humans have the mindset to be who we want to be and yet we tend to choose destruction ove.r love for one another. I don’t understand how humanity could make such a terrible mistake like this. Why, in this day and age, do we have wars with each other? Wars are totally unnecessary in these times. I shall explain farther so as not to sound completely incompetent. Wars are always started for one of three reasons. First one is of course, religion. The second falls under the heading of resources. The final is for complete control.

      Talking about the third reason “complete control” is what is happening right now in Ukraine. When this happens, it is always started by some crazy person who wants to rule over as many people as possible. If you believe this will end in Ukraine (if not stopped by someone), you are sadly mistaken. This is the dumbest war that can be started with no real reason to do it other than for control. If the people of the evading country could love others the way their pets love them, they wouldn’t follow a crazy man. Some brave person or persons would remove this virus from power and there wouldn’t be a war in the first place. The ones who follow the crazy person at the top have no love for their fellow humans. They are also cowards for not stopping this crazy person in the first place. People will argue that the people have no choice but to follow because the army of the nut case at the top is too powerful. I answer this by saying, the army is the ones who cowardly follow the nut ball at the top and have no love for fellow humans including their own people that they are putting in the situation of having to follow.

A sign saying if Russia stops, no more war
If Ukraine stops, no more Ukraine

     I have been watching the destruction of Ukraine with a heavy heart. The one thing I can say is the people of Ukraine are the toughest people I have ever witnessed. They are standing strong and fighting back the evil that is invading their land. These people are heroes in my book. The invading Russian troops are cowardly for following such evil and not standing up for humanity. They see what they are doing and continue to blindly follow something that they themselves do not believe to be right.

    I did mention that there were two other reasons for war. The first being for religious purposes and trying to force others to follow their views. This kind of war is also stupid because over the centuries of these wars being fought, these have never won anything. There are more religions today then there were hundreds of years ago. This says that there will be more religions created as more time passes. There is always someone who will come up with something different and gain a following. Think about it, during these hundreds of years, how many wars have been started for religious beliefs and how many new religions are there today? I want to make this perfectly clear, religions are man made! The more time that passes, the more people will come up with new religions. So starting a religious war is stupid because it doesn’t change anything. Before I leave this paragraph, I must say that I am a Christian and I am just explaining how starting a religious war is stupid. Protecting your religious beliefs against an invading force is very much warranted.

       The other type of war is for resources. This type of war is usually mixed with one of the other two types of war. Resources are usually a secondary thought and a bonus to the invading force but not the first reason for the war to be started. So when we examine it, there are actually only two reasons for war to be started, religion or domination with resources as a bonus for the invading force.

     I was not going to write this post and I must say that it is not something I enjoyed to do. I do feel like I must say something because of what is happening to people that truly don’t deserve what is happening to them right now. It is hard to see the rest of the world standing on the side lines and watching  something so horrific happening and doing nothing to help. I am saddened by the lack of love in so many. If only they would take a minute and see the love their pets have for them and learn to love the same way, this kind of thing would never happen in the first place. Along those same lines, while it is happening, other countries would step up and stop this horrible unjustified war. May God be with the Ukraine people in their time of need.

      If you have read my post before you know that I always end saying how we are all in this together. Today I will not end my post like that for the Ukraine people are standing alone and we are not in this together. Remember to love one another as your pets love you. We can live in peace if only we will do this simple thing. Look into them puppy eyes and learn what it is to have unconditional love.