What Pets Can Do: Health and Healing

@colleenyoung Well, this may not be such a good story in the end, but... We rescued our dog, Peaches, the year that my dad, my MIL, and a friend were all at the same end of life point. Peaches needed so much from us, so really, she added to the stress. But she gave us a lot of joy, too, wanting to go to the park and snuggle. My dad, MIL, and friend all died that year, so Peaches was our stressful comfort. For the past 18-20 months of my illness, she has been a super-Velcro dog. Her anxiety levels were out the roof if she couldn’t find me. But she always wanted me to sit on the sofa and cuddle. She became deaf and blind but could still find her way around. She was incontinent and wouldn’t eat. So Sunday we decided we had to put her to sleep. She’s in a better place and I’m in a safer place because she can’t trip me anymore. RIP Peaches

@parus Beautiful! Not being in color, the only bird I recognize is the blue jay by the crest on its head. I really do not know that much about birds despite there being many around me.

@johnbishop I really do not understand why we never see rabbits here! I have never seen one in the yard at all. Maybe the fox, bear, fisher cats, etc., eat them. 🙁
JK

@gingerw- Absolutely. I hope the same treatment is given to me.

Thank you, everyone, for your nice notes on my dog, Peaches. She was a handful but will be missed. But, of course, caretaking never ends, does it?! Just yesterday my husband broke 2 ribs while out trout fishing with a friend.😓. Thankfully I’m at the point where I can help him since he’s done so much for me. Now, we both have to get in excellent shape so we can go soo the grandchildren next week! Becky

@becsbuddy- It's never just one thing is it? I've had broken ribs and they aren't any fun. I have a funny story, at least looking back it is. After my first lobectomy I was not told that one of my ribs broke as a result of the rib spreader. That was in October. In November I picked up the turkey in my arms and , ta da, re-broke it again! I needed Xrays because my Dr. thought that my lung collapsed. But the rib broke a second time because of a damn turkey. lol

@colleenyoung Well, this may not be such a good story in the end, but... We rescued our dog, Peaches, the year that my dad, my MIL, and a friend were all at the same end of life point. Peaches needed so much from us, so really, she added to the stress. But she gave us a lot of joy, too, wanting to go to the park and snuggle. My dad, MIL, and friend all died that year, so Peaches was our stressful comfort. For the past 18-20 months of my illness, she has been a super-Velcro dog. Her anxiety levels were out the roof if she couldn’t find me. But she always wanted me to sit on the sofa and cuddle. She became deaf and blind but could still find her way around. She was incontinent and wouldn’t eat. So Sunday we decided we had to put her to sleep. She’s in a better place and I’m in a safer place because she can’t trip me anymore. RIP Peaches

@becsbuddy We had a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel that we had to put to sleep when he was 14. That breed generally lives from 8 to 12 years so we were fortunate to have him with us for longer than that. He was deaf and could barely get around though so it was time. I still get tears in my eyes when I think of the day I brought him to the vet.
He was such a sweet dog, loved everyone. My daughter and I named him Keller, which is Gaelic for "little companion" which he was. Of course when I was out with him and people heard me call him, they thought I was calling this gentle little dog Killer!
Here he was napping on my son when we were up at our summer camp in Maine.
JK