Remembrance

Welcome To My Pet Remembrance Page
This page is dedicated to all those pets that have come in and out of my life. I wanted to do something to remember them all by. Each of them hold a special place in my heart...and always will...

Take a look at my special babies. Each has a short story about them. Click on the picture to get a larger view of them.

Pal Pal was the very first dog I remember as a child. He was the family dog at home in Wisconsin. He was a great dog, even though I was too young to really appreciate him. Pal lived to a ripe old age and was put down from normal old age causes.

Rambling Jet Star Jet was my very first horse. He actually was my friends horse back home in Wisconsin and she "shared" him with me. We sure used to have a lot of fun with him. He was a great horse and in many ways taught me how to ride...or get bucked off as the case sometimes was! Jet had gone many different ways, but eventually ended up back with my friend, where he lived the rest of his years in pasture. Jet passed away at a ripe old age due to complications with a reaction to a shot. He certainly will always be remembered.

Teddy Teddy was never actually my horse, but he certainly was close enough to me. I used to lead trail rides in my youth at a stable in Wisconsin, and Teddy was the horse I always rode. At that young age, I would have given anything to own him. When a new owner took over the stable I worked at, Teddy was sold. I got in contact with the new owner of Teddy and visited once. A few years down the road, she wrote me saying Teddy had died of a twisted stomach. He was a special horse to me.

Joshua Joshua was the next dog to enter into our family when I was still at home in Wisconsin. He was a Doberman Pinscher and just a big old baby! I used to run when I was younger and Josh loved to go along with me. Josh too was put down from normal old age causes.

McDougal McDougal was my very first dog. He was an unwanted Beagle mix. McDougal was very head strong, and had some problems with separation anxiety. I'm sure this is why the prior owners did not want him. I however, dealt with him best I could and he eventually turned out just fine. I took him in without any second thoughts. Could you resist that face? He was a wonderful dog and I had taught him many tricks. He joined the family back home in Wisconsin, and spent many years along with Joshua. McDougal then moved to Pennsylvania with me when I got married. Fondly called "Doogies" by my mother, McDougal would rule the roost over Joshua. Even though Joshua was 85lbs and McDougal considerably less, he would bark and send Josh to finish the job! McDougal died due to an unfortunate accident on the farm after we moved to the Pudgerossa. The loss of him was a hard one to handle.

Heather Heather was my husbands dog. I brought McDougal out with me and I now had Heather as well. She was a Sheltie dog. Heather had a great attitute towards her "new life" with McDougal. She was a very well behaved dog. Heather moved to the farm with us as well and lived a full life before we put her down from normal old age causes.

Boots Boots was also my husbands. He was the very first cat I ever had. I didn't really care too much for cats when I was younger seeing as we always had dogs. Boots changed that for me. I then became an avid cat lover, and as you'll see down further...a bit "overboard" at times with them! Boots also made the move to the farm and enjoyed his new surroundings for many years. Boots lived out his entire 9 lives and them some. Boots was an indoor and outdoor cat. He lived to be 18 years of age before being diagnosed with several cysts or tumors on him. His time had finally come, we put him down to rest.

Sasha Seeing as I enjoyed Boots so much. I decided that we needed another cat. Off to the SPCA we went. There we both fell in love with Sasha. She was a wonderful cat and such a lover. Brought her home and what fun. Try telling Boots a kitten is a bundle of joy! They learned to eventually get along just fine. Sasha was to stay indoors, so Boots could "get away" so to speak. Sasha also made the move with us to the farm and spent several wonderful years before being diagnosed with one of the dreaded cat deseases called FIP before her old age. Another hard decision to make putting her down.

Gretchen Gretchen was the next dog to enter into my life. She was around 3 years old when I was asked if we could take her in. I, being the animal lover that I am, said I would give her a home. Gretchen came home to live with McDougal and Heather. McDougal enjoyed the young ambition of Gretchen, and Heather just kind of accepted the situation. Gretchen moved right into our new home on the farm where she spent a while in the house. She had always had some chewing and separation anxiety problems, and the move may have made it worse. My guess again, why the prior owners really didn't want her. So we built a kennel outside to help out and put her in when we went away. Gretchen came back into the house permanantly after a few years, and was well behaved from that point on. Gretchen lived to be around 15 years old before she started to loose her sight and hearing. She also got to the point of other problems as well. Her zest for life was gone, though she lived a full one at that. We put Gretchen down when she got to the point of loosing her will to live and not able to get around. Always hardest decisions, and again, will always be remembered with love.

Moonlite Mystique Misty was my very first horse that I owned. She was a registered Quarter Horse. Misty was 2 years old when we bought her from some friends of ours. I trained her and she moved into our new home on the farm with us. I eventually sold Misty to move on to other horses to train. The folks I sold her to just loved her. A few years passed and when I heard the news that she had died due to colic, I broke into tears. She was a great mare, and I always look back on it as did I make the right decision to sell her. I know the couple that bought her, and they too suffered a great loss. There was nothing any of us could have done to stop such an unfortunate thing to happen to a horse. Colic is probably the biggest taker of a horses life. Misty was loved by all who entered into her life.

Midnite Midnite was one of the very first barn cats we had. After moving to the farm, having a stable seemed like we needed stable cats. Midnite was one of serveral I took in from the same friends whom we bought Misty from. Midnite was a typical tom cat it would seem. He just up and disappeared one day. I assumed he just found something better to his liking, however a fox or something could have gotten him as well. Midnite served his days in the stable well.

Smoke Smoke also was one of the cats first brought into the stable. Smoke was a youngster and didn't have the wisdom too well of being an outdoor cat. She grew a bit older and spent some time in the stable, however was very timid and wild in nature. Smoke wound up being hit by a vehicle on the road. This would be the first sign of my not liking having outdoor cats, and will prove my point later when I decided to take them all in after loosing too many on the road.

Pee Wee Pee Wee was another cat I took in for the stable. She did well outside, but eventually I did bring her into the house. All the cats that were left outside in the stable wound up being brought in and fixed. After Pee Wee lived her life outside, she then joined the indoor animals. Pee Wee used to be a bit wild in nature and turned out to be a loving cat. She lived a good many years enjoying her life inside before she was diagnosed with an intestine problem. We put Pee Wee down due to her lack of control. This was a hard thing to do, she was a great cat.

Squirt Squirt was the only kitten that Pee Wee had. When we had the stable cats, Pee Wee and Precious had kittens. Pee Wee only had one kitten however, and it was Squirt. Squirt was a super freindly kitten and grew into a great stable cat. We lost Squirt on the road, and this was my turning point as to wanting to take all the cats into the house and fix them from that point forward.

Huey Squirt had a litter of her own when she got older. This picture is of Huey and his brothers, Louie and Dewey. Huey is the one up front. Huey was still a kitten when he ventured into the dog kennel. One of the dogs we had in the kennel at the time didn't want any intruders and attacked Huey. I took Huey to the vets, where he did not make it over night. A traumatic experience to say the least.

Kittens When the cats were outside, Precious seemed to pound out the kittens. Pee Wee and Squirt only had one litter each. I kept some of them and gave some away. This is one of the litters Precious had. This litter Precious had inside the house, and after that she was fixed and stayed in the house. I'm dedicating this picture to those kittens that didn't make it due to accidents, still births and runts. These kittens are dedicated to those I've lost.

Spirit Spirit was one of Precious' kittens. She was a runt and even though I tried to nurture her back to health, she did not make it. Loosing these kittens was also a main factor in fixing all the cats and indoors only. It was just too hard on me too loose them.

Smokes Smokes also was a kitten from Precious. Smokes I also nurtured from the start. She was born with problems and lived for a while, but again I was unable to get her healthy.

Inky Inky was a cat I could not resist picking up when I was getting hay one day. She was so sweet and lovable I just couldn't resist. Needless to say she came home with me that day. She spent several years being a joy to me. Inky was diagnosed with another deadly feline desease called FIV. Putting her down was hard on me.

Barney & Betty Barney and Betty were two Java Finches I bought with a friend of mine at a bird show. Beautiful sounding birds. I had given both back to my friend to try and breed them and one passed on. I got Barney back and he lived a bit longer. I used to have Parakeets back home in Wisconsin as well and would like to dedicate this picture to them also, in remembrance of them.

Lu Lu Lu Lu was my first large parrot. He was a Citron Crested Cockatoo. Lu Lu was certainly a bundle of fun. He would talk and make such funny noises. This bird I loved dearly. He got sick one day, and didn't want to eat. I took him to the vet. He spent weeks there and to no avail. An autopsy showed he had some liver problems. It was a hard loss loosing this bird. I enjoyed his company and loved him dearly.

Sunshine Sunshine was a Persian cat that some friends of ours found around their farm. They had her outside and tried to help her. She was in very bad shape and I knew this. When asked if I wanted to take her in to try to help her I did. Unfortunately, she was way beyond help. I got her to a vets and on medication, but it was just not enough. I do feel, however, that what little time she spent with us, she enjoyed, and her last remembrance of life were good ones.

Muffin & Taffy Muffin and Taffy were two kittens I took in from my neighbor. They were wild and tender trapped at his place of work. I fell in love with both of them even though each were scared to death. Taffy was more frightened then Muffin was. Taffy once even got outside and I had to tender trap her back into the house. Both cats eventually became loving and trusting to us. Taffy died before Muffin did from the desease FIP. Muffin lived a longer life with us but he wound up being diagnosed with FIV later in life. Both cats needed to be put down. These deseases are contracted from outdoor conditions, sexually transmitted, saliva, blood, and genetics. Even though these deaseses are not present from the start sometimes, can appear later in life and be carriers of these deseases. I here want to stipulate the importance of fixing your cat if it's an outdoor cat, or deal with this. Muffin and Taffy were both fixed when of age, these deseases they were born with.

Tigger Tigger was one of Precious' kittens. He started out as a barn cat and was one of the cats brought into the house when I had brought them in. Tigger was a mellow cat and loving. We used to fondly call him "Tigs". Tigger had some eye problems, but managed very well considering this. He lived a good many years in the house and enjoyed himself. One morning I found him passed away behind the couch. I do not know what happened to him. I can only hope that he just fell asleep and did not wake up. His death was shockingly unexpected to say the least.

Rollie Rollie was the first pigeon I took in. He was a Roller Pigeon. My neighbors cousin had been raising them, and thought Rollie was sick so had let him loose next door. I took him in instantly and nurtured him back to health. Later I took in all his pigeons and found homes for them or kept them, due to the fact he no longer wanted them and was going to let them loose or take to a pigeon shoot. This I could not handle. Rollie lived in a cage initially and later I built a bigger cage for all of them to roost in. Eventually, and to this day, they now have the run of the hay loft and fly loose around the stable. Rollie lived several years before he passed on, I'm guessing just from old age.

Pigeons This picture is dedicated to two of the brown Himalayan Pigeons I lost not long after taking a bunch of them in and before I had named them all. One I lost when I was on vacation, I assume he just passed away. He was found in the cage. The other I had lost when I went to let them loose from the cage into the stable to roost in our newly built hay loft. She had flown out of the stable in fright and I could not catch her and she could not figure out how to get back in on her own. She hung in my neighbors garden for a bit but passed away. We were unsuccesful in trying to catch her. This picture is a remembrace for them. They both looked like this and could even be one of them pictured here.

Callie Callie was a beautiful long haired Calico cat. I got Callie from an animal rescue. She was too hard to resist saying no not to bring her into the family. Callie was a loving cat and lived a long, happy, healthy life with us. Unexpectedly one morning, she started breathing heavy. I knew something was wrong and called the vet. We put her down minutes later after the vet came out. The vet believed she was having some sort of respiratory breakdown or heart attack. This was such a hard thing to do, so unexpected and out of the blue. I said my goodbye to her, she was purring as I said goodbye. Very hard moment to deal with. She will be remembered with love always.

Blacky Blacky was another of Precious' kittens. He also was a barn cat for a while as well. He was brought into the house of course later. Blacky was a super sweet cat. He lived a long life as well and was a happy cat. As he got older, Blacky got sick. He had trouble eating and was loosing weight. The vet believed he had cancer. I payed special attention to him and cleaned him up daily. We did all we could for him till he just "let us know" it was time. He had lost his will to live. We took Blacky to the vets to be put down. Here we said goodbye and he also was purring and giving us that look of such love and admiration. So very hard to do. Blacky will always be in my heart, as each of them are.

Dewey Dewey was one of Squirts kittens. He started out in the stable as well. Dewey had a super personality and was very loving. He would enjoy making "bread" on your lap all the time while purring. Dewey lived a long life in the house. Just like his Grandma, Pee Wee, he wound up having intestinal problems later in life. He lost control. We cleaned up after him for a long time. When I knew his time was near, I even let him out to join me as I worked outside by the house during the days. Those last days that Dewey lived, he could not have been more of a happy cat. He passed away quietly in his sleep. I do know he had a full life and enjoyed it very much. I miss him very much, but he is in my heart.

Louie Louie was also one of Squirts kittens. He too was a stable cat for a while. Like his brother Dewey, Louie had the same personality and just as loving. Louie lived not much longer then Dewey did. The same problem as his brother and his Grandmother had. Again, we cleaned up after him and waited for the sign of "it's time". Louie was thinner then his brother Dewey and that made the difference on the "time". Louie also just did not wake up one morning. This problem obviously ran in the family. The worst part of it was, the vet could do nothing about it. With the diagnosis being operations taking out part of intestines and then still maybe a 50% chance of them knowing what was wrong. For us, it seemed best to let the cats live out their lives, or give us the "sign". Louie enjoyed his life and lived a long one. He was happy and not in pain...that's what matters.

Thor I Thor the I was a Leopard Gecko. I had gotten him from a pet store. He was so small and a tiny baby yet, that he had problems eating. He lived only a short while. I believe that he was sickly from the start however. He was a neat looking lizard though, and was friendly as well.

Thor II Thor the II was a Collard Lizard. I purchased him from a pet store as well. He had more energy at the start and was not as friendly as Thor the I. Thor the II was probably wild caught, and did not do well in captive. He too started to have problems. I had him on medications. Try putting a tube down a lizards mouth. I treated him for months. In the end, I took him for a final visit to the vet, and it was recommended that I just put him down. Thor the II only lived a short while as well.

Ducklings These little guys were the first batch of ducklings Quakers and Honker had. They were named after the seven dwarfs. Happy, Sneezy, Dopey, Sleepy, Bashful, Grumpy & Doc. These little guys had a wonderful life till some preditor got a hold of them. Dopey had drown in the pool. Then Sneezy and Sleepy just disappeared one night. I took that last four, Happy, Grumpy, Bashful and Doc, into the stable and forced them in for protection. However, something went right into the stable to get them. They won't be forgotten. I'm sure they enjoyed the time they did have here.

Fred & Wilma Fred and Wilma were two Zebra Finches. They were noisy little birds for so small. I did enjoy their songs however. Fred and Wilma passed away together in a freak situation. I can only think they had a reaction to something they had eaten. Their chirps I will always remember. I'd like to dedicate this picture also to all of the Zebra Finches I've had over the years. These two were the most recent. Fred and Wilma did live a long time however.

Harpo Harpo was one of the baby pigeons actually born in the stable from Heathcliff and Gertrude. He was probably only a couple years of age. He just disappeared one day when I went down to the stable. Harpo is the first of three pigeons that disappeared in a short time frame. My only thought is a hawk or owl had got them. Some preditor for certain. Even though they are just stable pigeons, they are still my "kids" and Harpo will be remembered.

Groucho Groucho was the other baby born in the stable from Gertrude and Heathcliff. He was the same age as Harpo. They were born at the same time. Groucho was the next pigeon to mysteriously disappear from the stable. He too will be remembered.

Tarzan Tarzan was one of the original pigeons I saved. He lived both in the pen I had made and a good long time free in the stable. He was the last pigeon to disappear in that short time span. Tarzan was paired up with Jane and they had a baby named Boy. Tarzan lived a long life considering I did not know how old he was originally. I believe he was a happy pigeon.

Fish This picture is dedicated to all the fish that have come into and out of my life. I still have fish, and as you know, they don't last all that long. So this is for all those fish I've had and will have over the years to come.

Guineas This picture is of a Guinea hen just in remembrance of the five unamed baby Guineas I had for a short period of time. I went through a long process of slowly getting them prepared for thier entrance into the world. However, I had them in the hay loft and they preferred to be outside. Once again, within a week I could not get them to safety and some preditor had gotten to them. The little tikes will be remembered however.

Smokey Smokey was another of Precious' kittens. Smokey also started out in the stable and was brought in. She started out being a bit of afraid of her life indoors, but soon became a super loving cat. Smokey lived a long life in the house and was a very content cat. She started having normal old age problems, and lost her hearing and most of her sight. She did very well for a long time like this, but her will to live deteriorated as time went by. We put Smokey down when she spent all her time laying in a dark box and not coming out. She could not get around anymore and this was her sign of telling us she was ready to go home. Smokey will always be remembered and always be loved.

Cross Cross was yet another one of Precious' kitten. He also started out as a stable cat. Cross was always such a lovable cat that when brought indoors, he felt he should have been there from the start. Fondly called "ditty coss" by us, he enjoyed many loving years with us. Cross wound up having intestinal problems as well later in life. Again we cleaned up after him. He had gotten to the point of walking around and just loosing control. His time had come. A very hard decision to make, but again, will always be in my heart and I will never forget him.

Kiya Kiya was a Black Lab mix. After moving to the farm, we still had Gretchen, Heather and McDougal. I was asked if I could take Kiya in just until the owner found a home for her. Guess what, the owner never could be found again. Needless to say, we wound up with Kiya. She started out in the kennel with Gretchen. Kiya had some major problems with just being friendly period. This I worked on since I knew this dog would be with us now. She eventually came into the house after Gretchen did. With work and love, we turned Kiya around. Hard telling what bad experiences this dog had, but she did have them, that's for sure. She would turn out to be a wonderul and great addition to us. Kiya lived to be around 15 years of age before she started to loose control of her back end. We put Kiya down and this too was a hard thing to do. She had grown into our hearts, and will forever be there.

Pudge Pudge was a Black Lab and Terrier mix. We think he may have even had Great Dane in him as well. When we lost McDougal on the farm, we went to the SPCA to rescue Pudge. We couldn't resist him. Pudge was very timid, you could tell he was abused as a puppy. He was around 5 months of age when we got him. With love and patience Pudge began to trust us, and with much love and admiration as well. He was a wonderful dog to say the least of him. Pudge lived to be around 12 or 13 years of age before being diagnosed with a tumor on his spine. He wasn't ready to leave us yet and did well for several months beyond the diagnosis. He eventually let us know he had enough and it was time to go home. Yet another tear jerking experience. I loved Pudge dearly. He will always and forever be remembered in my heart, and we will meet again.

Bert & Ernie Bert & Ernie were the third batch of ducklings from Quakers and Honker. Quakers had layed 12 eggs and all of them had hatched after I gave the eggs to a friend of mine. Quakers then layed 7 more eggs, and Bert and Ernie were the only two that hatched. They were small and weak from the start however, but they lived a while before either Honker possibly forced them to drown in the pool, or they drowned themselves. I believe Honker was a bit jeleous about Quakers paying more attention to the ducklings over him. Needless to say, they will be remembered and I'm sure they enjoyed what little time they had with us as well.

Guinea Hens Jermaine and LaToya were two of our five Guinea hens named after the Jackson family. Guinea hens are wild by nature and although stay around the farm for the most part, do wonder once in a while. On Good Friday, March 29, 2002, the Guineas ventured out further then normal and came back without their brother Jermaine. I'm sure that a fox had a wonderful Easter dinner! On Friday May 10, 2002, LayToya disappeared overnight in one of the pine trees. I believe a racoon may have gotten her. Jermaine and LaToya lived a good life for the time they were here, enjoying their "domain". They will be missed by their Jackson family as well as by us.

Jane Jane was one of our pigeons. She lived a long life and was very content to be a Mommy. She and Tarzan had several babies. Boy is the last baby Jane had. On Monday June 3, 2002, Jane passed away. She had been having problems binding up and she just never recovered. Jane enjoyed her time in the stable and was a good Mommy.

Honker Honker was our male duck we had taken in from a petting zoo that no longer wanted their animals. Honker lived with Quakers and had a good many babies. Through the seasons the baby ducks never seemed to make it due to Honker killing them. This time when babies were born this year, we took Honker out and put him in a cage. Honker didn't like the cage much and protested, so we put him in with the geese. This wasn't a good idea for the geese tried to kill Honker. So back in he went with the family of ducks. That same day I caught him trying to kill a baby duckling so I took him out of the cage and let him loose. He stayed near the cage for several days and nights till Friday, June 21, 2002. That night I believe a fox had gotten his scent and Honker disappeared. Honker probably enjoyed his time out regardless. Living on a small farm, such are the forces of nature. Honker was happy for the time he had spent here for sure.

Precious Precious was our "momma cat". A good many of our cats came from Precious, as you probably already saw by