Skamp
Skamp, a mutt, was just 6 weeks old when she met her family. Found wandering the streets, how could they say no? She quickly wormed her way into their hearts and became a cherished member of their family. One of her favorite pass times was chewing up any paper she could find! They had her for 13 wonderful years, until she passed away in 2006. Skamp is still remembered and loved by the family that held her for so long.
Hobo
Hobo was a neighborhood cat that I adopted. He was feral when I found him, but once I found his "skitchel" spot, he tamed right down. I ran him by the vet and they tested him and found he had FIV (kitty AIDS) and he was ready to put him down, but I refused to let him do it. Hobo had lost his fangs at some point so I doubted he'd pass it on to the other cats. He wound up with diabetes and was VERY insulin resistant. I had to shoot him twice a day. One day I asked a friend if they knew where he was. She didn't, but knew what would bring him running. She reached over and started the electric can opener and out he ran. My friend used to say that he reminded her of the song "The Boxer" by Paul Simon because you could see every fight he'd ever been in. At one point, he got a gash in his neck and the vet sewed it up. When they took out the stitches after 2 weeks, his neck unzipped and they had to sew him up again for 8 weeks (the FIV made him heal slowly) He finally died of kidney failure, but he had one Hell of a life!
~Leah from Texas
http://tldkeepers.blogspot.com/
~Leah from Texas
http://tldkeepers.blogspot.com/
Grizzly
I remember hearing stories from my sister, Mandy, about the time she first got Grizzly. Her and her husband, Rob, had rescued him as a kitten, but he immediately scratched Rob, who lost patience quickly. He was going to return that stubborn kitten, but my sister softened him up. They kept that crazy cat, and he grew to be a beautiful animal, still as crazy as the day they got him!
Grizzly was a beautiful, slick black cat with a slim physique. He had frightening, green eyes and very silky fur. His pure dislike for me may have been clear, but there was no doubt that cat loved my sister very much. She was his friend, his mother, that odd creature who served him.
One of my best, and most painful, memories of Grizzly happened one night my younger sister, Lindy, and I were staying the night at Mandy's. Mandy was sleeping, and Lindy and I were watching television in her room. I was lying with my head at the foot of her bed, my feet on the pillows. Lindy was sitting on the floor by the foot of the bed, and, unknowing to me, Grizzly was sleeping to my right, at Mandy's feet. Well, Lindy and I were trying to laugh quietly at something on TV, and I turned around to make sure that we weren't waking Mandy up, but before I could turn my face all the way Grizzly lashed out and slapped me across the face, I actually heard my skin rip. I whipped my head back around, covering my mouth with my hands. Lindy was laughing, even when she saw blood pooling from my face into my hand-it's okay, I was still laughing too. Then, Mandy stirred, sat up a little, and showed her sincere concern. "Why are you guys being weird?" Her exact words. Then she went right back to sleep. I hurried out of the room, Lindy in tow. We went to the guest bathroom and there was blood covering my teeth, lips, chin and hands. I cleaned myself up, threw the bloody tissue into the garbage, and then took a few minutes to study the gash in my lip.
The next morning Mandy and Rob were up when I got downstairs, and the first thing they said to me was something to the effect of, "let me see what he did." I told them what happened and Mandy said she knew because she saw all the bloody Kleenix in the garbage. A earned a nickname because of the scar he left in my lip, which, thankfully has disappeared by now. I'm able to laugh at this now, it actually was pretty funny, even though that was his first true attack on me, and it was a whopper!
Another memory of Grizzly didn't end in bodily harm, but it did contain sheer terror. I was sleeping in the guest room at Mandy's house, and I don't know why, but something woke me up in the middle of the night. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Grizzly, just standing over me, staring at me. Apparently watching me sleep. I didn't move, I lay frozen in fear! Thankfully he decided to spare my life that night.
But no matter what memories I carry away from my time with Grizzly, I could never stop seeing his beauty, and his special love for one human being, my sister, his best friend, Mandy.
Grizzly was a beautiful, slick black cat with a slim physique. He had frightening, green eyes and very silky fur. His pure dislike for me may have been clear, but there was no doubt that cat loved my sister very much. She was his friend, his mother, that odd creature who served him.
One of my best, and most painful, memories of Grizzly happened one night my younger sister, Lindy, and I were staying the night at Mandy's. Mandy was sleeping, and Lindy and I were watching television in her room. I was lying with my head at the foot of her bed, my feet on the pillows. Lindy was sitting on the floor by the foot of the bed, and, unknowing to me, Grizzly was sleeping to my right, at Mandy's feet. Well, Lindy and I were trying to laugh quietly at something on TV, and I turned around to make sure that we weren't waking Mandy up, but before I could turn my face all the way Grizzly lashed out and slapped me across the face, I actually heard my skin rip. I whipped my head back around, covering my mouth with my hands. Lindy was laughing, even when she saw blood pooling from my face into my hand-it's okay, I was still laughing too. Then, Mandy stirred, sat up a little, and showed her sincere concern. "Why are you guys being weird?" Her exact words. Then she went right back to sleep. I hurried out of the room, Lindy in tow. We went to the guest bathroom and there was blood covering my teeth, lips, chin and hands. I cleaned myself up, threw the bloody tissue into the garbage, and then took a few minutes to study the gash in my lip.
The next morning Mandy and Rob were up when I got downstairs, and the first thing they said to me was something to the effect of, "let me see what he did." I told them what happened and Mandy said she knew because she saw all the bloody Kleenix in the garbage. A earned a nickname because of the scar he left in my lip, which, thankfully has disappeared by now. I'm able to laugh at this now, it actually was pretty funny, even though that was his first true attack on me, and it was a whopper!
Another memory of Grizzly didn't end in bodily harm, but it did contain sheer terror. I was sleeping in the guest room at Mandy's house, and I don't know why, but something woke me up in the middle of the night. The first thing I saw when I opened my eyes was Grizzly, just standing over me, staring at me. Apparently watching me sleep. I didn't move, I lay frozen in fear! Thankfully he decided to spare my life that night.
But no matter what memories I carry away from my time with Grizzly, I could never stop seeing his beauty, and his special love for one human being, my sister, his best friend, Mandy.
Bundy
My husband had Bundy when I met him & I have learned to love Bundy as if he was my own - Bundy was also very protective of me & knew when I needed comforting, etc.
I can remember the day as if it was yesterday. August 26, 2005 is still clear in my mind. It started out as the average day....My husband & I were then living in a caravan park while looking for a house to live in so I was walking Bundy up to 10 times a day - being a Staffy, he needed loads of exercise.
I took Bundy for his normal mid-morning walk & let him off the leash so he could romp around as he loved doing - especially in the long grass. We had a ball like we normally did then we came home & had a drink & a snack.
About 10 minutes after we got back, I noticed that Bundy was ill so I called the vets & sped the 30kms into town to get Bundy o the vets as quick as I could. It was diagnosed that he had been bitten by a snake - being mostly black, we couldn't see any bite marks but his symptoms were the give away.
The vet treated him for a Eastern Brown snake bite as that is the most common bites here in North Queensland & he seemed to be improving so the vet sent me home to let him recover. I went reluctantly - I didn't want to leave him & make him feel alone & it still breaks my heart knowing he died without me there.
I had been home about 2 hours when I got the call I'd been dreading & that was the moment my life fell apart.
My husband was working out at the mines which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from where we were living. So you can imagine how hard it was for me to break the news to my husband that his best mate had lost his battle.
I still blame myself to this day for Bundy's death - my husband doesn't blame me because Bundy needed his walks but I keep thinking that maybe if I had taken him a tad bit earlier or later then maybe he'd still be with us.
I had Bundy cremated so he can come with us no matter where we are & he now sits on our wall unit in our lounge room where he can see everything that goes on.
The pain never goes away but I know Bundy is still with us & protecting us.
I will always love you Bundy (Dec 17, 1999 - Aug 26, 2005.)
~Cassy from Golden Beach, Australia
I can remember the day as if it was yesterday. August 26, 2005 is still clear in my mind. It started out as the average day....My husband & I were then living in a caravan park while looking for a house to live in so I was walking Bundy up to 10 times a day - being a Staffy, he needed loads of exercise.
I took Bundy for his normal mid-morning walk & let him off the leash so he could romp around as he loved doing - especially in the long grass. We had a ball like we normally did then we came home & had a drink & a snack.
About 10 minutes after we got back, I noticed that Bundy was ill so I called the vets & sped the 30kms into town to get Bundy o the vets as quick as I could. It was diagnosed that he had been bitten by a snake - being mostly black, we couldn't see any bite marks but his symptoms were the give away.
The vet treated him for a Eastern Brown snake bite as that is the most common bites here in North Queensland & he seemed to be improving so the vet sent me home to let him recover. I went reluctantly - I didn't want to leave him & make him feel alone & it still breaks my heart knowing he died without me there.
I had been home about 2 hours when I got the call I'd been dreading & that was the moment my life fell apart.
My husband was working out at the mines which is about a 2 1/2 hour drive from where we were living. So you can imagine how hard it was for me to break the news to my husband that his best mate had lost his battle.
I still blame myself to this day for Bundy's death - my husband doesn't blame me because Bundy needed his walks but I keep thinking that maybe if I had taken him a tad bit earlier or later then maybe he'd still be with us.
I had Bundy cremated so he can come with us no matter where we are & he now sits on our wall unit in our lounge room where he can see everything that goes on.
The pain never goes away but I know Bundy is still with us & protecting us.
I will always love you Bundy (Dec 17, 1999 - Aug 26, 2005.)
~Cassy from Golden Beach, Australia
