First I'm sorry for your loss, but the void is being filled.
Bill
Oh no, the void will still be there. We still think about Lakota every day and miss him still and it's been over three years. But there is always room in our hearts for another. They never take the place of the ones that come before, just add to the joys that are in our lives.
You are absolutely right, this pup is not a "replacement" and never will, each animal has its own identity and imprint in our hearts and memories...!
Many will disagree with getting another pet as soon as possible after we lose a pet but, I think that in the end , there are choices that are made for us, regardless, many of those that decided not to get another pet and respect to the memory of the lost one, aren't doing themselves any good by suffering/feeding on the pain the lost pet created, from experience I can state the contrary is the truth, I once was one of these people and I can guarantee that feeling lonely and living with a painful memory of your lost mate (pet dog) is "damaging" to say the least...!
I soon learned that, keeping a good and happy memory of your lost pet, opening yourself (your heart) to the tough that you may be missing on helping and giving that sort of love and dedication to another animal that desperately need you. You were capable of such devotion once, you can do it again, believe me. Your lost pet , where ever he/she is, will be grateful that you have another special pet to look after, animals don't hold a grudge or are jealous as we humans, thanks goodness for that...!:biggrin:
I did also find an interesting peace of mind and warm feeling in my heart, when I was given the opportunity to have my lost mate (Major) cremated and be offered to keep his ashes...! He rests now on the original urn supplied by the Animal Welfare Legacy, who took care of the cremation, in the computer room where I spend a considerable time each day. He is 5 feet away from me with one of many pictures that we always loved of him.
We both (wife and me) say hello to him, in the most grateful way we can, he takes very little room in that shelve, but he took a big space in our hearts...!
We decided that we didn't want be alone, we decided to get another pet as soon as we could not knowing when or what we wanted, 3 weeks after we lost Major we were offered "ZAC" by complete strangers that some how knew that we had lost our pet, a 2+ year old German short-haired Pointer with some (a lot...!
) attitude problems and a bad temperament towards any other dog, big or small.
Zac settle in immediately, as if he always knew us, and we had first hand experience of his behaviour near other dogs, sooner rather than later (next day...!). A few months later (3 I think) we were at our wood storage paddock belonging to the Chinese vegetable farm next door to us (300 meters), when we saw this little white dog running trough the farm and coming towards us.
Zac saw it first and he was at the boundary fence waiting before we had time to run fast enough to void a catastrophe...!
This little dog never stopped as he was determine to come our way (Zac's way...!) and as he crossed the bottom wire of the fence, with us at a good 30 meters behind, we saw the unimaginable, Zac didn't bark or make a sound while waiting and his long tail went from pointed up to wiggly, as this little dog started leaking him...!
Who's dog is this and from where did him come from...??? coming from the vegetable farm side was strange as the farm has no dogs so, we got in the car with this little dog behaving as if he was ever part of the family, we went around to the farm's house and find out what we could, only to being told that this little dog, was one of the Chinese workers teenage daughter's pet that she got as a pup, 2 1/2 years prior. Apparently, this young girl (14 at the time) decide to get a Maltese pup as companion and playing toy, until she found out about "boys"...!
all of a certain, the dog was in the way and no longer fun to have so, she decide to bring the dog and all his toys, bad, clothes, food and other stuff, to the farm where the father worked and simply "dumped" it there, putting him on a small chain inside of the big shed.
This teenage's father didn't know that she was going to do that, nor he wanted or could have the dog in a farm so and after all day without eating, barking and trying to get out of the chain, he did manage through the nigh and no one knew where he was that day until we rock-up middle afternoon that day with him.
We were quite annoyed with this girls and I tough in contacting RSPCA and report her, her behaviour was most certainly unacceptable and she needed to know that somehow but, looking at the 2 animals together Zac and Teddy as we found out, we couldn't but wonder why did Zac accept him the way he did and why did Teddy run a away and disappear for the day and decided to run for his life towards us, particularly towards a dog many times bigger than him that he didn't know and we tough was going to "eat him" :redface:
Zac is a desexed male and Teddy is also a male but never registered or "cut", both worked to be the same age, according to the Vet and we decided to adopt this little dog, contrary to what we were told and ever though possible with Zac's attitude towards other dogs but Teddy, for whatever reason has became his best mate since that very moment they met at the fence, we didn't particularly though in having 2 dogs, not the Real State rental conditions did allow for 2 dogs but with the description of events to the house owner that we know, she decided that would be OK for us to have them.
I didn't report this Teenager to the Authorities but did the next best thing, I got her father to arrange a meeting with her daughter and us at the farm, as I had something to say to her and I wanted her to sign a "release/ownership transfer" for this dog. I believe she will thing twice before she does anything like this ever again...!
Was it coincidence, was it luck, was it destiny...??? we don't know and never will, one thing I can say is that, things always happen for a reason, regardless if we like it, understand it, accepted it or not...!
We are glad that we were given these 2 creatures to care for, our life's are enriched as a result and we wouldn't have it in any other way...!:biggrin:
I apologise for my long post, I get easily emotional and deep into these issues which represent a lot to us, sorry...!
Being one of those that claim, "no pics, didn't happen...!" attached are pics of Major (deceased), Zac and Teddy.:wink:
