Reality Bites

Yesterday was my DD's 12th birthday and it was a day filled
with happiness and sadness.
We lost our beloved 15 year-old cat Sammie to
kidney failure. The months between July 04 and July 05 have made for a long
year when we think about the beloved pets we’ve said good-bye too.

July 19,
2004 we lost our 12 year-old Golden Retriever to cancer.

December 20th we said
good bye to our almost 18 year-old cat Duncan due to kidney failure and
yesterday our Sammie. It’s not hard for an adult to understand that our pets
were old for animals but kids don't see it that way because to them those ages
are young.

Unfortunately we’re still facing more tough life decisions
since we have two very senior pets happily living with us. First there's
Leonardo, named for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle. He’ll turn 16 on my
youngest DD's birthday in February. He suffers from some mild kidney problems
due to age but we're able to make his life good with a new medication approved
for use in cats. Then there's my old cuddler Chester, he's our
spaniel/retriever mix who turns 16 sometime during this year. Since we aren't
sure of the month we basically celebrate his life all year.
His only signs of
age are his gray face and arthritis. He still goes for one to two quarter mile
walks a day depending on the heat or cold and you'll find him trying to keep up
with our puppies occasionally.

The sadness of our most recent loss will fade, but the joy
our boy Sammie gave will live on in our hearts and memories.