Posted on 09/23/2016 9:00:36 AM PDT by Morgana
When you think of huskies, you probably picture cold weather… dog sledding… and romping in snow drifts, right? That’s why, for one husky owner, it meant the world to be able to give her beloved pet, Spunky, the experience of snow one last time.
Ashley Niels first met Spunky in 2004, when she was 19 years old and still in college. In her free time, Niels volunteered at an animal shelter in northern Wisconsin. One day, they asked her to pitch in by swinging by the pound and selecting a dog to bring to an adoption event.
“At first I wasn’t sure if I wanted to take him because he was a very energetic pup, bouncing all over the place and covered in mud,” Niels recalls of her first interaction with Spunky.
She did end up taking him, though. And by the end of the event, Niels had filled out the paperwork to adopt the rambunctious husky pup herself.
Ashley and Spunky moved into animal friendly off-campus housing and lived in Wisconsin together for four years until Ashley graduated.
“He LOVED snow,” Niels told CBS News. “He could play in snow drifts for hours and be just fine. He also liked eating it. He would come in with ice crystals all over him, but be so happy about it!”
(Excerpt) Read more at tristateupdate.com ...
I hope you will go to a shelter and let another kitty choose you to be their human when you are ready-since my two obviously still miss both their pack members, I will no doubt do that before too long-it is just too soon right now...
I thought it might be to soon as well, but my wife and I both decided as much as we both loved and terribly miss our Courtney that the house is too empty. So, we are going to the cat rescue shelter on Sunday to find a new friend. They say that cats chose their owners. Twenty years ago we went looking for a Siamese kitten and instead this little tabby just started jumping all over both of us and following us all around the same shelter and we both knew this little girl desperately wanted to come home with us. We want another Tabby, but we will see.
I’ve had mostly tabbies-I just have a special affection for them-both of my cats are tabbies-an orange longhair and a brindle shorthair-my Maine Coon was a gray tabby...
My little brindle tabby is about 4 years old and small, too-6 lbs or so. She spent the first year or two of her life as a feral cat in the woods, but a shelter employee finally got her to come along with her. Since I had a cat friendly Husky, and I sometimes foster cats, I got a call from the shelter, wanting me to foster a small skittish feral cat-get her used to other cats, a dog, indoor life, etc so she could be adopted by some quiet single person with no other pets, so I said okay.
Within a few weeks, she was playing with the dog and other two cats, sticking close and sleeping on the bed with me at night-she had chosen me, so I paid the fee and she has been my Velcro cat ever since...
That's the overwhelming guilt I am feeling right now, either justified or not.
If your kitty was suffering, you did the only kind thing possible for your precious pet-I’ve felt guilty after having a suffering pet put down, too-but I couldn’t bear to have them leave a happy life in such pain-I don’t think we ever feel right about the decision...
Don’t fault yourself for loving your friend and having to make the decision for them. I felt the same way, trust me. Our Kitty had cardiomyopathy which alone can cause death and blood clots. She ended up having saddle thrombosis which is very painful and even if you attempt surgery or therapy they have more pain and rarely live through it or much longer. Hard to hear from the vet about your loved one and harder to be the one to decide. They know you loved them!. The Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be His name.
I used to have a Norwegian Elkhound, related to huskies. She loved snow. Worst time in her life was when we lived in So. Cal. Horrible. I can relate to this woman’s love for her Spunky. Glad he’s getting to enjoy that last snow.
Tex, our little black and white tiger striped tabby was a tiny thing too. She was only 7 pounds and was a wild rescue kitten, but tame when we adopted her and she adopted us from the shelter. Love the temperament of our tabby as she was smart, playful, always at our feet, in our lap, on the bed, at the dinner table, laying across your work, and in the last few year begged for me to carry her around, which I always would. I think like you, this time around we may get two kittens so they have a friend in the house.
I hope you are chosen by just the right kitten(s) to share your home and help to fill that empty space.
Since I live in a remote area with both water and woods a few 100 ft. away, my cats even work for a living, even though they live indoors all the time-there are coyotes and even mountain lions here-so outdoor pets=take-out meals for predators...
My cats do not allow any mouse that manages to get in to survive at all-Midget girl drags it out of whatever small space it is in, and Titus takes over, swatting and biting it-he weighs 15 lbs-instant rodent death. Cats work for praise and treats, too-much cheaper than an exterminator, and all organic...
LoL..Midget and Titus... I love the names. My sister lives in Mariposa California and has bears, mountain lions, bobcats, coyotes, raccoons, and they always let their two outdoor cats inside the house or garage at night. Her indoor cat never goes out. Yes her kitties love to bring home trophies and sometimes they are snakes and yet her kitties manage not to get bitten.
Cats are very good at disarming dangerous prey-Titus can tear the stings off scorpions without getting nailed-he only missed once, but it made him so sick that I held him in my arms for 2 hours, putting cold dishtowels around him and fearing for his life-he recovered quickly, and my vet said he would have been okay in any case-but I’m not taking a chance again-I got him from the shelter as a 2 month old baby kitten and he is very dear to me-I watch for the scorpions and kill them before he can go after them.
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