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Just before Thanksgiving, my grandmother passed away due to cancer. We were able to get some of her things in order before she passed. This included taking care of her dogs and making sure they went to good homes. I was worried about them at the start, about how they would handle the loss, the changes, and the grief. Fortunately, they all went back to their previous owners, people they know and who know them, and they are doing quite well last I checked.
Do animals grieve? You bet your pretty floral bonnet they do. Growing up on the farm, observing wildlife in their natural environment, and studying my own pets, I have seen plenty of animals grieve over the loss of a pack member or friend - animal or human. Every animal has a different response to loss. Some show hardly any signs of grief. Others grieve worse than the rest. It is heartbreaking to see them cry and mope around, waiting for their friend to come home. They always recover and their grieving times are almost always shorter than that of humans, but how do you comfort a pet while they are grieving? Here are seven easy tips that I have learned over the years with my own pets:
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DoggyLoot has been one of my FAVORITE websites for a few years now. Some of my most used and loved dog products have come from them, and at a fraction of the price. If you want to keep an eye out for good deals on toys, chews, bowls, leashes, collars, mats, and unique items that you can rarely find anywhere else, then DoggyLoot is the place to go. They rotate their deals every week/month, so if they don't have anything that interests you this week, then they might next! I love that.
Value Pet Supplies is another one of those places where you are bound to find a good deal. At first, they are overwhelming, because they have a TON of stuff. But, if you are looking for something specific, then VPS is bound to have it. Did I mention that they have a whole section dedicated just for stuff that is made in the USA? Also, they have a dog section, cat section, bird, small pet, fish, and reptile section. So they are definitely all around pet friendly. Etsy has also become one of my new favorite places to shop for pets. You can find pretty much anything on Etsy if you look hard enough. Etsy makes it easy for me to find small dog businesses here in the USA. If you like your dogs to wear pretty and unique collars, Etsy could become a serious addiction for you that may require medical attention. You don't have to search far to find a dog collar to fit every mood, every season, and every fandom that you have ever loved. You can also find bandannas, bow ties, flowers, and special dog tags to match each collar that you get! It's madness! And that's not all that Etsy has to offer: beds, crates, houses, custom bowls, clothes, jackets, costumes and just about anything else you can imagine for every kind of pet there is! I've even found stuff just for pet pigs (which, to a farm girl, that's kinda weird). If you want, you can follow me on Etsy and watch my "Pet Items" favorites (which I linked at the top). I favorite a lot of cool pet items and stick in that list, so if you watch it, I may find something that you like! Capturing Couture is another place that I have recently come to be acquainted with and like. They mostly sell really pretty and well made items for photographers. Items such as bags (I want one!), straps, lens savers, and the like. But they also have a pet section where they offer cute reversible dog vests, dog beds, cutsie collars and leashes. If you like chic stuff then they would probably tickle you and your dog's fancy! Instagram has come up several times in my past blog posts. If you take a lot of pictures of your pets, make friends with other pet enthusiasts like you, or you just like to look at pictures of other people's furkids, then Instagram is the place to hang out at. The only problem I have with it is that it is an app. I can't use it on my computer. This causes troubles for me, sometimes, because of where I live. A lot of times, my data and cell service are non-existent. If you are on Instagram, look me and Pilot up! We love to show off our pictures. My Instagram Pilot's Instagram MyPaws is for those who are either really crazy or really desperate to socialize with other pet people like them. In my case, I'm both crazy and desperate, thus why I joined it. It's basically like Facebook for pets. The "hoomans" post "status updates" for their pets, and the only "human interaction" that takes place is in the forums, which are full of helpful and kind people. MyPaws is not an app and does not have an app yet (so guess which age groups use it most?). It is predominately used by dog owners, but there are a few cats and other critters on there as well. It is a great way to find other pet owners in your same area/state, and connect with others from out of state, or even out of country. Unfortunately, for me, there are only two dogs from Oklahoma who are semi-active on it; Pilot and one other doggie. Go figure. If you are crazy/desperate enough to join MyPaws, be sure to send Pilot a friend request! If you ever go to Oklahoma City and want to bring your pooch along, then I suggest looking at this website: The Dog Dish Magazine. The section "Dog Friendly OKC" is especially helpful. I live in Oklahoma and make a trip to the city at least once a year, and I didn't even know about all the pet friendly places in OKC! Pet parks, I knew existed, but wineries? Restaurants? Seriously? Wow. That's awesome. They also have health, wellness, and training articles, dog related news, wag-n-brag section, and lists of upcoming dog related events. If you live in the OKC area, you can get the magazine! Like, the real paper version. You can read all about it on their website. Do you and your pet have a favorite website or app that you visit all the time? If you do, share it with us in the comments! In the meantime, if you are a blogger, and you have a blog post about your pet, wildlife, farm animals, pet item review, or even a review of a book about animals, please link it up to The Pets & I Critter Hop below! If you know a blogger who has a few blog posts about animals, tell them to link up a post or two down below. If you know a blogger who knows a blogger who makes animal related blog posts......... yeah, you get the point. When I was a young girl, a very kind lady I've known all my life introduced me to a fascinating creature: a ferret. I remember that the ferret had been sleeping in an old t-shirt in its cage. I thought the cage was empty, until suddenly, this strange little creature popped it's head out of the t-shirt and looked right at me with the utmost curiosity. I froze where I was at, and I must have screamed, because the ferret disappeared back into his t-shirt and the kind lady came to my aid in a hurry "It's called a ferret, darling." she explained with a smile "Would you like to hold it?" she asked. Of course, I said yes. The moment she put the long, furry creature into my small hands, I was in love. I wanted one. Years later, my parents were still not sold on my having a ferret. They thought it was a rodent (which it is not, by the way.... daddy, I'm talking to YOU.), and rodents are not allowed in our house (we have field mice visiting our house all the time, after all). So, I contented myself with taking my desire to the one person I could always rely on: God. I told Him very often how much I liked ferrets, and how I would like to have one some day. He must have heard me, because I did end up with one. In 2009, my sister and I went to the local pet shelter to turn in some stray dogs. While we were there, I noticed a small cage with two ferrets in it. One, a big one, was the acclaimed mascot of the shelter. The other one was small and younger, and had been found wandering the streets. One of the managers at the shelter, a sweet old gentleman, was celebrating his 80th birthday that day. His grin was quite large as he pulled the small ferret from the cage and said "Today is my birthday, and I want to give you a present!" and he handed the ferret over. No, it wasn't proper procedure, but it was one of the nicest things anyone has ever done for me, and I will never forget it. From that time on, Popi (poe-pee) lived with our family. The vet guessed her to be a little over a year old when she was given to me, which would've made her about 6ish years old this year. That is a very ripe age for a ferret, considering most don't live past that age. In the past, Popi was always a very active little girl. She could play outside in my flowerbeds for hours, and would never hold still for pictures. She would hunt mice and tarantulas (shudder), and could take a full grown Golden Retriever down to the ground! She was feisty and full of fight! Over the first few months of this year, however, Popi had begun to show her age. She was moving slow and tired easily. Her appetite came and went, and she had several fainting spells and a couple of seizures if she stressed too much. I knew that her time was growing very short. On May 16th, Popi was feeling active and lively, so I said to myself "While she's feeling good, you should get some decent photos of her..." With the help of the kids, I laid out a nice blanket on the couch, grabbed my camera, gave Popi some treats, and took some pictures of her. She actually posed for me a couple of times! I was so happy. I knew that, if she were to pass away that night, I would have a couple of good pictures to remember her by. On June 14th, 2014, before 10AM, my dear little Popi passed away quietly. I miss her very much. |
Kathryn FoglemanAuthor of the fantasy series, Tales of the Wovlen, Kathryn spends a great deal of time in the world of her imagination, having tea with fire breathing dragons, writing books on flying space ships, and practicing her mad scientist laugh with gusto. However, on occasion,she returns to this world just to play with her dog and blog about her fun. My BookGrab a Button!![]() Archives
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