5 May 2015

An ode to all lost pets

| Tammy Ven Dange
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Zoe in her prime

Earlier this week a good friend of mine suddenly lost her 11-year-old dog, Zoe (pictured above, in her prime), to heart failure. I’m sure the death of a close mate or relative would have been just as painful for her. It absolutely broke her heart.

It’s funny how pets do this to us. They come into our lives often without notice or significant planning, and before we realise it they have taken over our beds, changed our schedules and turned the house into their playground.

We are suspicious when we can’t hear them, greet them like children and write endless Facebook posts about their daily routines regardless of how inappropriate they are to share. We think about them when we go on holidays, buy them birthday and Christmas presents, and show complete strangers their photos whenever we can.

How did we manage to live without them? Most of us can’t remember what it was like back then, but we certainly feel the pain when they depart for whatever reason.

So, to all the pets that have been a part of our families:

Thank you for making our houses louder, our stories richer and our hearts more humble by the love and joy you have brought to our homes. Our lives are forever changed because you have been a part of it.

Tammy Ven Dange is the Chief Executive Officer of RSPCA ACT. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @tvendange.

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vintage123 said :

My little scruffy dog and sooky cat get me through the toughest of days, nights and early hours. The cat was rescued from the RSPCA 15 years ago – still going strong.

I jinxed my cat. Unfortunately he passed away a week ago and upon reflection he was 19 years old. I am so sad. I do thank Jan Spade from Hall, who is by far the best vet in the world, for making such a tragic scenario as comfortable as possible.

I recall with affection every pet I ever owned – or who owned me. They still give me warm fuzzies from the lost cat I got as a very young child, the stray puppy who turned up in the house unannounced (both of whom stayed and delighted us for 17 years, the little scruff Aust Terrier my sister bought, the birds & mice my daughter gave home to, her first dog who came from a pet shop where she “worked” as a 9year old, her cat from the RSPCA shelter who stayed with us for 15 years and now our great big Ragdoll, we nick-named Hagred because he reminds us of Hagred from Harry Pottter – not the sharpest tool in the shed, but wonderful in so many other heart-shaped ways.
I also wish to thank the RSPCA at this time, for the work they do.
Also thank you for assisting some of those friends into our lives and for kindly & gently helping some of them when it was time to pass on & helping us to manage that loss.

My little scruffy dog and sooky cat get me through the toughest of days, nights and early hours. The cat was rescued from the RSPCA 15 years ago – still going strong.

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