Pet Picspam
As you may or may not know, my beloved puppy Sophie passed away last Friday from lymphoma. We knew by Thursday night that her time was coming, so we planned on taking her into the vet Friday afternoon, but she passed at home Friday morning instead, peacefully, with my mom and dad. We loved her very much. This is a note I wrote to myself Thursday night about everything I remembered about her. She was the smartest most loyal dog ever, and we'll miss her very much.
I remember how fast sophie used to run when we would take her to the park, back and forth across the field like it was the greatest, most important thing on earth. I rememeber how much she liked chasing gophers in the canal, and her paws would get all muddy and her fur would get all full of spurs when she would run though the fields. That one time, she ran away from mom and dad, and they searched for hours, when she just whent home. I remember her pink leash and spiked dog collar. Her nametags would jingle when she would walk. She would get so excited for her walks, and thrust her head into the collar under the crook of your arm. When she was young she jumped up to your face. She loved tennis balls and her grr toy, but especially her laser pointer. When she was a puppy she'd cry in her crate, or outside, if she were all alone. She would sleep on the bed with me for a while, but always got down after a few minutes. She didn't sleep in my room until I cleaned it. I sketched her sleeping once. We tried a shock collar to keep her from barking, but she would activate it by scratching, and it turns out she just didn't want to be alone. She dutifully patrolled the backyard. She liked to lay out in the sun. She loved water so much we thought she might be part lab. We used to keep the sliding door locked and a baby gate up to keep her out of our rooms. She was always getting into the garbage and then apologizing for it. She looked at you with love in her eyes even when she was getting spanked. We treated her with pigs ears, and carrots, and ice cubes when she was a puppy, peanut butter in a kong toy, empty peanut butter jars. She buried spoons and halloween candy in the backyard under the roses. She liked Bandit. The feeling was not mutual. He barely tolerates her now.
Sophie used to pull me on roller blades (with the blue leash) before her knees went bad. I left her outside without realizing she'd gone lame; mom found her after a couple of hours after I went to school. She had surgury. She couldn't sleep because she was thirsty after. Her breath was metallic. She either got her collar off or it was too small when she pulled all her staples out. I was scared and wanted my mommy to take care of her. Mom came up with her name. SHe sat on towels in the backseat of mom's van when we went to get her from the ASPCA. There were other dogs there, some not puppies. Dad said she had intelligence in her eyes. We picked her over her brothers. She had fleas and smelled like the track at Black Diamond. The worms distended her stomach so she couldn't sit without rolling back, and she got stuck on my mom's crossed ankles once. Her tongue got more spots when she got older. Simone tried to teach her submission. Sophie knew that she could boss around my brother, until he finally outgrew her. She had her first bath in my parent's tub. I can't tell if she liked baths or despised them. She seemed sad while they were happening, but she was sometimes eager for them to come. She loved the towels (they made great grr toys).
She understood "Easy" "drop it" "heel" (more or less), "sit" and "down" (she would try the first and then the other for treats), "move" "go away" "come here" "guard the house" "go bye byes" "peeewww" "laser pointer" (sometimes wishfully heard when "grr" was stated) "go lay down" "go for a walk" "outside", "be good", "bad girl" "no more" (when you showed her the laser pointer was going away). She needed durable toys she couldn't shred. She liked putting her "clothes" on. She liked her belly rubbed right under her ribcage. She would growl and scratch at the carpet to ease an itch. When she played grr, it was play gowls. She would scoot me around on the floor in that purple robe. She liked to pretend she was a lap dog and cuddle on the floor. She would use the coffee table as her den. She panicked when I locked her in the bathroom and tried to eat her way out. She didn't mind fireworks, but hated tall people, men, people in hats, or carrying something that changed their profile.
She had this way of looking at me with her ears back, her eyes blinking slowly and calmly, as if to say 'being with you is the best thing in the world". She had a big bushy tail that flopped to the right and wagged in a circle, when you'd say "wag wag wag" it'd go faster. Her fur was super soft and long under her ears, and it turned red when she'd go in the sun. She felt it her duty to protect you, and all she'd ask for is some love. She liked being brushed and she'd make a mess with the carrot all over the carpet. She didn't like having her paws touched. They were big.
When she was a puppy she tried to pull her bed through the dog door. She tried that with a large rawhide too, and couldn't figure it out. She liked the long leash, but once took off so fast that it flew out of my hand and hit John (or was it tyler?) in the back. She knocked over the christmas tree this year.
She was born April 25, 1999. She passed at 9:30, March 5, 2008. She was every loyal and loved. She is a peace now.
Sophie taking her pills with Peanut Butter (gift of the gods)
In the image below, you can see a benign fat tumor she had, unrelated to her lymphoma. It didn't bother her, and she was terrified of the vet, so we left it alone.
My dad picked her as a puppy because of the intelligence he saw in her eyes. He is good at selecting pets.
More peanut butter.
And a video my brother took of him and his friends playing with Sophie and the laser pointer, which was better than food to my puppy.
Since I could only come home for a short while on Sunday, after dealing with the trauma of coming home to an empty house without my beloved puppy greeting me that way she would every time I reappeared, my whole family got in the car in search of a replacement pet. Granted, we love our 14yo kitty Bandit (the most awesomest lovingest sanest kitty in the whole wide world), we're hurting, and a new pet helps. We found one! One black four-month-old (about) rescued feral kitten, named Teyla (because my brother and I think it's awesome, and it's a perfect name for this kitten. She's still getting used to these large bipedal loud things around her, so she's got a little safe room (bathroom) to hang out in, and my mom is working on socializing her more. She started purring the other day, which is awesome because she didn't before. She's pretty aloof, but still totally doesn't mind if you scratch her head and neck. Here she is!
Notice the coloring on her belly:
We got a kitty who's coat reminds us of Sophie.
She's always watching you. Very wary.
Bro took the pics.
I remember how fast sophie used to run when we would take her to the park, back and forth across the field like it was the greatest, most important thing on earth. I rememeber how much she liked chasing gophers in the canal, and her paws would get all muddy and her fur would get all full of spurs when she would run though the fields. That one time, she ran away from mom and dad, and they searched for hours, when she just whent home. I remember her pink leash and spiked dog collar. Her nametags would jingle when she would walk. She would get so excited for her walks, and thrust her head into the collar under the crook of your arm. When she was young she jumped up to your face. She loved tennis balls and her grr toy, but especially her laser pointer. When she was a puppy she'd cry in her crate, or outside, if she were all alone. She would sleep on the bed with me for a while, but always got down after a few minutes. She didn't sleep in my room until I cleaned it. I sketched her sleeping once. We tried a shock collar to keep her from barking, but she would activate it by scratching, and it turns out she just didn't want to be alone. She dutifully patrolled the backyard. She liked to lay out in the sun. She loved water so much we thought she might be part lab. We used to keep the sliding door locked and a baby gate up to keep her out of our rooms. She was always getting into the garbage and then apologizing for it. She looked at you with love in her eyes even when she was getting spanked. We treated her with pigs ears, and carrots, and ice cubes when she was a puppy, peanut butter in a kong toy, empty peanut butter jars. She buried spoons and halloween candy in the backyard under the roses. She liked Bandit. The feeling was not mutual. He barely tolerates her now.
Sophie used to pull me on roller blades (with the blue leash) before her knees went bad. I left her outside without realizing she'd gone lame; mom found her after a couple of hours after I went to school. She had surgury. She couldn't sleep because she was thirsty after. Her breath was metallic. She either got her collar off or it was too small when she pulled all her staples out. I was scared and wanted my mommy to take care of her. Mom came up with her name. SHe sat on towels in the backseat of mom's van when we went to get her from the ASPCA. There were other dogs there, some not puppies. Dad said she had intelligence in her eyes. We picked her over her brothers. She had fleas and smelled like the track at Black Diamond. The worms distended her stomach so she couldn't sit without rolling back, and she got stuck on my mom's crossed ankles once. Her tongue got more spots when she got older. Simone tried to teach her submission. Sophie knew that she could boss around my brother, until he finally outgrew her. She had her first bath in my parent's tub. I can't tell if she liked baths or despised them. She seemed sad while they were happening, but she was sometimes eager for them to come. She loved the towels (they made great grr toys).
She understood "Easy" "drop it" "heel" (more or less), "sit" and "down" (she would try the first and then the other for treats), "move" "go away" "come here" "guard the house" "go bye byes" "peeewww" "laser pointer" (sometimes wishfully heard when "grr" was stated) "go lay down" "go for a walk" "outside", "be good", "bad girl" "no more" (when you showed her the laser pointer was going away). She needed durable toys she couldn't shred. She liked putting her "clothes" on. She liked her belly rubbed right under her ribcage. She would growl and scratch at the carpet to ease an itch. When she played grr, it was play gowls. She would scoot me around on the floor in that purple robe. She liked to pretend she was a lap dog and cuddle on the floor. She would use the coffee table as her den. She panicked when I locked her in the bathroom and tried to eat her way out. She didn't mind fireworks, but hated tall people, men, people in hats, or carrying something that changed their profile.
She had this way of looking at me with her ears back, her eyes blinking slowly and calmly, as if to say 'being with you is the best thing in the world". She had a big bushy tail that flopped to the right and wagged in a circle, when you'd say "wag wag wag" it'd go faster. Her fur was super soft and long under her ears, and it turned red when she'd go in the sun. She felt it her duty to protect you, and all she'd ask for is some love. She liked being brushed and she'd make a mess with the carrot all over the carpet. She didn't like having her paws touched. They were big.
When she was a puppy she tried to pull her bed through the dog door. She tried that with a large rawhide too, and couldn't figure it out. She liked the long leash, but once took off so fast that it flew out of my hand and hit John (or was it tyler?) in the back. She knocked over the christmas tree this year.
She was born April 25, 1999. She passed at 9:30, March 5, 2008. She was every loyal and loved. She is a peace now.
Sophie taking her pills with Peanut Butter (gift of the gods)
In the image below, you can see a benign fat tumor she had, unrelated to her lymphoma. It didn't bother her, and she was terrified of the vet, so we left it alone.
My dad picked her as a puppy because of the intelligence he saw in her eyes. He is good at selecting pets.
More peanut butter.
And a video my brother took of him and his friends playing with Sophie and the laser pointer, which was better than food to my puppy.
Click to viewSince I could only come home for a short while on Sunday, after dealing with the trauma of coming home to an empty house without my beloved puppy greeting me that way she would every time I reappeared, my whole family got in the car in search of a replacement pet. Granted, we love our 14yo kitty Bandit (the most awesomest lovingest sanest kitty in the whole wide world), we're hurting, and a new pet helps. We found one! One black four-month-old (about) rescued feral kitten, named Teyla (because my brother and I think it's awesome, and it's a perfect name for this kitten. She's still getting used to these large bipedal loud things around her, so she's got a little safe room (bathroom) to hang out in, and my mom is working on socializing her more. She started purring the other day, which is awesome because she didn't before. She's pretty aloof, but still totally doesn't mind if you scratch her head and neck. Here she is!
Notice the coloring on her belly:
We got a kitty who's coat reminds us of Sophie.
She's always watching you. Very wary.
Bro took the pics.