Connected to Animals

One of life's greatest gifts, apart from human family, are fur family members ie. dogs, cats and all animals really.

I've been drawn to animals since I can remember. I was just a toddler in a photo I found petting a cat. I'm told I was this way from the get go, not my siblings, not any other family members just me. I was always drawn to animals especially dogs and cats. There is just an undeniable connection. They are my happy place.

My first dog, a shitzu named Samantha 'Samy', my mom picked up on the side of the road for $200 from a man selling a box of puppies. She decided she didn't want to pay the additional fee and would return the dog and I stepped in as a freshly out of highschool, pregnant young woman and paid the fee because I was the one that took care of her from day one anyways.

I had Samy for 18 years alongside my daughter that was born under a year from when I got her. She had a stroke around age 15 but recovered well although she was going blind. She lasted another few years while blind. One day I woke up to go to work and outside she was stiff and wobbly but I didn't think anything of it but then when I left to work something told me to turn around and go back home. When I got back home, she was in her bed but not looking right, apparently having congenital heart failure and died in my arms. 

I had adopted a stray cat I named Kitty during the years I had Samy. She was the sweetest cat I'd ever known. I never saw her hiss she was a sweet and gentle girl. She missed her sister Samy so on my daughter's 10th birthday she adopted a 15 lb funny looking black terrier mix we named Mika. 

Mika was a funny cooky dog that looked like she came out of a Harry Potter creature movie. She was a good girl but was happier around humans then other dogs. At the dog park, she would jump up and sit on the park bench observing, she didn't love being involved with the other dogs too much.

Well my cat Kitty started losing some weight and acting off around age twelve so I took her to the doctor and after many different visits and tests, she was diagnosed with cancer. I took her to a specialist, she started her treatments but one day, on our way to take my daughter to the airport because she was visiting from college, Kitty came with us because she had a doctor appointment after. After I dropped off my daughter, we arrived at the hospital and Kitty went into cardiac arrest in my lap. They rushed her back but she was gone. 

Now I'm only left with Mika, the creature terrier mix. One day I came across an instagram post for a dog named Lulu and she was a wire haired funny looking terrier mix (just how I like them). She was returned to the shelter a second time, they claimed the owner died. They were pleading to help her get out of the shelter since she was there going on three months. I offered to pull her and meet a rescue halfway from Miami to Delray Beach. I had never pulled a dog before and didn't realize how much paperwork and process was involved but I did it and when I got to my car the rescue lady would not answer my text or phone calls. I now had this large drooling dog in my car and didn't know what to do.

I had to take her home because returning her wasn't an option, and luckily she was nice to my dog Mika and after a few weeks of trying to find her a home, I just kept her. Mika and Lulu became comfortable and lived life together for a few more years before Mika started showing signs of illness. The vet said she had ehrlichia and it was treatable but she also had a swollen spleen they needed to do more testing on but could also be from the ehrlichia.

Fast forward a month or two later, Mika's eye became swollen and red. I made an appointment for the eye specialist, during covid, so I wasn't able to go inside and the eye doctor called me and said I needed to rush Mika to emergency because her blood pressure was so low. They brought her out to me and in traffic trying to get to the emergency, Mika died in my arms in the car.

So I have three animals Samy, Kitty and Mika that have all died in my arms. I have to believe that it is not a coincidence and it's a spiritually divine connection to my animals. Could also be because I've only ever had female animals and therefore they're super considerate lol. I never planned on not putting them down if it was time and I never held off if the animal was in dire conditions, it organically happened all three times and I feel special that it did.

I am now left with Lulu and I hope it's many many years until we see how she crosses but either way I'm grateful for all my furbabies and hope they never suffer and will always do what I can and save animals in my lifetime.

The time spent with animals is worth the small trouble to hurt when they pass.

Are you a dog lover and ready to take on any challenge that comes with the joy of having them as part of our lives and helping them thrive?

Happy Fur Baby'ing

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