Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Petlife.

Pebble's story.
It's something of a daydream this memory, hazy, warm but still absolute. The temperature was perfect, and the taste of sea salt was lingering on my lips as me and my brother, Seán, cycled to the pebble beach at our grandparents. I was ten, so that made him 12. We were laughing loud, free from any fear of annoying anyone, free from really any cares at all. Looking back, it's something of a miracle we heard him at all.
By Paul Heder5 years ago in Petlife
Meeting Mr B 🐾
The 1st time I saw Mr B. I fell in love with him. I think he fell in love with me too. Our energy together was priceless. He was the cutest lil guy I had ever seen. His cream & white coloring, with these big brown eyes & the cutest pointy lil big ears. He is a 8 month old chihuahua / pomeranian mix. Mr B was rescued from an abusive home and this guy I was dating at the time rescued him from that situation. I then rescued Mr B from the guy I was dating. I believe he (the human guy) thought Mr B was there to rescue him instead of the other way around. He wasn't properly caring for Mr B, For the age he was he wasn't going potty outside, he was left alone all day long while the guy went to work all day & the bar all night afterwards. He had him scratching with an infestation of fleas for a couple of months. I can't begin to tell you the numerous amount of arguments we had that were brought about because of him not caring for "B" correctly. I used to ask why am I arguing with you over "your" dog?
By Fabulous I AM5 years ago in Petlife
Little Joey and Khloe
Not one to gush too much usually, but these are my two adorable little furball additions to the family, Joey (the tabby on the left in the above photo) and Khloe (long hair, could be part Maine Coon on the right in the above photo). Joey is technically my mom's birthday present from my sister-in-law circa September 2017, while Khloe was rescued quite literally off the street in November of 2019. Both of them are absolutely adored and have brought a lot of life into the household.
By Jackie Barrows5 years ago in Petlife
The Kitten Who Walked the Storm
2019 hailed many strange things, being arguably the last normal (or less than outright crazy) year many people have had, but what stood out most to me was the storm that swept the east coast and hit my neck of the woods particularly hard. Heavy winds upended trees, which fell on power lines and killed power throughout the city. Waiting out flash flooding and deafening cracks of thunder that day taught us to truly appreciate the power of nature...and it’s potential for surprises.
By Dontae Ryan 5 years ago in Petlife
Opening Schrodinger's Box
There is a thought experiment in quantum physics where a cat inside a box has a 50% chance of being alive, and until you open that box to confirm his condition, the cat is, theoretically, both alive and dead. Schrodinger’s cat, as the imaginary feline is known, has his fate sealed only when you open the box. Similarly, a missing cat may theoretically be both alive and dead in your mind until he’s been found - even if he’s never found - and while finding him will seal that fate for better or for worse, it is only in opening that box that the weight of that question can be removed from your mind.
By Shauna Specht5 years ago in Petlife
Calypso the Adorable Pup
I met Calypso two days after I had to say goodbye to my best friend, familiar, and beloved furbaby, Selene. Her health had started to deteriorate a couple of years prior and the year before saying goodbye to her we’d discovered she had a rare type of cancer that was inoperable and had no treatment. The type could be either aggressive or super slow growing. Sadly, Selene had the aggressive version of this cancer and even while writing this almost 3 years later I get teary eyed over the loss. I knew there was no way I could handle the void there was without having a dog in my life. One of my best friends knew this; she was with me the day Selene passed.
By Amanda Martin5 years ago in Petlife
Jaffacake With A Twist
I’d love to say that I like animals, but I don’t. I had always told people I liked cats, with no actual backing. I had never really been around cats to know if I liked them. But they all seemed sweet and cuddly on screen when watching cat videos were all the rage.
By Jane Doe 5 years ago in Petlife
Finding A Friend
At five years old I already knew what heartbreak was, the dog I raised since she was a puppy got hit by a car and crossed over the rainbow bridge. For two years I had taken care of her, played with her (fetch was her favorite) and loved her with all my heart. I was so excited about her that I brought her to my preschool show and tell. My grandma got one of the sisters in the litter and we named them after my favorite characters from sleeping beauty Flora and Fauna. At five I didn’t think I could love anyone as much as I loved my dog so when she died I didn’t think I could love anything again. I blamed myself I thought I was a terrible pet guardian. A year later I still had trepidation about getting another dog. My family however thought another dog would help with the grieving process. I wasn’t fully ready but we started looking anyway. Everyone thought I was looking for a puppy but deep in my heart I knew it would feel too much like I was replacing my Flora. One weekend at the local pet supplies store they were hosting the Animal Friends Connection adoptable pet day, so we decided to check it out. I told myself I was just looking, my mom said I didn’t have to make a commitment. We could take things at my pace. When we walked into the pet supply store there were a lot of people with their foster pets. We went up to the front table and the Animal Friends Connection representatives explained a little about the organization and the rules for the day. We told them we were looking for a dog and they directed us past the aisles of cats, closer to the back of the store where the adoptable dogs were. I started down the first aisle looking at the dogs, most of them were male or already in the possible adoption stage. I was looking for a female as we already had an adult female family dog and wanted to avoid any dominance issues. There was this adorable male bull terrier named Mikey who kept jumping out of his cage and into this lady’s arms. There were rows of empty already adopted dogs, I felt a twinge of disappointment but also a feeling of joy because so many had found homes. I continued walking past the empty cages until I came to this cage with a fluffy auburn colored dog. She was so pretty. The sign on her cage said “hi my name is muffin”. I thought it was a perfect name for her. My mom started talking to muffin’s foster mom Nancy. We found out muffin was a three year old sheltie mix. Nancy told us that muffin’s first family wasn’t always able to afford to feed her. That this was the third time muffin had bounced from her family back to Nancy. She had gotten approval from them this last surrendering of muffin to put her up for adoption. Nancy said due to the situation of not always having food muffin developed issues with becoming aggressive during meals. We talked to Nancy for awhile but I wasn’t ready to make a commitment. Nancy understood and didn’t want us to rush into anything. She encouraged us to keep looking and think about it. We continued down the aisles but muffin kept tugging at my heart. We were both broken and I felt we needed each other. Throughout the day we kept coming back to muffin. My older brothers who had been running around the store had found a cage with a litter of puppies but I was hesitant and didn’t go to see them. We came back to muffin. The Animal Friends Connection were allowing perspective adopters to take one on one walks with the dogs behind the store so Nancy suggested we take muffin for one. During that walk I felt completely comfortable and muffin seemed happy to go for a walk. I think that’s when I knew muffin was the dog for me. My dad and brothers didn’t want me to get muffin but my mom supported me telling them I was the one getting a dog so it was my decision which dog to get. After making arrangements for a home inspection with Nancy I excitedly awaited the day Muffin would come stay with me forever. When that day finally came I was so happy. Nancy said this would start the trial period and if we had any problems we could call her to take muffin back. Muffin had issues from her past but I was determined to help her through them. Muffin was there to stay. For fourteen years we went for walks, played in the backyard, snuggled together. At seventeen years old her body started failing and I had to come to terms with the reality that she was suffering. I had to make the painful decision to let her pass from this life. It was one of the worst decisions I’ve ever had to make but because of the love and friendship we had even to avoid the pain I wouldn’t change anything. Giving an animal a second chance at love and a good life is also accepting love and a good life for yourself.
By TJ Ferry5 years ago in Petlife
My kitten
The moment I knew he was right for me was just because fate dropped him straight into my hands, the day I met my furry little baby Tailz, a very tiny black cat, was my very first day at co - op at the SPCA. Tailz came in with an infected tail, half of which had been torn off from circumstances of which are unknown. Since his tail was so severely infected he had to go to the vet but something drew me to this cat and I was lucky enough to help out with his recovery. Of course there are protocols when a cat is sick or injured and because tailz was, he had to be in isolation. When I spent my time in there cleaning dishes I would hear his tiny little meow and he’d stick his paw out and stop me from moving past his cage. So I’d let him sit on my shoulder as I did the dishes so he’d get some enrichment as he was all alone and it wasn’t good for kittens to be alone in their young age, they need socialization. It became a ritual for me to see Tailz. My heart strings grew thicker and thicker the more I saw his tiny little self as he’d try and bat at my arms to get to me. Eventually I convinced my parents to let me foster him and took him home to treat his tail which had to be soaked in Epsom salts and warm water everyday. Kitten, as he became known, stayed in my room during the day when I was at school and whenever my dogs would greet me at the door he’d know I was home and I’d hear him crying down the hall and as I got to the door he’d stick his paw out. Of course he’d get to come out and play after school when I was home during that time. Later when he’d grow older and wasn’t a foster anymore he’d come greet me with the dogs as well. I never remembered a time we were apart, he clung to me so much. Now as Tailz grew older and got better, his adoption was pending and I was nervous I wasn’t going to be allowed to adopt him as we already had two cats and three dogs. But one day my dad said to me he was thinking that Tailz fit in with our family so well that we should consider adopting him. I honestly felt so confident that Tailz was meant to be mine my worry wasn’t necessary. When the adoption was finalized and he was all mine he stopped spending time “ locked “ in my bedroom with the door shut but he always chose to nap on my bed. I remember the night before I left to go to Columbia I woke up in the night and he had nuzzled himself in between my arms and rested his head on my shoulder. I was very careful not to disturb him.
By Emma Hunt5 years ago in Petlife
Trevor
When I first met my fiancé, she had three big dogs. I mean BIG dogs. Their names were Phooey, Stella, and Sophie. Phooey, was her prized favorite. He was a beast of a dog. So big in fact, his nickname "Bear." He had a Foo Man Chu like "beard" across the bottom of his gentle face that earned him his official moniker. He was older, and had lost mobility in his hind legs. She and her ex-husband, who still lived with her, took great care of Phooey.
By Recon Paul5 years ago in Petlife
An Unusual Unexpected Surprise
My daughter Emma received a message about an adoption approval. She and her fiancé Craig searched an online rescue and found Turbo. His black silky coat covered most of his body. A broad white stripe filled his chest. The caption said he was eight weeks old and a Border Collie/Lab mix. An animal rescue team found this pup on the streets of Texas. He shared a box with a litter of abandon puppies.
By Jim R Hughes5 years ago in Petlife
Napoleon the Conqueror (of Hearts)
This was the text exchange between me and my boyfriend Addison four years ago when he discovered Napoleon. He had found the dog (quite literally, on the street) while visiting a small town called Beersheba in Tennessee where his family stayed every 4th of July, and I was visiting my own family in Richmond.
By Emily Berger5 years ago in Petlife