Hold them tight

[Sam I Am]

I lay in bed last night with Jock tight against me, little snores, a comfort to my ear. I couldn’t help but think how precious life is and how we often forget to thank the powers that be for each minute we have on this earth with loved ones, uprights and the four legged kind.

Opening this forum and reading the struggle that Currey and his owners are bravely wading through. PK with Redmon and Teddy and many, many more Cairn owners that are totally dedicated to giving these wonderful companions a life worth living. Knowing when to fight and knowing when its time to release them from their earthly ties, that's the tough call. But we will all have that strengh I know when the time comes. Because we love them.

I held Jock just a bit tighter last night. My precious boy

[pindrop]

Well said and I couldn't agree with you more. Since getting older, life pretty well runs smoothly but my, what panic does ensue if this is not the case. Trials and tribulations are a normal lot but you are right - every once in a while we are brought up by our bootstraps to realize we have been more than fortunate. Thanks for posting this and making me realize that once again I've woken up to a good life with a wonderful husband and a great companion in Layla. Hugs

[Ivy & Lucy's Mom]

I agree as well. It never hurts to hug a little tighter. Keeping Currey and his family in your prayers to help him get through this tough ordeal will help a lot too.

[hheldorfer]

Ditto. Sometimes when I get exasperated with Buffy for being such a stubborn devil I have to stop and remind myself that I'm lucky to have a dog who's cute, brave and has personality to spare. I can't imagine life without her.

[Hawkeye]

I too agree. We have to give thanks for everything we have and give support for those who are having a difficult time. I will hug my Bailey and Radar a little tighter tonight.

[Lynn in TN]

I love this thread, It is the beautiful truth!

[pkcrossley]

we have a few members here who are doing the first time round with a pet, or a dog, or a cairn, but most of us have already been through that moment when you realize that you would give anything to have your friend back. for five minutes or five years, it doesn't matter. today, there are a few medical situations where that dream can actually come true -- dogs and cats can sometimes be brought back from terrible pain and illness and become their old selves again. and when that dream comes true, five minutes or five years is still immaterial. because it isn't the time that matters but the frame of mind. you know that if you could get your friend back everything would look different to you, every moment would have a meaning it never had before.

when redmon and i were sitting in the small waiting room of the clinic where he received his radiation, we were surrounded by people who were desperately sad but at the same moment felt a freedom and a joy that the had not been feeling before. we were all there for only one reason --to buy time. but we knew that, in fact, that was all we had ever been doing. that's all anybody is doing anywhere. but we were aware of it. there is such freedom in that. time has no tyranny over you any more when you realize that. everybody there was happy in addition to whatever else they were feeling, because that day they were going to be going home with their dog or cat. that day was forever.

there are many joyous aspects of living with dogs and cats, but one of the best is living close to somebody for whom every moment is an eternity. when animals are happy there is no time. we can learn that, and when we go through a real struggle with them, we learn it very well. that is why if you live right with your pet, you know that they already believe that you are theirs forever. and when you understand that, you know that your little companion will also be with you forever. time just isn't part of it.

[Sam I Am]

Thank you PK. This forum is a richer place because of people like you who share their heart and wisdom

[Ivy & Lucy's Mom]

PK-your thoughts brought tears to my eyes--beautifully written....

[pindrop]

Very nicely put PK- as I remember a time just as you describe. No matter how fortunate we are (or not), we must remember that we are also here for only a short while and make the most of whatever it is we do have.

[Dempsy's Mom]

[Sam I Am]

It’s amazing isn’t it how much we love our dogs and how much they are a part of our family. There is no known real verbal communication between them and us, we are no way related genetically (like other primates) and yet there is this wonderful bond that we share with them. They depend on us for their very existence, and some people would say that that is why they are bonded to us. But when Jock comes to cuddle up with me on the couch or follows me from room to room, I see way more than just “where is my next dinner” in those brown eyes of his.

I can’t stop thinking about Currey and his family and the incredible bond that is between them. It makes me cry when I read the agony that his owners are experiencing trying to save him. The immense love they feel for this little animal is palatable.

[pkcrossley]

currey's family are terrific, and they will be terrific the rest of their lives.

it's natural for us to be bonded to dogs, it is a definitive human trait. dogs have been with us a minimum of 10,000 years and possibly for 100,000 years. everything that was a foundation of human existence --farming and hunting, living in family groups, and some forms of communication-- were possible because of and were shaped by the presence of dogs in our lives. and i find it comforting that modern science confirms that the ancestors of dogs were not kidnapped and forcibly domestically wolves. they were wolves who made their own decisions to throw in with humans rather than run with the wolves. they domesticated themselves.

the human bond with animals is so profound that many humans --children, autistic people, people who are psychologically or physically wounded-- depend upon dogs to learn or relearn the skills of communication, trust and interdependency that lead the to humans again. they are reliving human evolution --we all got where we are through dogs.

the tragedy is that there are people in this world who are ignorant of their own humanity, who think you can live a full human life while being alienated from, indifferent to or even cruel to dogs and other animals. the history of humanity shows the hollowness and delusion of that kind of life. the opposite is to enter into the zone where currey and his family are now, working so hard to protect and nurture a relationship that defines us as human beings.

[TazTalk]

Wonderful thoughts in this thread.

My DH volunteers at a no kill animal shelter. It amazes us the see how some people walk away from their pets. The shelter has been especially full the past couple of years with all the people that are losing their homes. We can understand if they can no longer care for them properly and need to re-home them. But, there have been many instances where they are thoughtlessly left in the vacant house or backyard and not discovered for days. And sometimes in the horrific hot summer months. This just blows my mind.

[sanford]

I am proud to be a member of this forum where people are so open-hearted and generous with their feelings and expressions of support for each other.

Blessings on little Currey and his family in their struggle.