humanity
Isn't it ironic that the very best of humanity is seen through the love and empathy we show to our pets?
Loki, the Dog of Mischief
Back story: I was so lonely after my husband and I split up. After being married to someone for over 25 years, being by yourself is more than just a culture shock to the system. I went to stay in my best friend Jimmis' childhood home. The house was much bigger than I was accustomed to. After a few short weeks of getting settled in, the feeling of being in solitary confinement was more than anyone could bear. So I bit the bullet and decided to get a puppy. I did not care what type of dog he or she was. I just needed something or someone in my life and would never leave. Be loyal and faithful to only me. Luckily one of my dear friends came by one day with a surprise. As I looked in the box there was the most precious, adorable face I had ever seen. I immediately picked him up and knew he would be all I would need to make it through the day. As I held him his name just came to me. Loki! I will name you Loki, the God/Dog of tricks and mischief.
By Beverlee Puckett5 years ago in Petlife
Just a Dog.
Go here for parts one, two, and three. A whole gallon of water. My dad would go out to the wood sale almost every day, his health permitting. Besides a broken back, he suffered health problems from a diet of meat and potatoes and a lifelong smoking habit. During the week, he’d cut enough wood to fill up the back of his truck plus a little more. On the weekend, I would go out with and load the truck while he cut. On one of his weekday trips in late winter, he found One Gallon, or more accurately, that One Gallon found him. The dog wandered into where my father was cutting, and he had just settled down to have some lunch and sharpen the teeth on his chainsaw. The dog was skinny, malnourished collie, and had not seen a person in ages, which was even more apparent, considering that there were no sheep in the area and hadn’t been for months.
By Frank Shaw5 years ago in Petlife
What a Caged Lion Can Teach You About Freedom
Lions are among the most popular zoo exhibits. As a child, I loved going to the zoo. I wanted to see these enormous creatures lounging in the sun. And sometimes I was lucky enough to hear one roar. It was exciting. They’re called the king of beasts for a reason.
By Dayton Parks5 years ago in Petlife
Why You Love Animals More than you Love Humans
We’ve all been there: you watch a cute video of some puppies running through a park, or you look over at your kitty sleeping peacefully on her back: tummy and all four little paws exposed. Joyful tears in your eyes, you find yourself exclaiming “Man, animals are so great! Why can’t people be this pure?” or “I don’t need a boyfriend/girlfriend, my pet is so much better!”. I’ve probably said some variation of these things myself. So, you’re not weird! Of course you love your pets more than you love other humans...but don’t you ever take the time to question that? And just why is it so difficult to feel the same about our fellow human beings?
By Taylor Michelle5 years ago in Petlife
The True Love Story That Has Left Me Forever Changed
I never thought that my heart would be strong enough to welcome another dog into my life after my nearly 14-year-old female German Shepherd, Egypt, died on July 5, 2018 after many months of watching her body fall apart and her quality of life deteriorate, first slowly then unbearable quickly it felt. Losing her was the hardest experience of my life. It's hard for a lot of people to understand, but I grieved for her so intensely that it effected my health, mentally as well as physically. I felt irrevocably changed to my core. She and I had been through an INCREDIBLE life story together. For years, she was my ONLY companion and those years of self-isolation in California with Egypt are some of my most cherished memories. She was my soul mate and taught me how to love. Her infirnment period lasted about 9 months. Those were both the longest and the shortest 9 months of my life. I was forced to grapple with intensely raw emotions on a daily basis, unlike any I ever thought I'd have to face. Each day my only goal was to try and love her as well as she had always made me feel loved. Her body was betraying her, but her mind was as sharp as it had always been and her pure black coat was as shiny and solid black as when she was a pup. She never even went grey, except for a few hairs between the toes of her paws. But I watched helplessly as her hind legs started to weaken. I started with just shortening her walks. Then, about four or five months before her death, I decided that allowing her to navigate the stairs in my house were too dangerous after she stumbled mid-flight while attempting to walk upstairs. She crouched down in the middle of the stairs and whined in fear. My heart ached for her. She had always been so proud and strong. My guardian Angel, my rock, my soul-mate, my peace, my joy. She never complained, never whined, never begged... not even as her hind legs slowly, then quickly, became paralyzed by Degenerative Myelopathy... she was strong and brave. I lived for those moments when I was blessed with her expressions of joy. Happily panting in the yard on a perfect Spring day, the sight of her tail wagging as she remained laying on her bed as I brought her the homemade food I had started preparing her in an attempt to slow her disease progression (which amazingly, did result in a slight improvement to her mobility for a joyous couple of months right before her legs seemed to go out completely) I convinced myself that her agility was better on some days than others. I told myself that if I loved her well enough, by making her healthy food, talking to her, and surrounding her with nature whenever possible, then she wouldn't be so distressed by a body that she was steadily losing control of. But I'd often catch
By A.C. Magwood5 years ago in Petlife
Free Pearl.
Every time I came home, you loved me. Your sights weren't as clear as they had once been; age and being left out, despite loyalty, weathered you vulnerable. There was still excitement in your leaps and bounds, your rugged pants as you leapt inevitably towards some kind of Heaven on Earth. I was your snack-sourcing belly-rubber. But I held extended my arms with timidity, excusing myself to a box in your life too. You had loyalty so unconditional, I wondered if you could remember resentments at all. How much time did it ever take you to forgive? We thought change was better than staying inside. We left you out in the cold too many times.
By A.I. Reads5 years ago in Petlife
The Goat
I am a country boy born and raised in Middle Tennessee. My upbringing was fairly well. I was carry a .410 shotgun at age five shooting squirrels and rabbits and such. We would either share our game with friends and family or eat them ourselves. Point being country folk tend to have an extraordinary way to make do with they have. With that being said, there are a lot things that we country folk find rather tasty that would probably be disgusting to average Joe. "Yes I have ate everything from hog guts to squirrel brains and when I was a young boy I found this to be normal and it was not that bad either. ("I don't have a taste for either these days.")
By Ricky Pickard5 years ago in Petlife
An Angel Puppy in Exchange for a Uterus: You Got a Deal GOD
The Day God Gave Me the Victor(y) I Never Expected and Probably Don't Deserve I bought a first generation Labradoodle from a local farmer for $400, the VERY DAY I was released from the hospital following an emergency hysterectomy after a cancer diagnosis. I was 40 years old and childless because I had always figured that having a child would "just happen" for me one day, I guess. I had my fertility checked in my 20's during the first year of my marriage, but that was more out of simple curiosity, rather than some driving desire to have a baby as soon as possible. I had a clean bill of health, and I had never had a fibroid or polyp or anything out of the ordinary, so I figured it would eventually happen. But I also felt (or thought I did) okay with the idea that maybe it wouldn't happen, and I felt okay with that possibility too. I was already 40, but the feeling that my future was beautifully unknown, either way, kept me from ever actually mentally/emotionally confronting the topic of a child. I just didn't feel that strongly about the idea of being a mother, either way. But then, in one horrifying afternoon, a final decision on that topic was made for me. I went in for simple fibroid surgery on November 12, 2019, then 9 days later, on November 21, 2020, I'm being told by my OB-GYN of two years, who had flatly DENIED my request for an in-office endometrial biopsy months earlier, even dismissed my request that he do a simple CULTURE (which requires nothing more than half a minute of his time and a Q-tip, fyi, in case there are men reading this lol)... that my "fibroid" was actually a super rare form of Uterine Sarcoma and that I would need an immediate hysterectomy. The hysterectomy came on Wednesday December 11, 2019. On the morning of Friday, December 13th 2019, for the first time out of the 8 total days I had been brought a hospital breakfast tray, a pretty young woman in purple scrubs handed me that day's newspaper with the most genuine, and dazzling smile on her face that I had seen on any human being in what seemed like years to me. My spirit felt so pulverized that I didn't think I'd ever truly experience the joy that a simple kind smile from a stranger used to bring me, always right on time, though, the generously shared joy from a fellow human being is God's emergency anti-depressant, in my life's experience. But, I no longer even felt connected to my own spirit after the experience of the previous five months. It was an experience I can only describe as a feeling of being SHOVED onto a torturous journey of cancer by the cold and uncaring, incompetent little hands of a man who spent all of 3 minutes telling me about the extremely rare and aggressive Uterine Sarcoma that his lacking medical knowledge had insisted was simply a massive "fibroid" that had to be removed through a large C-section type incision because of the "highly unlikely" chance that it was a malignancy. HE told me that because of that "off-chance", it was vital that he had to remove the growth in one piece, because dissecting (also known as morcellating) a malignant uterine growth within the human body could release cancer cells throughout the entirety of that human body and there'd be no stopping it's spread in every direction. So, as much as I hate to admit to any form of vanity... 💅🏽lol, I reluctantly came to terms with the fact that I'd be losing one of the few perks of still being childless at 40... a smooth, shapely mid section. It's so ridiculous to think back when just a year ago my biggest concern was the hassle of rubbing cocoa butter on my belly day and night. I had no idea that I'd be nursing a far more deadly consequence than just my vanity in just 3 short weeks.
By A.C. Magwood5 years ago in Petlife
Stories about Dogs
Moonlight In the middle of the day, leaving to go out for a drink. Close the door, lock the door. On my way to the bar, there is this sense that there is something behind me, I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. My stomach drops, my heart beats a little faster than usual. I slowly turn around, there is a moonlight dog with eyes I have never seen. The dog slowly sits, tilts it’s head at me to pet him. The grey/blue eyes staring at me, like he knows everything about me. Something very familiar with this dog, my skin gets goose bumps, the dog howls at me. This sound I have never heard before, sound of desperation and truth. I’m supposed to receive this message? What am I supposed to think?
By Morgan Graham 5 years ago in Petlife
