Pets
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âI ran inside and found my sweet boy gashed up. Grandmom was rocking him, absolutely horrified.â: Mom warns parents to be âvigilantâ of pets around children after dog attack leaves infant son in stitches
âThey had their back turned for just one second, and my oldest son came on the porch yelling for them. They ran in and found the lamp laying on the floor next to my son, bleeding. Later that night, people messaged me questioning the type of wounds my son had. I hadnât thought much of it until others pointed out how much it looked like a dog had attacked him. The doctors agreed. By this time, my sonâs eyes were swollen shut.â
âYou should start a Kitten BnB.â I was living in a tiny NYC apartment, working long hours. âWhat an amazing idea!’: Woman quits job at âbig bank,â becomes âprofessional kitten cuddlerâ
“I wasnât really aware how big the need for kitten foster homes was when I started. I missed having a pet, but with working long hours, having a tiny apartment, and my love of travel, I figured that adoption was out of the question. I requested kittens from the shelter and itâs been a revolving door ever since.”
‘All four legs collapsed. The second turn to look, I saw him seizing. I was in a state of shock.’: Golden Retriever dies suddenly due to suspected ‘blue algae neurotoxins’ in lake
“He looked at me like âbut I donât get it, momma, Iâm okay. Iâll just get up.’ He collapsed again. I ran over to him, trying to give him water. Confused. Panicked. I didnât know what was going on. Was he over heated? Dehydrated? Iâm a nurse. Why didnât I know?! Figure it out. Figure it out I kept telling myself. It took only ONE hour from the time we left the water for Oliver to breathe his last breath.”
‘I smashed my head on the glass coffee table and woke up with no idea what month it was. In tears, my mom called the geneticist. If I wanted to keep living, I NEEDED a service dog.’ Woman recalls how dog has saved her life ‘countless times’
“The last thing I remember was yelling for my mom. She raced up the stairs, only to be shocked. My tiny puppy had grabbed onto my sweater and was pulling with all of his might in the opposite direction to keep me from falling off the toilet and getting yet another concussion. If you talk to any dog mom they’ll tell you their dog is their world, but my dog GAVE me my world.”
‘I rushed him to the vet. I never imagined what would happen next’: Pet owner discovers 19 pacifiers lodged in bulldog’s stomach
“He started getting nauseous before meals. Then, he stopped eating altogether. I thought it was acid reflux. Boy, was I wrong.”
âShe laid there. I stroked her head, closed her eyes, kissed her. I removed her collar, and told her one last time, âI love you so much.â I filled my pockets with tissues, and walked out.â
“A lady behind me in line was excited to see her. After a few head pets, the lady told her to âhave a good day.â I almost lost it. I almost fell to the floor. The cashier went to hand me my receipt and I missed. The tears filled my eyes. I couldnât grab a receipt. I couldnât speak.”
‘If people had hearts like dogs, we would be better humans.’
“We would take up space without guilt. We would love our people unconditionally. We would find and fill empty spaces in rooms and hearts. We would offer up nonjudgmental support.”
âAww, Youâre such a freak of nature!â I stood there, with my own obvious difference, unsure of what to say. Because Iâve been there. âTwo-face.â âUgly.â âFreak.â
âI went to the animal shelter to look at puppies. Then I saw her. She has extra claws on her back paws. I ranted. I raved. If thatâs what she thought about a dog in her care, what was she thinking about the customer standing in front of her with half of a purple face?â
âThere is a baby, and there is a heartbeat.â Those words sparked hope. Then, our doctor told us I should take it easy, and wait for my body to abort the baby. WHAT?! No.’
“There were more seizures, and this time it was Infantile spasms. He paused before asking, âHave you ever heard of this?â My heart nearly stopped. There was no way. When we were matched with a puppy, they were instantly at peace. We knew, they were made for each other.”
‘I stood in our doorway. After 9 years together, these are the final days of just me and Jake. With an aching I canât shake, our lives are far from perfect.’
“Tonight, it hit me. These are the good old days. My man, this bedroom, that quilt, those dogs. Now letâs pause for a second and set the record straight.”
