tales from straydom . . . . . . tips, stories and resources for pets

A homecoming… nonetheless

This morning’s quiet was broken by Layla’s meows. “Ah,” I thought, “my baby is awake.” When I looked into her carrier, I could tell by her stillness that she had just passed. There is a difference in the energy that surrounds a living body and one whose spirit has left.

Dear God…

Yesterday, my heart was wrapped in this song by Sarah McLachlan; it’s entitled Dear God. I could have filled a video with photos of my little Paketo, but as I started to work on it, another motivation came through me. It addressed an equal anger that’s inside me.

Our simple bounties

I am struck by how we overlook the simple bounty we have all around us. We take it for granted that the sun will rise each day, that our dog will poop outside and that our cat will sleep on top of us at night.

Holiday Book Sales Raise Funds for Animal Nonprofits

The author of a highly regarded new book on coping during a pet’s terminal illness is paying it forward by offering an exclusive fundraiser for beleaguered nonprofit animal groups. Books sold through nonprofits’ websites will earn them 40% of the retail price

Maria Daines sings in support of animal rescues worldwide

Maria Daines writes music that supports not-for-profit organizations all over the world.

Disjointed siblings

Share Somewhere in the world tonight are four rather disjointed siblings grappling with the knowledge that their father passed earlier this evening. Over the past few years, Padre has been battling cancer. First it was bladder cancer. Once that passed, attention returned to a spot on one of his lungs. At first, he was reluctant [...]

In Memoriam… Lily

Share It’s 1:30 pm on Friday. In the previous two and a half hours, I drove Lily to the vet where she was put to sleep, and now she is home and buried. The photo at the left was shot just before we left the house this morning. I practiced my words a few times [...]

To Valerie… in memoriam

Share Just a nod to a woman I met this summer through an old high school friend. Her name is Valerie. Her sister-in-law from Montana sent her an email about a Hurricane Katrina survivor, a pony named Molly. Molly had been abandoned by her family as they fled the hurricane. In all the excitement of [...]

Kuumba

Share Kuumba passed this morning. I think he had been ill for a while, but in the past couple days, he had started looking really bad according to Lucy. Though he could hardly walk very far, he was still guarding the front of his territory this morning to the best of his ability. Kuumba will [...]

Charley Tan the Man

Share I lost Charley this day to a tumor he developed in his mouth. Together we fought it since it appeared in September. Funny how disease opens your eyes to things you either did not notice or took for granted. Charley ran the house, and all the dogs respected whatever he said… even if he [...]

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