Crosby's Story

Crosby was our daughter Susan's dog but he often visited us here in the countryside. Susan adopted him from a pound in the state of Washington. The poor thing had an emotional disorder (Separation Anxiety) so sometimes he was destroying things in their apartment and not just objects but even the carpets. Barking all the time without rest when he was alone and generally driving himself to such stressful states it was unhealthy for him too.
There was times when she was ready to find a new home for him but it never happened because somehow they bonded as kindred spirits. So he stayed with her and she always hoped he would mellow with time.
When Susan ended the relationship with her boyfriend, we asked her to move closer to us. We felt she needed a big change and a new place with family near her would do nicely. She was a bit apprehensive but took the leap of faith and even went back to school for a new career path. She bought a small house and started her online college for 2 years. Crosby and her loved to visit us on our peaceful property out on the country, where Crosby was happy and free running like a puppy again. At the time we had Rosie and they became good puppy friends.

Since they lived seven miles away from us, they would visit frequently. As we grew close and had the opportunity to notice that Crosby's hearing and eyesight was getting weak. Soon after that he started pacing incessantly until he got tired and fell into sleep. His anxiety which had lessened as the years went by started to come back. Not separation but something else. Then his joints were creaking more and more as stiffness set on. Arthritis was surely present too. His happy running got slower in the big yard.

Susan took him to the vet and they said he was just getting older. He started to drink a lot of water and was having accidents in the house. The poor old puppy was just wearing out. One morning she had that feeling and sent me a text message saying; Mom, I think it's time. She sent me a video how Crosby walked around and around in tight circles. His doggie dementia had gotten much worse in a short space of time. She made an appointment for Crosby's peaceful passing.

Half of his ashes placed near Rosie's and Tommy's grave and for all the memories how much he loved running around here in the countryside. He has been released from his long years of friendship and service to Suzie and his family. He is at peace eternal and awaits all his fur and human family to run and bounce with joy.

Who's a good boy? Crosby is.

Augustina's Story

It was a busy August day. We had a big garden work day, I was working on the riding mower while my husband worked the push mower and weed wacker. After the yard looked clean and neat, we planned to watch a movie or two. It was about six in the evening. I saw the cats had been watching something quietly in the yard from their cat tower and then I heard a meow under our window. I went to the window and I saw this tiny black kitten. She came under the kitchen windows and she looked up at me, crying. Her age could not have been any older than six weeks. She must have been hungry because she was demanding help or food from a strange place.
I went outside and at first she was scared, but then easily came to me. My husband came out too and he already hugged her and kissing her. He always does this without knowing or caring if the cats is sick or not (He says he wants to make them feel part of the family without stigmatizing them.) I bought her a can of cat food and the poor thing ate like she had never seen food before.
She was purring and eating at the same time.

We kept her in the isolation room and the next few days took her to the vet. She was only one and a half pounds! The boys adopted her right away after she was released from isolation and spoiled her rotten. They trained her to steal food from the other girls and they groomed her like they were her real parents. She sucked up the love like a black hole.

We called her Augustina, since she found us in August. I often joke about her name is longer than her. She is a healthy and independent young lady now. Little Auggie has been spayed and she is here to stay. She came, she purred and she conquered. She is nine months old as of today and her brothers are still grooming her like a baby. Every evening she come between us on the sofa to watch movies with us and she especially loves horror movies. It must be the black cat in her. Auggie is the little princess of the palace and the kingdom is all hers.