Rest in Peace now dear GiGi.
Unfortunately we had to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge.
GiGi came to us three years ago from Grant County Humane Society, Elbow Lake, Minnesota.
She had Lyme disease but she was a happy doggie.
We had good times together and she loved all the cats here too. Her favorite things was rolling in the fresh grass or fresh fluffy snow. We loved our walks together and I loved her soothing snoring when she was sleeping.
Unfortunately, about two weeks ago she started to have accidents in the house, mostly on her bed during the night. She would be asleep and just poop. She seemed to get lost in the yard and disoriented. She also did not like to go out in the dark early mornings anymore. Soon after we suspected that her eyes sight had gotten worse. She still felt safe walking close near me. The cats knew that something was wrong.
Suddenly, two days ago she stopped eating and drinking. She refused her medicine and even her favorite treats. A day later she was not able to stand up nor walk.
We had to come to a hard decision to take her to the vet on May 4th, 2020. Around 11:45 AM she passed quickly and peacefully. As GiGi crossed over the Bridge she stole a piece our hearts.
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.
Lucy was an 8th Anniversary gift from my husband in 2014. She was born in a barn in Benson, Minnesota, amongst two other siblings. One white, one black and little fuzzy grey Lucy. Rosegate did not yet exist but we had our three original rescue pets who already where seniors. Two cats and a dog; CeeCee, Tommy and Rosie. I thought it was a bad idea to bring a kitten home amongst these furry retirees. She needed a home and was way too cute so we accepted her in with open arms and melting hearts. She was tiny and her fur looked more silverish blue then just gray. We though she looked like a Russian Blue breed which would be astonishing due to breeders protocol. She definitely was full of energy and was a troublemaker so she might just be.
A few days after she was living with us, we almost took her to a cat rescue place, since she was constantly was bothering the older pets and we anguished at our stupidity. We had been too naive and did not realized that Tommy was so very sick already with cancer and he was very irritated with the kitten. He even sprayed in a show of dominance and territorial marking twice upon Lucy's arrival. Somehow we went through the hardest kitten time with her but she was so cute and she loved Rosie the old dog. She always slept with her and she even tried to get milk from her when she first got here. The morning when Rosie got sick, Lucy was softening her chest and snuggled up with her. That was their last time together because old Rosie dog died. Lucy lost her first true friend at the young age of one and we feel it was a tough time for all of us.
Even though Lucy was missing her doggie friend, we took a break after Rosie's passing and held off bringing another dog in. Unfortunately, Lucy got bored and was bugging the other two cats. Tommy's condition worsened and as Lucy grow older and more serious, she loved comforting Tommy. Snuggled with him and keeping him warm. Tommy had no choice but accepting the little love bug. Lucy was three years old when she lost her second fur friend Tommy.
The next morning I found her curled up and sleeping alone on Tommy's blanket.
That broke my heart to see so I laid beside her and tried to comfort her. I could tell she was annoyed and she then left me. I felt she was blaming me for the passing of Rosie and Tommy. Lucy was never the same after she lost her two best friends. Now only CeeCee and her were left and with the house so very quiet, we decided to get a kitten for Lucy. That is how we adopted Kāhili, the little Ginger Cat from New Ulm Humane Society, MN.
These two had great times together and the little kitten kept Lucy busy and exercised. It helped her back away from her depression.
Lucy always has been an active cat and since she was 6 months old we took her outside with her harness to walk and smell nature, otherwise she would drives us crazy with her never ending curiosity and boredom. She was pretty trustworthy around the age of three to go outside alone and whenever we called her name, she came back running to us.
At the time we had a new senior dog GiGi and sometimes we went for a walk, all three of us in a little parade fashion. It was fun and Lucy behaved nice. Although we saw her killing snakes, a ground squirrel and a bird. She never ate them, because she was not allowed. Then one day she did not came back. It was end of Summer. She was not answering when we called her name. Her disappearance made us more and more nervous and and then racked with guilt and fear. We were looking for her for days on end and losing hope. The neighbor farmer had about 900 acres of cornfield and Lucy must have been lost in there. I connected with my animal communicator group on Facebook in an attempt to do everything we could. Unfortunately they were unable to come to a unified conclusion and all were telling us different stories with clues we were to decipher as to her whereabouts. We followed all leeds blindly but with no positive answer or outcome.We were calling her and walking into the cornfield like a search and rescue party. Driving around the blocks aimlessly, making noises with her food bowls. We went outside at night time with flashlights feeling wretched with ourselves thinking she could be alive and scared or worse. Slogging through flooded drainage ditches and poking into buries drain pipes and decaying old barns. Examining roadkills like forensic detectives judging teeth and fur just to be sure she had not gotten into an accident. One day we moved her litter box outside near the wood area close to the corn fields, since we heard that could help her to find her way back home.... Nothing but broken hearted despair with the ever growing thought that we had failed her and she was not coming home.
One morning GiGi and I took a walk and I kept calling Lucy out of mechanical desperation and finally I heard a scared and meek meow. I did not believe it at first until a second scared and pathetic meow came. I was so happy but still scared too since I could not see her and had to be holding her for assurance that she made it home. I called my husband and he located her in the field. He had a dickens of a time getting her to come to him and she even wrenched herself free from him. He had to grab her again and hold her in a bear hug until they got back inside. The poor thing was so frightened and scared that she was almost wild from her ordeal.
In those four days we had thunderstorms complete with winds and lighting. The corn was dry and muffled sounds but for its rustling leaves in all directions. The corn would have brought out many other wild critters too and some of them would have been happy to prey on little Lucy.
Since then she does not go too far, from the door and likes the assurance of her strict supervision. Lucy has become very smart and now she has settled down nicely as a house cat. She will be six years old this summer of 2020.
LuciFur the beautiful Benson Russian Blue barn cat, born in the summer 2014 that needed a home and all she got was us and some other fur friends... and one hell of a lifetime adventure story to tell about the devil and the dry corn field. She tells that story to every new kitten and they look at her in amazement and wonder. :)
