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THIS PAGE IS DEDICATED TO ALL THE SPECIAL ANIMALS THAT HAVE LEFT THIER PAW PRINTS ON OUR HEARTS.
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Sir Lattie : Male Rescue Rottie
Sir Lattie was a very distinguished fellow. He came to us as all the others do : homeless -neglected & looking for love.
Lattie joined our Family on March 25, 1999.
He was heavily infested with Heartworms , half-starved & had a bad bone infection in his front leg.
Due to the leg, he had lost all muscle elasticity & was lame.
On August 8, 1999, Lattie gave up the struggle & made his journey to Rainbow Bridge.
He had his breakfast & drank his water--as usual--hiscute nub of a tail wiggling.
He held his head up for his usual morning lovin' & gave as good as he recieved.
I was VERY proud of him.
At 1:05 p.m., our beloved Lattie, could no longer bear to fight.
His stength zapped but his Love still strong...Lattie left this world.
I am SO glad I was with him--he left this cruel world knowing --without a doubt , that someone Loved him.
The Love radiated from him as he ever so gently closed his eyes & let go.
That was good---for him.Bad for me..cause his heart burst.
It was awful for me, but I knew he had long-last found peace .
Our Vet said his heart stopped & the back-pressure is what caused it to burst AND of course the heartworms.
Lattie was a great guy!
He won Best in Breed in my heart & I'll never forget him.
He was 6 years old & was only with us a very short 4 months.
I don't care about the money we spent on him. I'd give it all away just to have him back.
UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN, SIR LATTIE...............
WE LOVE YOU , Big Guy!
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SHEBA : (Chow )
Sheba came to live with us in 1990.
Her owner gave her away to a friend of ours in Atlanta, Georgia , as she was the last pup in the litter & unwanted.
Sheba was born on August 31, 1990 --the SAME day as our oldest son.
We drove from Mississippi to Georgia, to pick her up.
Now, we were NOT as informed about pet safety & well-being back then as we are now . We kept her outside, chained in the yard.
YES, she had a doghouse & fresh food & water daily but she would've lived a much longer--fuller--happier life if we had taken better care of her.
Due to our ignorance, we didn't notice she was in heat until it was too late. She had pups by a neighborhood dog & one of the pups died in the womb.
Sheba developed an infection & died.
I felt extremely guilty about her death & in fact I WAS GUILTY. However, it was too late to help her.
I bottle-fed her living 6 pups . It was hard, tending to 6 pups & I had a baby myself, but I owed it to them. If not for me-- they would have their mom.
So, every 2 hours, I fed them & washed thier bottoms, kept them warm & this cycle seemed to go on for hours on end.
When they got up walking around good, I taught them to go potty on the leash & pretty soon, they were each headed off to a good home.
I really wanted to keep a pup since my girl Sheba had died, but I figured I was NOT a good owner as it was neglect that killed her.
Well, it was the death of Sheba that taught me the NECESSITY of spaying/neutering an animal.
A GOOD, RESPONSIBLE pet owner should be willing to do this for the safety & happiness of the animal. (exceptions of course to breeders & show dogs)
I'll never forget Sheba. She taught me a very valuable lesson --I regret it cost her her life, though.
Because of her, I have developed a better attitude of animals & learned just how much they depend on us.
She is the ONLY pet I've ever had that was bred.
There will NEVER be another.
Sheba made her journey to Rainbow Bridge
in June 1992.
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SKEET : Savannah Monitor Lizard
Skeet was with our family from 1994 to 1999 .
He was definately a challenge to keep alive.
Daily feedings of live rodents & fresh water and exercise SOUNDS easy enough but when you are providing these items for a Monitor Lizard .....you run into hours & hours of daily maintenance.
People are buying these lizards in pet stores every day & then when they realize the work required to keep them healthy..they get released to the wild where they CANNOT survive.
The Monitor Lizard CANNOT survive in the climate we have here. They are native to Africa & Australia....where they can live w/ hot climates & the sand & rocks necessary for their health.
YES--you can buy special light bulbs that imitate their native climate but it's still not the same. They generally run 50.00 a bulb.
The Monitor Lizard will NEVER be totally healthy in captivity.
Skeet aquired his named because it means "SWIFT ONE". He lived up to his name.
He lived a pretty good life here. We built him a huge terrarium with the lighting & enviroment as close to his native land as possible.
He was fed daily with mice/rats that were tested for disease & contaminants.
The first year he was here, Skeet lived on crickets , grubs, & pinkies (newborn mice).
After that, he required one mouse per day.
Considering I was buying these from the pet store @ 2.00 each, & they sometimes had trouble with shipments arriving on time : I started raising my own mice to feed him so he'd have a steady supply.
Of course they still had to be checked for disease & other ailments that would affect his overall health.
The vet bills run alot higher than your typical dog/cat bills.
These animals need regular salmonella testing & even though they eat good food, they still need calcium shots & vitamins.
A large swimming area is a necessity as well. These animals will die if they get too dry.
I beg each & every person......if you are thinking of aquiring one of these truly marvelous creatures--DO YOUR HOMEWORK.
There is alot to maintaining them & you should be prepared to spend alot of time AND money on what they need.
If you cannot spend this kind of time or money --a monitor is NOT the pet for you.
I loved Skeet dearly & he was with me every step of every day. He liked to snuggle up & lay on my chest or tummy & would cling to my shirt for hours.
In case there is any doubt: Yes-you CAN train them to a litter box , as Skeet was . The biggest mess they make is when shedding (which is a continuous process).
I Would be VERY happy to answer any questions pertaining to the Savannah Monitor .
I spent several years researching them & would love to share what I learned.
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MICO : RACOON
Mico came to us as a wild animal that needed a bit of help.
He was only with us about 9 months, but he sure did leave his mark.
Mico was fed fresh fish & vegetables : which he was so careful about cleaning before eating.
He used a litter box that was placed under his cage , to prevent any contact.
If we were going to release Mico back to the wild, as we planned, we had to refrain from touching him. We could NOT tame him in any shape, form or fashion.
This was very hard to do, as he was so cute.
BUT--we made it! Mico was returned to the wild : free to roam as God intended .
Our reward came when he returned the following Spring with his mate.
They raised their offspring in the woods behind our house. It was truly a blessing.
Times such as this make it all worthwhile.
After the babies were on their own ; Mico & his mate went on their way.
We are not sure if he is still alive or not.
Naturally, we hope he is.
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Iggy : Green Iguana
Iggy was with us from 1994 to 1999.
We got her from a Pet Store in Stockbridge, Georgia.
She was sitting in her glass aquarium, looking so pitiful. She had been neglected so badly that her growth was permenantly stunted.
Instead of the green color she SHOULD'VE been, she was brown. This was caused from lack of vitamins & proper lighting.
I talked to the guy in the Pet Store about her for an hour or so & he said that Iggy was brought there cause she wouldn't eat or DO anything but lay there.
She wasn't active & was too much trouble.
They didn't have her for sale due to her health. They said she was dying & would be a waste of money.
THAT didn't matter. I wanted to at least try.
Iggy came home withe me that day. I talked the guy into letting me have her. He charged me .00 for her to pay for the heat/light & food she'd used.
I bought everything I knew she would need & a leash to walk on.
Once we arrived home, we built her a big terrarium with climbing posts & a li'l water spot .
Iggy was very unsure of the leash but soon grew to like it cause it usully meant we were going for fresh air.
After a couple of trips to see the Vet & a few Calcium shots and tests, her health soon improved.
She loved fresh vegetable & the occasional crickets.
Her favorite activity was the daily swim in the tub. Her leg muscles were soon strong enough to support her weight & she could run!
Iggy was with us 5 years. Much, much longer than the 'guarranteed week' that we were given to begin with.
We returned to that pet store & told the guy that she was STILL alive & doing better than ever. He was amazed.
But said that she was a prime example of what a bit of love & affection could do.
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BULLY : the Bull that thought he was a Dog.
{no picture yet}
What can I say about Bully? He was SPOILED!
He came to us in spring of 1994.
Bully was a reject from the Milk Barn. He was VERY sick & not expected to live. Several hundred dollars worth of electrolytes & vitamins....He proved them wrong!
The first month, we kept Bully in the Chicken Pen. We were totally unprepared to house a cow. He was content to live with 100 hens & 2 very rude roosters. The Turkeys gave him more hassle than anything , though. Bully was bottle-fed until he could eat grain on his own.
We installed an electric fence, so he could get out of the chicken pen. Apparently, he didn't want in the electric fence , cause he would charge the fence when I walked away & get zapped over & over until I came back.
So---to prevent him from getting fried...we put him on a lightweight dog chain (100 ft. long). This worked pretty good cause he was a small calf, still.
As time moved on, everything we tried to contain him with--he fought--EXCEPT the dog chain..so we added length to it.
Bully truly thought he was dog. He'd roll over & beg us to scratch his tummy, he fetched sticks & balls....LOL.
If he missed us , he pulled the screens off & pocked his head in the window & bellowed.
One day, his chain broke while we were up town. Upon arriving home, Bully was SITTING (yup--on his fanny) on the doorstep.
The funniest day was when he pulled off the screen on my (then) Toddlers window & woke him up by licking him in the face. .
We lost Bully to pneumonia in the winter of 1995.
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Buddy is a male New Zealand White rabbit.He had a bit of trouble upon arriving here. Whenever I went into his house to feed him, he tried to bite. Who could blame him though, considering what he had lived like before coming here.
I'm very proud to say that after a few weeks,Buddy no longer tried to bite. He was far more interested in getting those scritches behind the ears.
We lost Buddy in 2001. |
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