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Thanks for posting this beautiful piece of work. I’m going to print and frame it.

My wife and I recently lost our beloved German Shepard, “Buddy.”

He was a stray who showed up on the door steps of our farm house one Friday night in May 2006. He was either left at the bridge near our home or came upstream from somewhere, either lost or abandoned; we don’t know.

It appeared that he had “wintered-out” because he weighed 20 lbs, had noncontagious mange on his underbelly, paws, legs and head. His vertibrae and pelvis were protruding from under his skin and he had nearly 100 ticks on his body. “Buddy” was UNRECOGNIZABLE as a German Shepard and was near death the night I opened my front door and found him sitting there looking up at me.

We kept him for the weekend to decide whether to turn him over to the County Animal Control for destruction or to try to save him. We decided to give him a chance for life.

The veteranarian determined that “Buddy” was about a nine-month old Standard Black and Tan German Shepard. His growth, we would later determine, was stunted by his time as a stray. “Buddy” did recover and grew to become an absolutely beautiful Shepard and extremely loving companion for my wife and me.

“Buddy” disappeared from our home near the Tar River at NC Highway 96 on November 28, 2009 sometime around 3:30 in the afternoon as we recall last seeing him. We only pray that someone may have picked him up and has given him a good home.

Our hearts are broken.

I lost my dearest Mocha Girl Dog on December 10th. This article gives me a great venue to pay tribute to her:

“1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.”

She left very suddenly at 9 yrs 8 months. She went from a very happy dog to a dead dog so fast that the smile remained. She did hate to be seperated from me, but she knew I would always return. She never, in her whole life, tore anything up in the house while I was away.

“2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.”

I trained her with patience, but she never needed much time to learn anything. She was always so willing to please.

“4. Don’t be angry with me for long and don’t lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainments. But I have only you.”

I don’t recall ever being angry with Mocha, she never gave any reason. I did crate train her when she was young, but at about a year she had the run of the house all day.

“5. Talk to me. Even if I don’t understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.”

She was my ultimate friend to listen to my frustrations, dreams, fears and yes even some crazy singing. I always enjoyed that “cocked” lab look.

“7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I have teeth that could easily crush the bones in your hand, and yet I choose not to bite you.”

I never laid a hand on Mocha and she learned very young not to put her teeth on human skin. It was a very respectful understanding.

“8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I’m not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long or my heart might be getting old or weak.”

The only time I had to scold/yell at Mocha was after she got in the garbage. I didn’t yell until we started our training and I took a very angry, scolding tone. Yes, it frightened her, but it only took 2 times in about 3 minutes until she knew I was only warning her to stay out of the garbage. She never got into it again and even “reported” on other dogs that I would dog sit when they were getting in the garbage.

“9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too will grow old.”

Sadly, she never grew old. She was young and spry and enthusiastic until her last second of life. She died in front of me with no warning and no option to save her. She even died on another day of mourning for me (12/10). It was almost as if she was smart enough to ensure that I didn’t have to add a day of sadness to my life.

I look forward to seeing Mocha Girl Dog at the “Rainbow Bridge.” She was my best buddy and she filled my house, to make it a home. Now it is back to being a house.

Thank you fellow FReepers for letting me vent a little.

I like this list, but I'd add my own commandment before one reaches this point.

Before you bring home any pet, get a realistic, educated vision for that animal's entire life. If you can see in that vision how you can make that animal healthy and happy for its entire life, then feel free to bring home the animal as a pet. If you can't see how you are going to provide that animal with a healthy and happy natural life, don't adopt that pet.

As an example that most of us understand, that cute kitten in the window will live twelve to twenty years with good luck and good care. Things can happen. I know the heartbreak of a cat dying young of certain feline diseases, but I've also seen them live well past fifteen years. Getting a vision for that kitten next week is easy. We can all imagine coming home from work and hearing the thump, thump, thump as the kitten bounds down the stairs. We can imagine swinging a ball of yarn for the kitten to chase. We can imagine the tired kitten falling asleep in our hands. However, the rest of that vision is more or less fifteen years of food and water every day, emptying a litter box every day or maybe every other day, shots and vet visits every year, clawed furniture, and cat hairs on everything. The whole vision can be part of the joy of owning a pet, but one needs to embrace the whole vision before bringing home any animal.

As a snake owner, I try very hard to impress on people the need to get this vision. Snakes are easier in some respects. They eat only once a week to ten days. They only pass waste about once a week. When they shed, they shed all at once and don't leave little hairs floating all over the house. They don't chew clothes or scratch furniture. They are harder in other respects. Most need supplemental heat in their cages. They need places to hide in order to feel secure. A few species become large and need large cages. They are still less dangerous than many favorite dog species, but providing them space requires planning. Some species live twenty or thirty years with good care. Finding people to care for them when their owners are away is harder.

This list was obviously written for mammals and mostly dogs, but some comparisons are interesting. I've already mentioned that the lifespan is often longer for some species. One can't demand much of a snake, but an owner has to give the snake a routine to which the snake can adjust. Unhappy snakes don't eat, and the owner must learn to adjust routines to what the snake likes. (I have one who likes his pre-killed rodents presented in a little cup.) They understand our words and our tone less than dogs or cats do, but they learn to trust (or not trust) their owners. No one disciplines a snake, but they are not capable of delivering a bite that will crush a person's hand. The ones that are over fourteen feet or so have long teeth that produce deep wounds, but smaller snakes can do almost no tissue damage with a bite. They are not a pet for people who want to be served by their pet, but they are fascinating little friends for those who learn to see a different perspective and figure out what these animals want and need.

Thanks for posting.