Dogs and Cats

My cat Tristan is 9 and I am Desiree 3 1/2.

Tristan loves to go for walks with me to the park. He will follow me anywhere. He loves to come in my room to make sure I'm ok. Tristan likes it when I blow bubbles for him in the back yard. He likes eating cat food and bugs.

Susan and Desiree Melville, Kamloops BC

This is our very loved friend, Jasper. Jasper passed away in March, and we miss him very much. We made a storybook about all the things he did so that we can remember him forever. We think of you all the time, Jasper.

The Milligan Family, Mill Bay BC

This is a picture of my Jack Russell Terrier, Millie. I got her for my 14th birthday in 2001. She may be an unusual colour for a JRT but is a pure bred, we saw her parents. We went to the farm where she was and she was in a barn in the pitch black in a tiny rabbit hutch that hadn't been cleaned. It was love at first sight. I have taken her to an exemption show and took her into the agility and am hoping to take her to proper agility classes later on this year. She is the best present ever and I wouldn't swap her for the world. Hannah, 15, England

My beloved dog, Nugget, sadly passed away in October of 1999 at the age of 14. My family had owned Nugget since she was a puppy, so I had had her around all my life. My whole family was devastated when she died. She was a red coloured Golden Retriever. She was the most lovable dog you'd ever meet. Everybody who had ever met her had immediately fallen in love with her. Besides her human friends, Nugget's best friend was a little dwarf rabbit named Jason. Teena, age 13, Ladysmith BC

I miss Daisy. She's been gone three weeks now. The decision to have her euthanized was one of the hardest I've ever had to make - even though I decided ages ago that, when the time came, Iwouldn't hesitate. She'd had a few episodes of extreme weakness over the summer, but recovered and seemed all right. This last time, I knew, even before we took her to the vet, that she wasn't going to recover. She had a big tumour in her abdomen that nothing could be done about. We've lost dogs and cats before - it's the price of loving creatures with short life-spans - but I wasn't prepared to lose Daisy yet. She was very special: smart, independent, original, affectionate... a person, you know? She left a very big hole in our family. I still look for her when i get back from somewhere, when it's time to fetch Niki home for the night, when I come into a dark room, at suppertime.

Vera M., Williamsford, Ontario

Cindy was our special friend, a reddish tan cocker spaniel. When she was little she had a short, fat nose, and when she grew to be full grown, her nose stayed short and fat. She snored so badly from it that we had to make her sleep in the kitchen - much to her disgust! She was the best dog we ever had. She loved us all equally and she had a way of making you love her, whether you wanted to or not. She was fascinated with worms and when we went fishing, she always had her head stuck in the worm bucket If we didn't watch her she would steal them. She got sick, but right to the end she loved us to pieces. She is in doggy heaven now, but we all think of her often, with a smile. She was our best friend. The Crossleys, Port Alberni, BC

Our dog Rose was always very adventurous. She loved to meet people and go home with them by acting lost and lonely. On the day before Christmas one year, I was at a gas station filling up my car. I went to pay and, getting back in the car, realized the dog was gone! I called out, looked around, asked the station attendant and learned that that big dog had just gone off with another customer! Another time she was waiting for me in front of a store and decided to follow a nice lady. The woman was terrified at first as the bid dog lumbered into the car behind her, but soon realized it was a pretty nice dog. At these times we would just sit by the phone waiting for the call to come in. In this photo, she is an old dog adjusting well to a new baby in the family. Rose was a very special dog. Irmgild, Los Altos. California.

Sparkles is 2 years old and she is my best friend. She sleeps under the blankets with me at night and keeps me warm. She likes to cuddle on the couch as you can see in the picture. She is very playful with her mouse. She likes to play fetch with it. Her markings are very beautiful. When we first saw her at the SPCA, I instantly fell in love with her. She got her name because she was totally gray until the sunlight hit her and her colours sparkled. I had only had her a week when she fell and broke her leg, but she is fine now. This is why I love her so much, because she is my best friend. Devon, age 9 1/2, BC Canada

Murphy is a 14 1/2 year old orange mackerel tabby, with green eyes and an "Irish" temper to match. He is 18 1/2 pounds of attitude who rules the roost at JustaView - the home he allows us to share with him. For years his favourite companion was our little Pomeranian - Jasper - who Murphy guarded zealously. Any dog that so much as barked at Jasper quickly found himself wrapped in the strangling grip of this heavy-weight cat. Jasper passed on at 19 years old a couple of years ago. It took Murphy some time to accept that staring at the dog's favourite sleeping spot was not going to bring him back, and if possible he has become even more demanding of our time and attention. He doesn't ask, that's an order! We don't know why, but his Vet (a pretty, young blond) thinks he is a super guy - a real sweetheart (her words, not ours!) who takes all her poking and prodding with quiet good grace. When we try to give him a simple pill, he grumbles, growls and hisses for days! Vivian & Paul Parkin, Bewdley, Ontario

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