Heartbreak Revisited

Not too long ago, I posted about losing Flippy.

Well, not too long after the trauma and the drama of Flippy's death had passed, Shannon snuck over to the pet store that's next to our TKD school while I was in the middle of a class. Yes, I gave her permission to go over and look around! Anyhow, later that day she confessed that the pet store dude gave her a "dwarf hamster". Normally I would have raised my eyebrows at a pet store employee giving away a critter, but I know them over there and I know that they do this on occasion. They do it figuring that if they give the kid a pet, he'll get attached, then drag Mom over to buy the cage and all of the accessories (which is where they make their money!). That's how Jerry came to live with us.

Upon closer inspection, it appeared that either Jerry was Jerri and expecting, or Jerry had a big something-or-other taking up a big part of his bottom region and it couldn't be good. A few days ago, Jerry started looking bad...I mean really bad. Jerry/Jerri was either giving birth (and thus eating her young because I never did see a baby) or falling ill due to the malady that had invaded his/her body. I still have no clue. I mean, what do I know about rodents? Of course my daughter thinks I know everything, but all I really know about rodents is that I don't want them in my house.

Sadly, today was one of THOSE days again. When I left for work this morning, Jerry looked like it could be his last day. When I got home, Jerry had passed away. May he/she rest in peace. I then had the pleasure AGAIN (for about the tenth time this year) to inform Shannon that she had indeed lost yet ANOTHER pet. God help us all.

She's so determined to have a pet of her own. After the lunacy of what is my July, we'll probably look into getting a small dog. You know, something that might actually live for more than a couple of weeks. I'm thinking a bison frise or a toy poodle, she wants a wiener dog!

Sigh.

Heartbreak is so HARD! She'll never make it as a vet. She's too tender hearted.

Comments

[Judy]

I'm sorry about Jerry/i, Barb. :( We've lost 2 cats in the past year (and about a dozen or so named caterpillars), so we've had our share of grief here. Have you thought about a cat? Low maintenance, and they live to be ancient. The wiener dog idea sounds cool, though. I've also been considering a turtle--of course, then the kids would be trying to figure out which of *their children to leave it to. :) -J

[Ally]

Oh man, I'm so not looking forward to times like this! We have four pets - 3 dogs and a cat that we've had since the kids were little. I'm scared that our Cattle Dog is on his last legs, but I just can't imagine losing him! I'm so sorry you all are having such a challenging time with your pets! It's soooo hard!

[tina]

Barb- as sad as I feel for S I couldn't help but laugh at your writing style and humor through it all...we too have lost many a "pet"...goldfish, numerous hermit crabs that did NOT want to come home from Hilton Head in a cold air conditioned car, and many a gerbil....many funerals took place in our back yard of our old house....
Gotta love these sweet and tender hearted girls we've got. : )
XO
T.

[kandice]

awww... sweet thing. that's so hard. i had a dwarf hamster named daisy... and when they came to spray the house for "bugs/rodents/anything of the sort", she "coincidentally" developed a crazy respiratory disease and died. my mom felt terrible because I had been out of town at the time and came back to a wheezing, pitiful miniature hamster. so my own mother unintentionally killed my daisy... :( it happens. i'm sad for shannon that she's lost so many pets already, but i think you should definitely get a "sturdier" pet. one that won't die immediately if you don't feed it or coddle it. :) or she could get a reptile. i hear they live forever. ha. just kidding.
please pass along my condolences. hey, maybe jerry/jeri is having a heck of a time in hamster heaven with my sweet daisy... :) that's a nice thought.