Every last Thursday of the month, Best Friends has a blessing for the animals that have passed during the month at the sanctuary. I knew 2 of the animals that have passed this month. A gorgeous tuxedo cat from CalMar named Mimi Divine, and a dog at Old Friends named Ohio Bandit.
This blessing is very special to me because I wrote a remembrance for my pets that have passed; my pigs:Kenny, Stuart, Eric, Kyle, Stanley, Colby, Lily, Wendy, Roxie, Callie, Ted; and my hamster, Lewis. I also made a celebration of my remaining pigs Mollie, Mochi, Arthur, Bo and Butters, my rat Ori, and my cats Smokey, Gabby and Tibby.
from top: L-R: Lily, Wendy, Roxie. 2nd row: Stuart and Kenny, Stan and Colby, Eric and Kyle. Bottom row: Callie, Mochi, Mollie.
Ted
Butters
Bo
Ted
Smokey
Tibby
Gabby
OriI have spoken to you during January’s blessing about writing a remembrance about my pets that have passed on in the past few years. I think that it would be such an honor if their stories can be heard and how much they have enriched my life.
I had an original dozen guinea pigs, six girls and six boys. My first pair was named Kenny and Stuart, and they became part of my family in November 2004. Then in August 2006, Eric and Kyle joined the family. It was also the same month that my husband left for a six month military deployment. The next year, my six girls joined the family, Lily in Wendy in July 2007, Roxie joined our family in August 2007, Callie found her way to us in early December 2007, and just before the year ended. Mollie and Mochi also found us in December 2007. Then as we were moving to North Carolina, we adopted Stanley and Colby in June 2008.
Around March 2005 a hamster also joined our family, his name was Lewis. Lewis passed in January 2007, just a month before my husband arrived for deployment. We believed that he was over 2 years old when he left us (teddy bear hamsters have a 2 year lifespan), and we hope we were able to provide enough love and care during his lifetime.
Things were all okay with our little family, until one day in September 2008, my dear Stuart suffered from G.I. Stasis and as much as the vet and I tried to help and save him, he didn’t make it and passed in my arms that sad day.
The year 2010 has been an especially difficult year for my furry family. In April 2010, my girl Lily had a growth behind her left eye, we decided on surgery to have her affected eye removed, and while she survived the surgery, she didn’t make her first day of recovery. She passed in May 2010.
Then in July 2010, my old man Kenny passed in his sleep, it was something I knew was coming, but was hoping to never ever come. A 5-7 year lifespan is after all is a very short time, and it is never enough.
In September 2010, we lost of beautiful girl Wendy to an illness that we never figured out. She was okay one day, and then she seemed to have had a seizure.
Then in November 2010 another one of my boys, Kyle, passed in his sleep. At this point I was so afraid all my beloved guinea pigs are being taken away from me.
Things didn’t improve in early 2011. In January 2011 my boy Colby also suffered from torsion, and we couldn’t save him. While I was flying back from a veterinary conference in February 2011 my boy Stan passed on the night I arrived, and what was left of my boys, Eric seemed to have been so overwhelmed and heartbroken that his newly introduced cage mates kept on passing that a week after Stan left us, on the first week of March 2011, my beloved Eric left us too.
I must admit all these losses have taken quite a bit of a toll on me in the past few months after all my losses. I needed a place to heal, and that is one of the reasons why I applied to be an intern at Best Friends. I needed to heal, and pay forward everything that these magnificent creatures have given and taught me.
Then just recently, while I’m here for the internship, on February 4, 2012, I received a phone call from my husband, telling me that my old lady Roxie passed in her sleep. We have made arrangements and I hope to see her remains before she gets cremated when I get back. Then a few days later, on February 8, my other senior guinea pig, Callie also passed while my husband was at work. We have also made arrangements for her so that I get to see her when I get back and have her cremated as well.
They have been my constant companions for the past few years, most of my married life has been spent with these gentle creatures close by, and when my husband was on deployment, and my first four boys(Kenny, Stuart, Eric and Kyle) definitely eased the sadness and kept me busy and entertained.
My life has been further enriched by having these guinea pigs, I sought out knowledge about their proper care, I have built them their customized habitats, and made sure that they always had their veggie lunch and dinner along with their hay and pellets. I also enjoyed interacting with them and giving them floor time, where their personalities are definitely showcased. I fondly remember the times when Kenny used to love his lap time, when Stuart used to give me kisses during lap time, when I was teaching Eric some tricks and how happy I was when he learned how to turn and also jump through an embroidery hoop. I fondly remember the times that Kyle used to love to sleep on top of their pigloo. I also remember how Wendy used to tug on my shirt when she was with me during lap time and she needed to go back to the cage so that she doesn’t make a mess on me, and also the times when she liked to snuggle and rest on my husband’s shoulders. I also remember how sweet Lily was and how she was just so content and happy and just seemed to have a smile on her face every day. I remember Colby’s inquisitive face and how he just likes to rest his head by your neck during cuddle time. Then there was Stan’s wheeking for food almost all the time even if their hay bin and dishes are full. Now I will also miss my little old lady Roxie’s face when I get back and I no longer see her standing near the door of the cage asking for a treat, and Callie's sweet face begging for a treat or to be taken out for cuddle time.
I miss all of my furry kids, how I wish they are able to live longer. I wish they know how much they are loved and missed and I hope they know that they are one of the reasons why I am here. I can say that my time here as an intern has helped in the healing process in so many ways, and that I hope my fur kids know that because of them, I want to pay forward to other animals, not only the ones here at the sanctuary for the past few weeks, but also to each and every animal that I will encounter for the rest of my life.
I would also like to ask for the continued enrichment of the lives of my living fur kids: the 2 girls left of my original dozen guinea pigs: Mollie and Mochi, My 2 pairs of boys: Ted(adopted July 2010) and Arthur(adopted September 2010), Butters and Bo(adopted November 2011), My rat, Ori, and my three cats Smokey, Gabby and Tibby.
Each and every one of them has been a source of strength to keep me going. Each and every one of them has enriched my life for the better. But most of all, each and every one of my fur kids saved me.
Thank you in advance for giving me a chance to share my story, I really appreciate it.
Sincerely,
Nini Lacuesta-Ferguson
The Blessing was beautiful, the wind was blowing, and you can hear all the wind chimes, it was so peaceful, and as they were reading my letter and when they asked me to say their names, the wind blew stronger and made the wind chimes go louder. John mentioned that it usually happens and that it is a reminder that they are with me.
I also appreciated having Katie and Kaila there, it definitely helped made it easier to have friends give support during something that means a lot to me.
I thought it would be harder, but I felt so at peace afterwards. I miss and love them forever, and it was nice to hear the remembrance for them. As I have said, I will pay it forward, because of they were all there for me, and they saved me.
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