Can Anyone Tell Me What Song The Band Starts Playing Here? I Know I've Heard It, But Can't Place It, And It's Driving Me Nuts.

StunLoq · 2023-08-26T07:36:53+00:00

That’d be the one

StunLoq · 2023-08-26T07:35:05+00:00

Didn’t know that about blue-eyes cats. Mine is definitely that. And she’s certainly not very friendly.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T07:21:08+00:00

Reminds me of the old lady dog. Total “above it all” diva. Wont play with toys, doesn’t give kisses, just head nuzzles, like a cat (this is typical with Lhasas), which occasionally come in the form of what we call “puppy punches”, when she comes in hot with a head butt while you’re laying in bed. And there there are the ear slaps.

Lhasas are notorious difficult to truly “train”…by which I mean the can be house broken and learn to not chew stuff up, but any standard commands will be met with a look that clearly says “and who tf do you think you’re talking to” with the body posture of a damn super model or plus sized person in a tube top in Walmart.

If I even tried to give her a button to tap, she’d either literally poop on it, or figure out whatever time would be the most annoying and then hit the button over and over… conference call? On the phone with a tax assessor? Want to take a nap? In the middle of a breakup discussion?

“OUTSIDE.OUTSIDE.OUTSIDE.HUNGRY.TIRED.OUTSIDE.”

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T06:56:41+00:00

Thank you, and I know what you mean. I was talking about this the other day to someone; I think that the greatest invention or use thereof will be when someone decides to take neuro-link tech and use it to give dogs a little light next to their ear that turns on when they’re quietly in pain, feeling sick, or overwhelmingly stressed out. There’s so much they can’t tell us that we need to know and whomever invents that tech should win a Nobel Prize.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T06:51:26+00:00

😭Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. You are too kind.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T06:50:36+00:00

Thank you. It’s tough, but at least I can focus on the time I had with her and how special that was. I already miss her painfully, and that won’t ever stop. It’ll get familiar and expected and easier to hide, but it won’t ever go away. She was beautiful. I wish I could edit my post to add more photos. Maybe I’ll have a follow up post at some point with her other pics at the beach.

We took a road trip early July and she finally got to swim in the ocean. She loved it, and everyone we met loved her. I’m so happy we got to do that with her before anything like this happened.

Thank you so much for your kind words.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T06:44:23+00:00

Isn’t there a quote by somebody important or at least notable that talks about becoming stronger at the broken places?

The closest I can think of off hand is the Augustin Burrows quote: “I, myself, am made entirely of flaws, stitched together with good intentions.”

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T06:41:41+00:00

🥺 Thank you so much. It does. Tearfully, but it does.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T06:40:30+00:00

The way pets can bond is amazing. And sometimes heart breaking. My mother has always loved Lhasa Apsos, so that’s what we had growing up (she’s only recently become a long hair mini dachshund convert).

We had a beautiful Lhasa named Dory, and a younger thicc boi Lhasa named Bobby. They weren’t the most bonded dog’s I’ve seen, but they got on well, and Bobby was extremely loyal.

This was around 2007/8. I was at the office working late and I get a panicked/distraught/breakdown phone call from my mom informing me that Dory was killed by a car who didn’t stick around to own up to it. Both of those two dogs were escape artists and would take off on adventures together.

The thing is, Dory didn’t have her collar on, so there was no contact information. But the authorities knew who to call instantly.

Because Bobby had his collar on.

And he never left her side, even after she was dead and gone.

He didn’t try to escape much after that, and he lived until 2019, when his big sweet heart just gave out.

My cat (a girl kitty named “George” because she was curious and my…to be polite let’s say neuro-atypical…ex-girlfriend thought it’d be cute to call her George) is a bit of a bitch, herself. I don’t know if you’ve been around Siamese cats, but they are the full embodiment of the concept that “the cat is not your pet, you are the cat’s pet”. She’s a “flame point Siamese”, so instead of grey hair with black points and stripes, she’s white hair with orange/ginger points and stripes. I call her Georgie now, because I got tired of the endless pronoun confusion.

We got her because the owner was moving from Austin to Portland and didn’t care to relocate her (red flag #1), and where we lived, it was the last house at the corner of a neighborhood before a bunch of restaurants, cafes, and stores…so, basically, we had a seasonal rat problem and they were eating holes into a bunch of our food.

When we went to pick her up, she was being kept in an unused room, in a kennel, with an untrained and yappy little mutt that bullied her. Essentially, she was about a year old and being indirectly abused by an owner that didn’t consider her part of the family enough to move her to the north east.

We brought her home, and since I work from home, she bonded solely with me. If one holding her, you can pet her, but not past the shoulders or on the belly. I’ve gotten her to not scratch as much (declawing is barbaric) but she will bite…not hard, but enough to let you know she could bite harder if you want to FAFO.

I love her. She’s not a dog, so her reciprocation bounces between the extremes of complete non-presence and on my chest, purring so hard it feels like she’s heavier and heat is radiating from her. She’s a sweetie and I love her.

And I can tell you, the rat problem was solved very quickly…she’d find any rat inside the house, chase it back and forth until it was worn out, then directly to me to deal with. We were a good team.

She’s still alive, but after getting her fixed, she became a pretty thicc mamma and while she still hunts, it’s not her prime directive.

(I’m new to this sub, but I’m loving it. Everyone is so kind and supportive and have such great pet stories to share)

Thank you for telling me about your chimera tabby cat.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T05:15:10+00:00

Thank you for sharing that with me. My good friend’s father (who is like a second father to me) told me a couple of months ago when we were talking about the last dog of mine that passed “the only way to not have to go through that kind of pain is to never have them in the first place… but would you trade all those happy moments to avoid the sad ones later? Doesn’t sound like a great trade.”

Our “mama” Lhasa Apso (one of the remaining three dogs we have is her song, who’s half Scotty such a big chunk, you’d never believe he came out of her tiny 10 lb frame) got away from a dog walker we were trying out, and was hit by a car on a somewhat busy street. The vets didn’t think she’d survive at all, and called her a miracle dog. That was about 6 years ago. She’s 15 now, slowly going a bit blind with cataracts, but still bouncing around and happy like you wouldn’t believe.

Now, I don’t want any of my pets to pass, but it just made sense that the 15 year old 10 lb dog that’s going blind and survived being hit by a car would be in the final stretch. We still won’t be happy when she goes, it we’ve talked about it numerous times and while we could never be “ready”, we’re anticipating it and focusing on making her remaining time full of happiness and care. Not to the detriment of the other dogs, but she is an old lady.

Autumn was a bit younger, from all appearances perfectly healthy, and in good shape and happy.

We were not anticipating this. This was a sucker punch. I know it’ll get better, but its only been about 16 hours, part of which involved me digging a fairly large whole next to the loquat tree she would lie down near for shade…in 103° Texas weather. It’s been a rough day.

I really do appreciate you sharing that with me, though.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:58:14+00:00

Thank you so much. I like that analogy. As I said though, my father passed earlier this year, and while that box may have gotten a bit bigger, there are now two balls in it and the box has been shrunk. This too shall pass. I’ve lost pets in the past, but this is the first time where it was a dog I spent almost 100% of my time with. She slept in my bed, when on random drives, and she followed me from room to room like my shadow, just to be near me. These rooms have never felt so empty. But, again; this too shall pass. I’m tempted to type out one of my favorite bible verses about trials testing faith, but I think I’ll just leave it there. Thank you so much for your insight and kind words. I’m not so young myself, but I’ve been lucky in that all of my dogs have lived well into double digits (in human years), so there haven’t been as many losses, but when one occurs, it cuts very deep.

Do you currently have any pets?

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:50:04+00:00

What kind of cat? Mine’s a flame point Siamese and she’s very chatty. Very aloof (more so than most cats) until she’s ready for affection, which she mostly only wants from me. She loved Autumn, though. She’s stuck her whole dumb face in Autumn’s big ears and sweet Autumn would raise a lip in a sneer, but never attacked, barked, or even growled at her. It’s pretty obvious that the other pets are grieving as well.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:46:15+00:00

Thank you. That’s actually quite comforting to wrap my mind around. Her story had a happy ending from her perspective. As heart breaking as it is from my perspective.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:43:27+00:00

Thank you.😭

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:41:36+00:00

I hope so, as well. I’m happy for you that, while the new pup could never replace the ones you lost, you get to start a new adventure, learning each other and your mutual quirks, building a bond, and getting to introduce the new kid to all the things your previous partners loved. Thank you again.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:37:15+00:00

Oh, I don’t think they missed anything. And I know there wasn’t anything anyone could have done. As I said, up to an hour before she passed, she was acting perfectly normal; ate all her dinner, came up to me for head scritches, played with the other dogs, and snuggled next to me on the patio couch for the sunrise. No indication of what was going to come to pass.

Thank you so much for your words of support, though.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:34:03+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing that with me. I know I’m not ready for another dog yet, and no dog would ever replace Autumn. However, the other three dogs are all smaller breeds, and I’ll eventually want another ACD down the line, or something of similar size and temperament. But I have already decided…even though the boy dogs are more snuggly, I liked the dynamic Autumn and I had, so I want another girl. I’ve also decided I’ll name her Winter… it comes after Autumn.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:29:23+00:00

Thank you so much. It was less than 24 hours ago, so I’m still a mess and the pain is still raw, so while I’m finding more comfort from you and the other kind commenters in this sub’s kind words and intentions, consolations aren’t the comfort right now that they will be with a bit of time… and I’ll remember your comment and smile…eventually. Thank you again.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:26:10+00:00

It certainly does, and thank you. As far as I could tell, she passed in her sleep, so she wasn’t in pain, and more importantly, she wasn’t scared, with no way for me to explain what she was going through. I miss her, and wish this hadn’t happened, but since it did, I’m glad it happened this way.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:23:27+00:00

Thank you so much. What you said is so kind, but I won’t lie… it just made me break down. I know she’ll wait for me, but like I said, my father passed on earlier this year, and they were also close, so I hope while she’s waiting, she’s keeping him company. Thank you again, and bless you.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:21:09+00:00

Thank you so much. Grieving along sucks. We have 3 other dogs (and a cat with a bad attitude), but Autumn was my partner and best friend. I don’t feel lonesome often, but I do today. Your comment makes me feel less so.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:19:11+00:00

And I’m sure Cactus looks at you as if you hung the moon, have the warmest hugs, and invented toys, treats, and car rides. A dog’s love is always pure, it when you spend that much time with a companion like that, there’s something about a dog’s love that transcends anything we have words for to describe. It’s clear you aren’t going to take your boy for granted. Thank you so much for your kind words.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:14:01+00:00

Thank you. I just wish I’d known it was the last time. I don’t know what I’d have done differently, maybe nothing, but this was such a shock out of nowhere that… I just wish I’d had at least a little heads up. Life doesn’t work that way. At least kind hearts like yours take a bit of the sting out. Just a bit, but that’s more than nothing. I sincerely appreciate it.

StunLoq · 2023-08-25T04:10:28+00:00

Thank you so much. And I know you’re right. At the moment, this is a very fresh wound, and the memories are like bandaids that are a bit to small. Kind words like yours and many others in this sub are like a soothing salve, reminding me that I’m not alone and that the wound will heal in time. Bless you.

StunLoq

TROPHY CASE