A Memorial To A Pet

Lady's Adoption:

In the spring of 1994 our family decided to adopt a stray dog that we named Lady. She had been abandoned and abused by several people before we gave her a home, which is a prime example of why people should get animals fixed. If dogs and cats have unwanted offspring, there is a high chance that most of these pets will end up abandoned, abused, and euthanized in animal shelters. Lady was a wonderful dog and she brought many years of enjoyment for our family. Before adopting a pet you should read about some important tips and suggestions given by the Humane Society.

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_adoption_information/

Lady was our family dog until she passed away in January 2007. She had a long life for a stray dog that had very little chance of surviving earlier in her life. I feel we were very blessed and fortunate to have found Lady at that time in our lives. If we had not have found her, I often feel sad contemplating what her fate might have been wandering from one location to another. Lady was a very beautiful dog and several people had attempted to adopt her before us, but they quickly decided that owning a pet cramped their personal lifestyle. Pet ownership is a serious responsibility and people should not buy a pet for their child on a whim because I have seen many of these cute pets turn into liabilities for the owners. Many owners decide their pets lose their novelty at maturity, and abandon the animals in some of the worst possible ways. At one time our family adopted the neighbor's cat because he was just going to abandon it out in the desert. Lady became a member of our family when we found her wandering in our neighborhood after she had been abandoned by a neighbor.

Lady changed my life in so many ways because she taught me about responsibility and pet ownership. As a teenager I was responsible for feeding, grooming, walking her, which helped me to focus on something besides myself. Every day after school I looked forward to coming home to Lady because she was truly one of my best friends. I always enjoyed taking her on walks for silly reasons such as the ability of her burly Siberian husky body to pull me up the steep hills of our mountainous neighborhood. I remember scolding her on days when I came home from school and she had jumped up on the counter and ate an entire loaf of bread. One of our sweet neighbor's even baked a loaf of corn bread for Lady, which resulted in me nicknaming her The Bread Dog. Truly, I have never met a dog who loved bread and bread products as much as lady. Most dogs would rather eat a steak, but Lady always preferred a piece of bread.

When I went away to college I was sad because I was no longer able to see Lady every single day. Pets realize when their caregivers are absent and many go looking for them. Recently there was a news story about an American Marine who fed and cared for a stray wounded dog in an Iraqi war zone. When his unit was deployed from the area, the dog traveled over seventy miles to be reunited with the man who had taken care of him.

There are hundreds of other stories about pets that have traveled miles to be reunited their caregivers, but the story about Nubs is one of the most inspiring and touching I have read in a long time. Lady was never separated from my family, but I think she would have been smart enough to find us if she would have ever been lost. Scientific research has shown that pets can sense when their owners are missing and some have actually traveled miles to go find them.

When lady passed in away in January 2007 I was very sad and I wanted to create something to remember her by. I decided to draw a picture that would help me to remember her forever. Here are the steps I took to create my Pet Memorial Drawing.

1. Select a Picture to use for your drawing.

I decided to use a picture of lady sitting on the bed because that was something she did all the time. You can use any picture of your pet that you like because this project is for you only.

2. Take time drawing/painting/sketching your pet.

Take as much time as you like on your picture because it will be around for you to enjoy in the years to come.

3. Select a frame for your picture and enjoy.

I have now placed my picture of Lady in a frame and will be able to enjoy her for years to come. I miss the real Lady, but my Pet Memorial Drawing helps to remind me of the dog I will always love.