Special to the Star-Herald
We would like to thank everyone who stopped by our booth at the Northern Maine Forum Spring Craft Fair. We had a great time and met some wonderful new friends. It is always nice to chat with people about their pets and it is surprising how many have come from the Central Aroostook Humane Society. It is wonderful to talk to people and hear them talk so lovingly about their pets.
Unfortunately, not all parts of having pets in our lives are easy. I had a friend stop by this weekend; she sat at my kitchen table and cried, her cat passed away unexpectedly. I didn’t have the right words to take away her pain. Her loss was devastating and she was truly grieving. It broke my heart to know that her pain would be her own, dealt with in her own way and in her own time and there was nothing I could do.
When you love your animals and care for them as part of your family, the emptiness when you lose them is real. They aren’t ‘just an animal,’ they are part of the family and part of who we are. There are no magical words to take away the pain, the guilt or the void.
I just had another friend call me to tell me that they had lost their beloved dog after many happy years together. It doesn’t matter how long you have a pet, when you love them and treat them as part of the family, the loss is so very hard to come to terms with whether you make the decision or it is made for you. I have grieved the loss of each of many (my?) animals, I have held the hands of friends and strangers as they talk about their beloved pets and I have also counseled people to help them to make the difficult decision to put their pet to sleep.
Making those choices is never easy. Death is a part of life and we give our love to our pets unconditionally, knowing that we will most likely outlive them. As I said, there are no magical words to help your friends through their grief, just be there for them, let them know you care and listen.
THE EULOGY
Look not where I was
For I am not there
My spirit is free
I am everywhere
In the air that you breathe
In the sounds that you hear
Don’t cry for me Mom
My spirit is near
I’ll watch for you
From the other side
I’ll be the one running
New friends by my side
Smile at my memory
Remember in your heart
This isn’t the end
It’s a brand new start
By: Carol Kufner
If you are looking for a friend for life, please visit the Central Aroostook Humane Society. We are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. or give us a call at 764-3441.
Alert: Major pet food recall
Numerous dogs and cats around North America have suffered kidney failure and about 10 have died due to eating tainted pet food. Menu Foods, manufacturer of pet food for 17 of the 20 North American retailers, has issued a recall of over 60 million containers of wet food. The recall covers the company’s ‘cuts and gravy’ style food, which consists of chunks of meat in gravy, sold in cans and small foil pouches between Dec. 3 and March 6 throughout the U.S., Canada and Mexico. Wheat gluten is the suspected cause, but it has not been 100 percent identified as the sole source. Menu Foods has posted a full list of brand names and lot numbers covered by the recall on its Web site: www.menufoods.com/recall/. Consumers with questions can call (866) 463-6738. Keep your pets safe and check it out.
Please have your pets spayed or neutered.
