Korean Job Discussion Forums

[pangaea]

As I posted in another thread, I am heartbroken over the loss of my 4-year-old Chihuahua, Molly. She was staying with my parents and she ran out into the street in front of a car. I miss her terribly and I definitely feel a void now that she is gone. I was so looking forward to seeing her again and have her greet me with her entire tiny body wagging with excitement. My Molly was a member of my family and will always be missed. I thought it might be nice to have a thread where people can share memories of their beloved pets that have passed on if they want to. Yeah, maybe it's cheesy, but all of the well-wishes and support I have gotten here and on facebook have been very comforting.

Lady: She was a very sweet, snow-white, shaggy purebred given to us by an older lady who couldn't care for her anymore. We had her when my brothers and I were still in school. She loved to play and have her belly rubbed. She seemed to be in good health, but developed liver cancer and went downhill very quickly. She deteriorated so much that she could only lie on the floor and could not even lift her head to drink. My parents had to take her and have her put to sleep, which was very difficult for them. It was definitely a sad and undeserved ending for such a sweet dog.

Sam: My mother said she never wanted to have another dog after her heartbreaking experience with Lady. Then Sam came along. He was part Chihuahua, maybe part Dachshund, and the rest was a mystery. We had moved to a new house and my dad found him at the rental truck store. Someone with a heart made of the black, tarry crud you find in fireplaces had abandoned him on the highway. He was very sweet, loyal, and affectionate and loved to give kisses. My parents had him for 15 years, long after we had moved out of the house. At the end of his life, he became blind and deaf and developed dementia. I had to hold back tears when I went to visit my parents and Sam didn't recognize me anymore. He had to be put to sleep because he was obviously in pain and had started biting everyone who got too close. RIP Sam. You were a good dog.

Molly: Molly was my souvenir from my time on Jeju. She had been abandoned during winter and was staying outside a galbi restaurant because there were hot coals outside and the employees were giving her scraps. She was shivering and filthy and her ribs and backbone were showing clearly. I couldn't leave her on the street and one of the employees encouraged me to take her home, so I picked her up, afraid she might bite me. She just sat quietly in my arms and was perfectly content to be taken to her new mystery location. She became immediately and irrevocably attached to me, so finding her a new home soon became out of the question. She became my little friend and companion and I took her home with me to the US. Her favorite place to be was curled up next to me with her head on my leg, no matter what I was doing. She was my little shadow and slept in my bed every night - or allowed me to sleep in hers - I'm not sure which. She was very attached to my parents so I left her with them when I came back to Korea. She loved my parents and absolutely adored my dad. She basically became his dog and followed him around everywhere, even going for rides in the car with him. After one of those rides, she ran out into the street and was hit by a car. My parents are heartbroken and so am I. You will be missed very much little Molly.

[Globutron]

Man, I'm a VETeran when it comes to pet death (haha).

As in, it's so commonplace, after a while you just stop caring. I think my mum did this as a psychological experiment to numb the pain for me when people in my life die or disappear. My instincts will kick in and I will just shrug it off.

Man who has died in my youth... No people but..

Ginny, Shaggy, Eric - the trio of special Guinea Pigs. Ginny was old, Shaggy was old, Eric suffocated on sawdust.

2 guinea pigs died from shock (drills outside all day)
Another one, Zeettaa, ate her children alive and then died herself. (double homicide AND suicide with no note)
Another didn't get a name, was dropped a few hours after birth from one of my sisters friends and was brain damaged for a week or so before dying.

15 in all.

Rabbits, Magic and Minstrel, Magic named for his ability to escape, and so he did. Minstrel died from shock winning every prize possible at an animal competition.

Zombunny died of age.

Chickens 3-5, Hoodini (that spelling) and HENrietta all got taken by a fox.
Chickens 6-10 generally died of stupidity (drowning in our pond, getting stuck in the chicken wire, getting lost in the field behind our garden and getting killed by technology etc)
11-15 we ended up selling after they were too old to lay eggs.

The rat and mouse died of cancer, Diamond and Emerald.
Hamsters of age generally.

Dogs - Dizzi, Bandit (brother and sister), and Ben all died. Bandit was put down for being insane, the other two of INCREDIBLE age (both reached 15-16).

Cats - Asha, Cindy - Old age
Sweety - Jumped out of moving truck onto road and got splattered.
Sherlock - ran off to live with others. Saw him years later with a missing ear chunk about 2 miles away lazing around on a front porch he obviously took home to.

Fish - Diseases and age generally.

Snake - Snape - Went insane and somehow escaped an unescapable box thrice. The second time it was gone for about 2 months, found him roaming the grasses of the neighbourhood completely untame and wild now. Angry little thing.
Escaped a third time never to be seen again. There was honestly no way to escape that cage. Someone must have let him out *rubs chin*

Parrot - African Gray called Arthur. Old age. Man he knew some tunes. 'I want a cup of tea and a biscuit diddly-dee' and so forth. In a pirate kind of tune.
Budgie called Jake (jodie, andrew keri, emma. Names of us kids at the time) - Lived about 700 years but eventually died.

Pretty sure there were more not worth mentioning. As I say, they just blur into a chasm of death these days.

[Illysook]

The original Illysook was a cat who died of heart failure during my first year in Korea. He was a shy little fellow, but he loved to snuggle.

George was a boxer who hated cats. If you said "Kitty cat George!" he would get all wound up and start boxing. He died shortly after my divorce.

Salt was a dalmation who died of a seizure disorder. He could run like the wind.

[NYC_Gal 2.0]

Rocket -- the greatest Italian greyhound on the planet. The little dude was the runt of the litter, but he was the happiest of the litter. He was deaf in one ear, so didn't bark much until he got old and senile. When I had to practice the piano, he'd ask to jump up onto the bench, then start mashing his front paws on the keys, tail wagging, turning his head to me to try to lick my face at the same time. About a month after I moved here, he got cancer and had to be put down.

Basil -- the grumpier of my 2 rats. He loved my best friend/now boyfriend, and used to nap on his lap or stomach. He was a bit of a bully to my other rat, but when alone, he was very sweet and would nuzzle up to you and cuddle, falling asleep. He caught a respiratory infection from dirty bedding whilst I was at the hospital, but it was slow moving at first so I didn't notice when I got home. My boyfriend cleaned his cage and gave him a bath immediately, but 2 weeks later, he was wheezing, antibiotics and vitamins weren't working, and the vet's office was closed when things took a turn for the worse. I had to put him down myself. Worst thing I've ever had to do. I'll be visiting my vet back home to ask for an inhalant for if and when I have to do it for my other rat.

[chellovek]

I'm awaiting the death of Dear Old Chirp.

He's a 10 year old budgie, I've said goodbye to him whenever I've moved away as if it would be for the last time for the past 5-6 years.

I'm going to miss him when he's gone.

[sallymonster]

When I was growing up, my family raised ducks in the backyard, and they died early and often. Happy died of egg-laying complications, Sammi got attacked by vicious dogs, Quackers and Alyssa got mauled by raccoons, and Little Beak got sick, didn't preen herself properly, stayed in the duck pond too long and died of hypothermia. We finally got tired of all of our ducks dying and sold the remaining duck, Misty, to a local duck egg farm.

Frederick - Frederick was my roommate's orange tabby kitten. My roommate wasn't a very responsible person (another story), so I ended up caring for Frederick a lot. Frederick was a naughty kitty; he liked to meow loudly, bite people (not hard), walk on my head early in the morning, scratch the furniture, play with my shoestrings when I was trying to tie my shoes, and bother my cat Electra. Despite all this (or maybe because of it), I found him adorable and I didn't mind taking care of him. He started bonding to me a bit and would snuggle with me in my bed at night. My roommate often let Frederick outside, even though we lived on a busy street. One morning in October 2009, Frederick got hit by a car in the parking lot of the Walgreens next door. The car smashed his pelvis, and he later died at the local veterinarian's office. I was crushed by the loss of "my" other kitty. Frederick was only a year old when he died.

Hapha - My family got Hapha as a puppy in 2004, as a Christmas present for my younger sister. He was a pure-bred Welsh Corgi, and my sister named him Hapha (short for "half-a-dog") because of his tiny Corgi legs. Hapha loved walks, trips to the lake, chasing my cat, getting his belly scratched, and chasing and being chased (he was a herding breed after all). Most of all, though, Hapha loved being with people, especially his family. A few months before I came to Korea, I moved back in with my parents to escape a bad situation. At the time I was unemployed and lonely (most of my old friends had left town), and Hapha became my best friend. I played with him, took him on walks, and trained him to get along better with other dogs so that I could take him to dog parks. Hapha gave me unconditional love and was very loyal; he would follow me everywhere if I let him. A week after I left for Korea, Hapha suddenly dropped dead at 5 years old. My family thinks he died because they changed his flea medication, but I still can't help but wonder if he just couldn't take my absence, as he had really bonded to me in the five months we lived together. It's really going to be heartbreaking to visit my family with no super-excited Hapha running up to greet me.

[danby_ll]

I'm also awaiting the death of a pet - my cat that I received as a Christmas present when I was in kindergarten will be 21 this year. She just keeps going and going...

I've also said goodbye to her every time I've left for abroad, but she's always waiting at home when I return.

She has no major health problems other than being deaf. She's less active than she was, obviously, but still jumps up on chairs and people's laps. Eats and drinks fine, but has been having a lot more bathroom incidents (she likes to poop under the couch instead of her litter box now).

What's amazing is that she's been declawed since she was a baby and has always been an outdoor cat. She still managed to catch mice and birds her whole life and bring them home to show off.

I will be devastated when she dies. I love that cat like my own baby. I'm going home for vacation this summer - hopefully she will hang in there until then!