Name an experience involving a pet or an animal which you will never forget.

It is an amazing story Marianne, and other people have so many like them.  Some people think that animals are just stupid and have no soul, but I don't believe that.  When asked if animals would be in heaven, C.S. Lewis responded that it was very possible but that if they were it would be most likely those that had formed close relationships with their owners. He theorized that an animal's consciousness is raised by his association with his human and therefore is elevated to a level above feral animals, much the way a relationship with Christ elevates a human being. 

Well, he was a Christian apologist!  But I always rather liked that explanation.

Me too, Diana.  I certainly have my share waiting for me at the Rainbow Bridge.

About 20 years ago, I killed my two parakeets.  It was horrible.  It was a Saturday afternoon and my husband and son were out and I was home alone, cleaning, doing laundry, etc.  When I got hungry, I decided to fix some grits, so I put water on to boil and went into the bedroom to fold clothes.  Well, I forgot about the water and let the teflon coated saucepan boil dry.  It was when I smelled it that I ran out to the kitchen to turn off the stove.  My birds' cage was in  a corner of the kitchen and about the same time I ran into the kitchen, they made a really weird sound and keeled over from the fumes.  Deader than doornails in a matter of seconds.  Remember the canary in the coal mine?

I was very distraught.  I cried and cried and then went into the bedroom and dumped all my jewelry out of my jewelry box to make a coffin for them.  It was so sad and I felt so guilty for a long time over that.

Ruth! That's so sad! I would have felt exactly the same. You poor thing! How awful. There's nothing worse than to think you are responsible for the death of something so innocent. 

I remember when I was 14 years old, our dog had puppies and one of them wasn't doing well. I wanted to take it to the vet but my mother said it cost too much money and it would die on it's own.  Well, I was out in the back yard when I saw my mother run out of the house with something wrapped in a towel and she threw it into the back of the garbage truck that was making its way down the street.  I heard the puppy whimper when it landed. I was horrified. I ran to my mother and screamed at her "It's not even dead yet!", she just shrugged and said it would have been dead soon enough anyway.

I cried for days and felt so guilty and I wasn't even responsible.

That's a great story, Beth.  I think it's the bond of love that causes them to "home."

I had a cat once named Mertie.  She had a litter of 2 kittens and one day both of them decided to climb the tall oak tree out front.  They were up there a good 30 or 40 feet, but Mertie made two trips up the tree and carried them down one by one.  It was very cool.

I'll always fondly remember the night I first brought my Merlin home with me.  He was 8 months old and a little firecracker. I let him sleep on the bed with me and the next morning when the alarm went off I opened my eyes just in time to see a black streak fly across my head and attack the alarm clock, wrestling it to the ground.  I laughed so hard! It was a great way to start the day!   

Sorry folks; we're coming up on the first anniversary of his death and I find myself feeling a bit weepy...but in a good way.