PHF Community Thread, Come Say Howdie Doody - y’all!

[Dax Diameter]

12 minutes ago, Kesha Slays said:

@Dax Diameter I believe this is the thread that you mentioned? 

For those that may not have read my recent status update, a few days ago, our family dog, Buddy, passed away after suffering a seizure. He was around 6 years old when we got him in February 2019 and although I never knew the date he was born, allegedly he was born in August 2012. I recently discovered that because of his breed and the fact that he wasn't purebred, his life expectancy was actually a little shorter compared to others. He lived to be about 10 or 11 years old, which is really a long time if you think about it. He was half German Shepherd half Australian Shepherd mix. He was a great dog. 

I was not his favorite person. He really imprinted on my brother who was with him when he died. But, I know he loved me and the other members of my family just the same. He would give me kisses and we'd go on walks. He even came with us on a family vacation once. He loved car rides. He was everything you could want in a pet except the cuddling. He would only allow cuddles on his terms. He would simply get up and move if you tried cuddling him. He would allow hugs tho. He was super friendly. He never bit anyone ever.

He was my furry four-legged friend and now he's gone. 

Trying to post a photo of him, but it's not letting me....

 

 

 

I can also relate because my pet dog (who was supposed to be mine), imprinted on my Mom.

How are you feeling now? I know it’s not easy but please try not to get too upset.

Know that @Kipper and I are here for you if you want to vent.

[Kesha Slays]

29 minutes ago, Dax Diameter said:

I can also relate because my pet dog (who was supposed to be mine), imprinted on my Mom.

How are you feeling now? I know it’s not easy but please try not to get too upset.

Know that @Kipper and I are here for you if you want to vent.

My heart hurts. It physically hurts. I once read that elephants can die of a broken heart. Now I'm sitting here thinking about how sad an elephant must be for it to die from a broken heart. This is how I'm feeling. 

I appreciate you and @Kipper and everyone else who replied to my status and gave me advice on things that I can do to help with the coping. I wanted to write more sincere replies, but it's kinda hard at the moment. 

[Dax Diameter]

3 minutes ago, Kesha Slays said:

My heart hurts. It physically hurts. I once read that elephants can die of a broken heart. Now I'm sitting here thinking about how sad an elephant must be for it to die from a broken heart. This is how I'm feeling. 

I appreciate you and @Kipper and everyone else who replied to my status and gave me advice on things that I can do to help with the coping. I wanted to write more sincere replies, but it's kinda hard at the moment. 

When I’m troubled (as you are now), I usually find myself drawn towards a specific album or artist whom I feel has a vibe that resonates musically to my mood in some way and I find that in creating my own personal soundtrack, it helps me think and work through my feelings.

I’m not saying that is a universal truth that will work for you and nothing is a substitute for time and space but you are obviously a music lover, so maybe healing through mood music can help you too.

Either way, know that you are not in this alone.

[Main Pop Girl]

8 hours ago, Kesha Slays said:

@Dax Diameter I believe this is the thread that you mentioned? 

For those that may not have read my recent status update, a few days ago, our family dog, Buddy, passed away after suffering a seizure. He was around 6 years old when we got him in February 2019 and although I never knew the date he was born, allegedly he was born in August 2012. I recently discovered that because of his breed and the fact that he wasn't purebred, his life expectancy was actually a little shorter compared to others. He lived to be about 10 or 11 years old, which is really a long time if you think about it. He was half German Shepherd half Australian Shepherd mix. He was a great dog. 

I was not his favorite person. He really imprinted on my brother who was with him when he died. But, I know he loved me and the other members of my family just the same. He would give me kisses and we'd go on walks. He even came with us on a family vacation once. He loved car rides. He was everything you could want in a pet except the cuddling. He would only allow cuddles on his terms. He would simply get up and move if you tried cuddling him. He would allow hugs tho. He was super friendly. He never bit anyone ever.

He was my furry four-legged friend and now he's gone. 

Trying to post a photo of him, but it's not letting me....

 

 

 

Awww my darling, I'm so sorry  I've lost a couple of animals in the past and it's always the worst thing ever. I have a five year old doggy now and even so I worry all the time about what's going to happen when he passes because I know I'll be absolutely distraught. Mine is the same as yours in that he doesn't really like being cuddled, but as I've spent more time with him he's gotten more comfortable with it and now he loves nothing more than a good tummy rub  

All you can tell yourself is that he lived to be a great age, and he clearly had an amazing life with you and your family and felt very loved. I hope soon you'll be able to remember the happy times you had and know you did an amazing job as an owner, and not feel too sad when you think about your baby  Sending you lots of love  

[Kesha Slays]

8 hours ago, Dax Diameter said:

When I’m troubled (as you are now), I usually find myself drawn towards a specific album or artist whom I feel has a vibe that resonates musically to my mood in some way and I find that in creating my own personal soundtrack, it helps me think and work through my feelings.

I’m not saying that is a universal truth that will work for you and nothing is a substitute for time and space but you are obviously a music lover, so maybe healing through mood music can help you too.

Either way, know that you are not in this alone.

Music is definitely a good source that'll help realign my focus. It's something I've always relied on. Fingers crossed, I try everything I can to overcome this loss. I know I probably sound so dramatic right now, it's just I'm kinda typing what comes to the top of my head first instead of actually taking a second to think about what I'm typing lmao. I honestly feel like I'm sounding really annoying. 

[Kesha Slays]

25 minutes ago, Leaving said:

Awww my darling, I'm so sorry  I've lost a couple of animals in the past and it's always the worst thing ever. I have a five year old doggy now and even so I worry all the time about what's going to happen when he passes because I know I'll be absolutely distraught. Mine is the same as yours in that he doesn't really like being cuddled, but as I've spent more time with him he's gotten more comfortable with it and now he loves nothing more than a good tummy rub  

All you can tell yourself is that he lived to be a great age, and he clearly had an amazing life with you and your family and felt very loved. I hope soon you'll be able to remember the happy times you had and know you did an amazing job as an owner, and not feel too sad when you think about your baby  Sending you lots of love  

The thing with Buddy was that he would have to initiate the cuddling. He had no problem cuddling with my brother. Only once did he ever want to cuddle with me and that was because my brother wasn't home and it was storming and he was sleeping on the couch in my room, but he must've gotten afraid of the storm or something cause the next thing I knew, he was using his front paws to push my legs to the side and he jumped onto my twin sized mattress, which he easily took up like half of it. He stayed there with me for like 20 minutes until the storm died down a lil. That's one memory I'll always keep close to me. 

 

[Dax Diameter]

34 minutes ago, Kesha Slays said:

I honestly feel like I'm sounding really annoying. 

Nah, not at all. You are fine.

[Dax Diameter]

Regardless of our world location, in each country we each grow up with a basic chocolate recipe that we expect to taste a certain way based on the fact we have (more often than not), been consuming it since we were very young (excluding people with some random allergy).

What is a standard chocolate recipe in one country, sometimes tastes absolutely disgusting to someone from another country (who has been raised on a completely different chocolate recipe).

It seems nowhere is this contrast in chocolate more stark than between the U.K. and U.S. Which prompts the question..

Has someone ever brought you back chocolate from (either country), on an international trip?

Or have you holidayed in another country and tried their sweeties/ candy whilst you’ve been there?

If so, what were your impressions of how it tasted in comparison to your standard chocolate recipe at home that you grew up with? Did you prefer it (or did it taste horrid)?

A British duo tastes American chocolate:

An American duo tastes British chocolate:

What is your take?

Edited June 18, 2023 by Dax Diameter

[Main Pop Girl]

10 hours ago, Kesha Slays said:

The thing with Buddy was that he would have to initiate the cuddling. He had no problem cuddling with my brother. Only once did he ever want to cuddle with me and that was because my brother wasn't home and it was storming and he was sleeping on the couch in my room, but he must've gotten afraid of the storm or something cause the next thing I knew, he was using his front paws to push my legs to the side and he jumped onto my twin sized mattress, which he easily took up like half of it. He stayed there with me for like 20 minutes until the storm died down a lil. That's one memory I'll always keep close to me. 

 

That's such a sweet story and it's great to have something like that to think of and treasure when they're gone  Sending you lots of love darling!

[Kesha Slays]

3 hours ago, Leaving said:

That's such a sweet story and it's great to have something like that to think of and treasure when they're gone  Sending you lots of love darling!

Thank you! It's going to be memories like those that keep me from being completely unmotivated. 

[Kesha Slays]

This is Buddy. I wanted to post a picture of him with his eyes open, but all of those ones exceed the posting file limit or whatever. Plus, I always thought he looked so cute while napping! I guess I never realized before just how many photos I have of him sleeping lmao! He had one blue eye and one brown eye! I loved his two different colored eyes! 

Edited June 18, 2023 by Kesha Slays

[Dax Diameter]

1 hour ago, Kesha Slays said:

This is Buddy. I wanted to post a picture of him with his eyes open, but all of those ones exceed the posting file limit or whatever. Plus, I always thought he looked so cute while napping! I guess I never realized before just how many photos I have of him sleeping lmao! He had one blue eye and one brown eye! I loved his two different colored eyes! 

Aww, he looks so cute and lost to the land of sleep.  Did the vet ever diagnose what condition he had?

[Kesha Slays]

17 minutes ago, Dax Diameter said:

Aww, he looks so cute and lost to the land of sleep.  Did the vet ever diagnose what condition he had?

Actually, we never got the chance to take him to a vet. We got him from a friend of my sister's. He was a rescue dog. They got him from a shelter in Tennessee (at least that's what I believe to be true since the one time my brother and sister took him to the vet, the vet said that he has a chip in him that lists him being from Tennessee). He was insured just not by us so we had to pay out of pocket. We did find out that he had hip problems. The vet gave us this bag of medical treats that were only like $40 which we only got once, probably should have gotten more. That one time we took him to the vet, it was because A) the vet had a cancellation in her schedule so, she was able to see him right away and B) my father had just received a check from my grandmother's estate, so we were able to afford it.

My sister tried taking him to a vet when he first started having seizures, but the only one that would see him was 2 hours away and you had to pay 50% of the bill upfront, that was just to be seen. He ended up being okay for a while after his first couple seizures. Plus, to me, they looked more like a charlie horse than that of a seizure, but I could be wrong. He bounced back really quick to be honest. I really thought he was going to be okay. I know we should've tried harder to take better care of him. I do feel guilty about that. I would've sold my kidney just so he could be seen if it came down to it. 

[Dax Diameter]

3 minutes ago, Kesha Slays said:

Actually, we never got the chance to take him to a vet. We got him from a friend of my sister's. He was a rescue dog. They got him from a shelter in Tennessee (at least that's what I believe to be true since the one time my brother and sister took him to the vet, the vet said that he has a chip in him that lists him being from Tennessee). He was insured just not by us so we had to pay out of pocket. We did find out that he had hip problems. The vet gave us this bag of medical treats that were only like $40 which we only got once, probably should have gotten more. That one time we took him to the vet, it was because A) the vet had a cancellation in her schedule so, she was able to see him right away and B) my father had just received a check from my grandmother's estate, so we were able to afford it.

My sister tried taking him to a vet when he first started having seizures, but the only one that would see him was 2 hours away and you had to pay 50% of the bill upfront, that was just to be seen. He ended up being okay for a while after his first couple seizures. Plus, to me, they looked more like a charlie horse than that of a seizure, but I could be wrong. He bounced back really quick to be honest. I really thought he was going to be okay. I know we should've tried harder to take better care of him. I do feel guilty about that. I would've sold my kidney just so he could be seen if it came down to it. 

I’m sure you did your best. Sometimes you just never know what the underlying cause is. I’m aware vets don’t come cheap. Something similar happened to me once with a Guinea pig and I also felt guilty afterwards. However, these things happen and without a crystal ball, there is only so much that can be done. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

[Kesha Slays]

10 minutes ago, Dax Diameter said:

I’m sure you did your best. Sometimes you just never know what the underlying cause is. I’m aware vets don’t come cheap. Something similar happened to me once with a Guinea pig and I also felt guilty afterwards. However, these things happen and without a crystal ball, there is only so much that can be done. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.

You're right about vets not being cheap! I also happen to believe that Buddy was an older dog. He also was part German Shepherd and they tend to have shorter life spans than other breeds. At least, the German Shepherds in my neck of the woods tend to do, the K-9's in my town all retire between 6-8 years old. That's how I found out that the average lifespan of a German Shepherd is closer to 10-13 years rather than 13-15 years like most dog breeds. Although, my research could be wrong. Of course I think it also depends on how well you look after your dog cause I've found out recently that some breeds are outliving others by a longshot. Quality of life is important. I know Buddy lived a good life and he went both quickly and peacefully so, I'm grateful he wasn't suffering too much in the end.