Ode to Bob

It's been a hard few days at our house. Our beloved friend, Bob, has passed away. We are all so saddened by this loss, and during his brief eulogy there were many tears shed by all.

Let's now take a moment of silence in honor of Bob.

::Silence, in which there is the faint sound of angels singing and birds chirping::

Let me tell you a little about Bob.

He came into our lives purely by accident. See, John had decided that he wanted a fish in his office at work. So after a trip to SmartPets, he was the proud owner of a pretty Beta fish. After a few days, and John's enjoyment of the fish at work, he declared that I should have one at my office too. However, since I wasn't there as much as I had been, thanks to school, I didn't know that the little guy would survive. Besides, I thought it cruel to feed him on Friday, and let him starve until Monday. So John talked me into getting a fish for my office that would live at home. He would clean the tank, and feed him and love him and call him...George (name that cartoon!).

So George came home. Everyone was happy. Except the longer that George was with us, we realized that he was...special. And I'm not talking about having a super cool talent, or a neat trick, or that he could swim faster than the speed of a speed boat. No, George was...well, there's no easy way to say this. George, was a dork fish. He wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, not the brightest crayon in the box, a few fries short of a happy meal. I'm sure you get the idea.

George preferred to...well bottom feed. He liked to float around and watch his fishy dinner flakes float gracefully through the clear water, and land on the beautiful neon gravel at the bottom of his tank. Then later, when he was hungry, he would turn himself in a fish with an incredible amount of buoyancy, and...bob for food. So, it was apparent that George had been misnamed, and well, from that day forward, he became Bob.

You should have known this was coming.

Bob the Magnificent

 Amazingly so, Bob had been a part of our family for the better part of 2ish years.


We had Bob, sitting on this self for about 5 weeks, when the dog, finally discovered something was up there.

Friend or Snack?

Bob, like I mentioned before was...special. He was fondly referred to as a dork fish. Bob's not only speciality was bottom feeding, but Bob, had an imaginary friend. I was doing some laundry one day, and walked by Bob's tank, and as Beta's are prone to do, he was "fighting". Fighting is actually good for a Beta, because it helps to keep their colors bright and the fish in good health. So it's often a good idea to have 2, and place their tanks close together and allow them to fight for a few hours a week to keep them healthy. We would place a shiny pan or a mirror up so Bob would have this opportunity.

Love at first bite, err sight.

Well one afternoon, I was changing out the laundry, and Bob suddenly woke up from his mid-afternoon slumber and starting fighting with...nothing. The cabinet was empty, the dishes put away, and Bob was just going to town. About that time, John called, and I told him, as a joke that Bob, had an imaginary friend. Thanks to the question of what was his name (John should know that I can think on my feet) Stan, the imaginary friend, was born.

The first part of September (yes, I know I'm a month late), we came home to discover that some time between the time I went to bed the night before and that afternoon, Bob had taken his final swim. We knew that the time was coming, and frankly, because John had gone through 4 fish at work (2 of which I'm quite sure committed suicide because his office was so cold) that we knew that Bob wasn't going to be around forever, and frankly, we were surprised he had made it this long. Yet, amazingly so we were saddened by the loss of our finned friend.

I hadn't really planned on getting another fish, with school, work, homework, Scentsy, blogging, and trying to have a life that didn't revolve around school and homework, it wasn't a high priority. But John and I talked each other into it. So off to SmartPet's we went.

Meet...Stan.

Stan, the imaginary friend.

 



Yes, I'm aware that they make hospitals with padded walls for people just like me.

I think that we should rename him to Speedy Gonzales (name that cartoon!) because the fish never, ever stops moving. This was the best picture I got, because he wouldn't be still long enough for me to take it.

Faster than a speeding speed boat.

 

He's a pretty blueish greenish color. With a hint of purple. He's constantly moving, and he always fights. Me, a pan, air. Doesn't matter. I'll be surprised if he doesn't have a heart attack between now and Christmas. However, at first I was leery that Stan was his name. So I've patiently been waiting for his personality to come out, and I've discovered that Stan's name is actually very fitting. See, I had often though that the imaginary Stan often pissed off Bob. Bob would swim around in circles looking pissed off, like Stan had ran over, tapped him on the shoulder, woke him up from the best nap ever and ran off. Stan fits, because he is never still. He is always darting about in his small tank. I'm not sure he sleeps. Of course I don't stand by the take 24 hours a day, but surely at some point he does. Bob slept. I'm quite sure that Bob was a college student. He woke only to eat and when someone pissed him off. Usually me, flicking the tank with my fingernail wondering if he was dead. Or Stan. Apparently Stan was a rowdy 2 year old on a sugar high.

Goodbye Bob. I hope you enjoyed your beautiful sendoff. I hope that Le toilet and the sewage system processional was the exact type of sendoff you were hoping for.

 

Loyalty

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes "they" are right.

I can't say or do anything that honors this soldier and his family more than this simple picture.

Dog Mourns

Today, on a random Monday, its important to remember those soldiers and their families who sacrifice their lives, their son's, their daughter's, their wives, their fathers, and their mothers, so that we can experience a freedom that so many others can only dream of.

Read the article, then tell me that animals are incapable of feeling a loss and of feeling love. If you can, then you can't be human.

Free: To Good Home

People never cease to amaze me.

I have way too much time on my hands that most days I pillage craigslist. I do this for a variety of reasons. It gives me something to do at work. I can make fun of the amount of money people want for things that they are trying to sell, when it all reality they should be paying someone to come take it away.

However, after looking for somewhere new to live, I have spent a lot more time pillaging the free category looking for boxes. I've found a lot more.

I'm a dog person. There hasn't been any significant period of time in my life that I haven't had a dog. Months was even stretching it, and since I got my first inside dog at 16, there hasn't been a time when I haven't had a dog.

As much as a pain in the butt that it is to find a place that we can afford and that accepts pets, I can't imagine not taking them with me. I can't imagine those little furry pain in the butts not going with us. Yet, any given day there are a number of "free" dogs to be had on craigslist.

I understand that there are circumstances that are beyond your control when you have to get rid of a pet. But in my opinion those are few and far between. You don't just get a pet to get rid of it when life gets tough.

You don't get pregnant and then when the teenage years hit or you lose your job decide to give your child away? What's the difference?

No, I'm not crazy. But in reality that's how it works. Pets are easily thrown to the curb and replaced for another pet, or for something else that's less trouble.

I have seen a ton of different excuses. They are moving overseas, moving to an apartment that doesn't take pets; kids are allergic; they are allergic. But probably the one that pisses me off the worst - time. They don't have time for Fido, so they are giving him away.

That's why I have small inside dogs that are relatively low maintenance. Yes, they have to go to the groomers for a haircut every 4-6 weeks, but for the most part they are self sufficient.

Even when I was busy with homework and school, I knew that I was neglecting them. So I made sure, when I had that realization to spend time playing with and loving them on purpose. I cleared everything off my to do list for 20 minutes and gave them some attention. But you know what the funny thing is, I got more out of that time than they did. But when I picked those dogs out, I made sure that my lifestyle and theirs worked well together. I made sure that I didn't get a dog that needed lots of space and to take long walks. Because I knew that when it was 20 degrees outside, I didn't want to do more than shove the dog out the door for their potty break.

When we adopted Bailey, it wasn't supposed to be permanent. But he was older and he didn't want that kind of life either. All those years of abuse and neglect showed too well on him, so he was a good fit. We ended up keeping him longer than we anticipated, and if not for animal controls policy, we wouldn't have taken him in to begin with. But I couldn't let the dog be put to sleep simply because of his age.

Amazingly so I am against these people treating their pets like they are a surrogate child. They aren't. But they are still an important part of many people's lives. When a doctor will suggest that you get a dog or a cat for an Alzheimer's patient, then obviously you know that there is something special about that animal. That there is something there worth treating with dignity and respect.

Isn't that what living is all about anyway? Respect and Dignity.


~It often happens that a man is more humanely related to a cat or dog than to any human being. ~Henry David Thoreau



~Personally, I would not give a fig for any man's religion whose horse, cat and dog do not feel its benefits. Life in any form is our perpetual responsibility. ~S. Parkes Cadman



~Why should man expect his prayer for mercy to be heard by What is above him when he shows no mercy to what is under him? ~Pierre Troubetzkoy



~The fact that man knows right from wrong proves his intellectual superiority to the other creatures; but the fact that he can do wrong proves his moral inferiority to any creatures that cannot.  ~Mark Twain

~Heaven is by favor; if it were by merit your dog would go in and you would stay out. Of all the creatures ever made [man] is the most detestable. Of the entire brood, he is the only one... that possesses malice. He is the only creature that inflicts pain for sport, knowing it to be pain. ~Mark Twain



~

Pets

I love animals. My mom can tell you horror stories of me adopting animals from the surrounding 12 counties and dragging them home. Of course my mom, being the meanie that she was forced me to get rid of them. It probably didn't help that I brough home an average of 1-2 a week.

I don't resucue animals near as often as an adult as I did when I was a kid. I have to be practical, which bites. But I can't afford to feed every stray critter in the county. It just breaks my heart to see a stray dog running around with it's ribs sticking out. I just want to pick them up and take them home and love on them.

I'm not too sure how my babies would feel about that. I have two babies, or as some people call them pets. But these two aren't just pets they are a part of our family. They are missed when we are away, they are spoiled, they get birthday and Christmas presents and treats. These are my babies.

This was in my email, and I wanted to share it with you.

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me.

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when speaking to me.

6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will never forget it.

7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I choose not to bite you.

8. Before you scold me for being lazy or uncooperative, ask yourself if something might be bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or my heart might be getting old or weak.

9. Please take care of me when I grow old. You too, will grow old.

10. On the ultimate difficult journey, go with me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love you so.

"If you pick up a starving dog and make him prosperous, he will not bite you. This is the principal difference between a dog and a man." ~Mark Twain

"Ever consider what dogs must think of us? I mean, here we come back from a grocery store with the most amazing haul -- chicken, pork, half a cow. They must think we're the greatest hunters on earth!" ~Anne Tyler

"I wonder if other dogs think poodles are members of a weird religious cult." ~Rita Rudner