Pets and the Watchtower

by TMS 20 Replies latest jw friends

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  Abaddon

  I hate crying at work...
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  myMichelle

  I hate crying at work...

  
  Ditto..I suppose I could say I choked on my lunch if someone walks by.

  My condolences,
  Michelle
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  Free2Bme

  Hi TMS,
  Just wanted to say sorry about your loss.
  I have lost 5 dogs, 2 cats, and 8 birds in my life and every time I break my heart. My hubby is not an animal lover as such and tries to stop me acquiring more because he can't bear to see me upset. At the moment I have a Bengalese finch I rescued 3 years ago dying (she's just completed her lifespan) and every time I check on her I am ready to crack up. One day she is laying on the floor looking terrible then the next she is eating normally and jumping about making plenty of noise. She is called Noelle ( formally Noel till I found out he was a she) because I got her at Christmas time. Some would say you can't get attached to a finch 'cause they don't interact like budgies or parrots but try telling that to my heart.

  As for JW's been discouraged from keeping pets I was shocked about that and must tell my mum who has got 2 dogs and gets more love of them than the brothers that's for sure!

  I'm sure your puppy will bring you much joy and laughter.

  Free
• 

  RedhorseWoman

  TMS, I'm so sorry for your loss. Since leaving the WT, I have indulged my affection for animals in a big way. They give so much and ask so little.

  Each time we've had a loss, we grieve, and then we welcome another furbaby into our midst. They never replace the friend we've lost, but they soon become a part of the family.

  This has been a rough year for us with pets. This past winter, we lost our Cairn terrier. She was 12 years old, but she was perfectly healthy except that she was slowing down....just a little. I can still picture her stamping her paws in excitement with her eyes shining brightly at the prospect of taking a run in the back pasture with the other dogs.

  Just this summer we had the vet out to check one of our horses, who suddenly lost a tremendous amount of weight. The tests came back positive for cancer, and we're now facing the prospect of having her euthanized in a little over a month. We know that it would be terribly cruel to try to keep her going through the winter.

  And just this past week when we had record-breaking temperatures and humidity, I lost one of my chinchillas due to heat stroke. He was fine in the morning, but by the time I arrived home from work, he was in shock due to the heat. His littermate pulled through, but poor Phillippe wasn't strong enough. It almost broke my heart to see his littermate trying to groom his body in an attempt to wake him up.

  Would I have traded the love and affection of any of these creatures for the chance to spend more time in service? Not on your life! I feel I'm doing much more good in this world by taking in a stray, homeless, neglected or abused animal and giving them a chance to live a decent, happy life.

  There is a site that has helped me cope with the loss of pets in the past, and you may find it comforting. Every Monday evening they hold a candle ceremony in remembrance of pets that have died, for pets that are ill, and for animals without homes that are abused and neglected. There are also a lot of people there who are very supportive and helpful. It is: http://www.petloss.com
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  Billygoat

  I am so sorry to hear about your loss! The words sound so hollow, but know that you are being thought of. It is said that mourning the loss of a pet is so much deeper than mourning the loss of a family member. Rarely do we have bad memories of our pets!

  Billygoat
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  TMS

  kicking this back up for restrangled.
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  Robdar

  kicking this back up for restrangled.

  I am glad you did. You posted this right around the time I joined the forum and I must have missed it.

  I have lost 2 older pets over the past year. I still grieve.

  Thank you for sharing your story.
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  restrangled

  Thank you TMS......your words hit so close to home. I am so sorry you lost your little min pin.

  r.
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  wha happened?

  How true those Watchtower words of the early 90’s had been, saying in affect: “Many mature Christians “count the cost” with respect to the additional burden of the care and feeding of a pet. Realizing that such additional responsibilities could actually take time away from Theocratic service, they wisely avoid that commitment.”
  
  
  
  
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  Quandry

  But when we shattered our Theocratic future by harboring a DF’d son, we needed an advocate. Everyone else viewed us as scum, but Wessie, a supremely hyper black and tan miniature pinscher, saw the good in us and viewed everyone else as scum.

  Same for our family. My husband was an elder at the time our teen daughter was df'd for silly teen stuff. But like you, we are now viewed as "dangerous," "causing divisions" because we "sided with our daughter" instead of the WTS, and "couldn't accept correction."

  We circled the wagons, and our family-yes, including our two cats, pulled the curtains in the front and made the backyard (with privacy fence) our paradise. The kitties view it as their turf, and woe to any cat that dares to stray here. They are happy with us, and to hell with the WTS.