Remembering a Childhood Pet
I’m a cat owner now, but when I was a kid, we always had a dog. My mom was allergic to cats so getting a cat was out of the question. I was five years old when we got our first dog. My parents knew of a military family that was being posted to Germany and were unable to bring their black lab, Czar, with them. We brought Czar home with us and he became a part of our family.
I thought it was pretty cool that Czar and I were the same age. He was five years old when we got him and his first family did an amazing job training him. Czar seriously was the most well-behaved dog ever. He only barked if there was someone at the door and listened the first time you told him to do something. When Czar had to do his business outside, he would go into the bush behind the house so we would never ever have to clean up dog mess in the yard.
Czar wasn’t a licker either. Some dogs go crazy licking you to show their affection. Czar was trained not to lick. I can count on one hand how many times he licked me. You know that you were special to him if he offered you a kiss.
Another unique trait that Czar had was his smile. Yes, you read that right. This dog smiled at people. If the doorbell rang and Czar recognized the person, he would grin and show all his teeth. It looked a little scary if you didn’t know why this huge black dog was baring all his teeth, but people got to know that was how Czar said hello. He would go nuts when Grandma June showed up!
I used to take Czar for walks with me in the neighbourhood. He never needed a leash. He would stick by my side and not be at all tempted to take off if he saw another dog. He was a completely the opposite of the boxer we owned in high school who would take me for a walk instead of vice versa!
You know how they say that cats have nine lives? We often said that Czar had nine lives. This dog was close to death more than a few times! When he was about 9 years old he was hit by a car. The vet told my parents that Czar probably wouldn’t make it through the night. However, by a miracle, he survived. I like to think that our prayers for him were heard and helped him through.
The second close call was about a year later. We were staying at a friend’s cottage on a small island in the Ottawa River. We went on the boat to a local beach and left Czar with free roam of the island. My parent’s friends were the only cottage on this island. When we came back a couple hours later, Czar was gone. A fishing boat came as we were unloading and had Czar with him. They found him in the middle of the Ottawa River. We think he was swimming after our boat. It was a miracle he didn’t drown.
As Czar got up there in age, his health started going downhill. Cancerous lumps began showing up all over his body and his eyesight started to go. He still was our same old Czar who would spend the night with me in my bedroom. He used to sleep with me in the bed, but as he got older he couldn’t get up. Many nights I would sleep on the floor beside him.
Czar was 14 years old when he passed away. We were able to say our goodbyes to him. I knew he wouldn’t be suffering anymore.
Though it’s been 23 years since he passed away, I still often think of him and get tears in my eyes. I miss him very much. He was a one-of-kind dog who will never be forgotten.
The thought of getting a dog has crossed my mind. However, my cats detest dogs and wouldn’t be very happy with me if I introduced a new furry friend. If we were to get another dog, I would want a breed that is good with kids and had a laidback temperament. I would also feed my dog Petcurean Pet Food, the same brand that my cats eat. Petcurean also has a variety of dog food that focus on fresh, nutrient rich ingredients to nourish your pet for life. If you are new to Petcurean, try their online Food Selector to find out which food is best for your dog or cat.
They even have a coupon for a free trial bag to redeem at your local pet specialty store. Fill out the form to get your printable coupon.
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Did you have a childhood pet? Please share your memories!
Disclosure: I was compensated for this post. All opinions expressed are my own.
As a child I had two cocker spaniels Sniff and her brother Snuff, Sniff’s daughter Toby, three cats Inky, Snowy and Max and rat Ben. I loved each and every one of them in their own special way and I have so many memories of my childhood milestones with them. Pets make us smile, give us joy and they love us unconditionally. I would not have had as interesting and loving a childhood without them. I cried reading about your sweet Czar having cancerous lumps as that is the reason our Sniff and Toby also passed.
Our family has had our one spoiled rescue cat for about 5 years now and my daughter used to have my “grandson” hamster for several years. We waited to have a pet until I thought my daughter would be old enough and able not to maul one. I knew her older brother would be fine but she was a mauler so I did not want to get a pet and have it suffer. She loved her little hamster and looked after his every need. Apparently these little animals do not have long lives but our little guy stayed with us longer than most, according to the vet. He passed in my arms and we just sat and cried together. I think having a pet is a wonderful part of life at any age but make sure your children are old enough to not harm a pet before you get one. Some children are ready to care at a young age and some should wait til later.
Thanks for sharing! Losing a pet is tough. I still cry when I think about Czar and he died when I was 14 years old.
Thats for the post,lost my little one a year ago Nov. pass,I still miss him so
We lost our friend, too… this was a touching post!
Pets are family members, too, and you don’t get over that type of heartbreaking loss. They are all unique and have personality. They are special and loved and yours. We’ve had several dogs throughout the years. It’s hard when you lose one. My daughter had a little poodle that was her baby. When we had to put him down, it was heartbreaking to her, and she thought she would never get another dog. He was her baby. She did eventually get another dog and loves her, too, but she still talks about Rooke and will cry sometimes. They are loved and special and pampered, and that’s how it should be. Very touching and important topic.
It’s never easy losing a member of your family. I am a cat kind of person and have been fortunate enough to have them for a long time. We had one dog when we all lived at home and he was eighteen almost nineteen when he died.
We had a couple dogs when I was younger that I don’t remember all that well and then my parents got me a poodle that we named Missy. She went everywhere with me and was my best buddy. We lost her when she was 12. Now we have 2 poodles & 2 cats!
Thanks for the touching post. I am certainly both a cat and dog lover – to be perfectly honest a pet lover. I would love to own the Humane Society. My most memorable pet was a black cat appropriately named Blackie. He was the most adorable and affectionate cat imaginable. Blackie was a stray that I found in the ditch on our dead end road. I later saw a cat that I think was his mother. She was at the busy end of the road and I think she had been hit by a car. He was very tiny and not very clean. He was so young that he really wasn’t cleaning himself very well. He turned into the most beautiful black cat. At the time my daughter said that she wanted a black and white kitten for her birthday. I was given a calico which was mostly white and two weeks later I found Blackie. She got her black and white kitten – just not the way she planned. A couple of years ago I found another stray in the ditch. I went back and found his sister. He also has become the most affectionate , easy-going cat ever.
I have had many pets over the years and I miss all of them. They really are a part of the family.
lo the story and the name Czar!
It’s hard to part with our Yorkie. She has been with us for 11 years and was gone on May 2014. She was a great dog and learned commands quickly. Her playfulness and love will always be remembered. We now have a Shorkie that’s 5 months old and a cat that’s about 5 months too. The cat was found dumped in a plastic bag and thrown in the garbage. We adopted her and is a wonderful cat. Thanks for sharing your story, it’s heart felt.
Fran
http://www.viewerpicks.net
I had a dog while growing up as well. I’ll always be a dog lover, even tho I caved at getting a cat for my boy!
LOVE the name Czar btw…
I am starting to think that our Dog Rascal has nine lives too! We weren’t meant initially to get him but he has been a perfect fit! Due to allergies, it took some investigation to find that we were good with getting a Labradoodle after visits to the breeders to literally rub our faces with some puppies just to be sure! On one of those visits, when we found out that the intended Mom did not get pregnant we happened to visit with a puppy who was being shipped to his new owner in Alaska! Little did we know then that his owner would have to ship him back as her allergies were way too bad to keep him!
When he became available we had been waiting for a future breeding but the timing was better as it was before winter so we said we would take him but were 2nd in line. The other people declined and we got him about a week later! It was a perfect fit right from the start.
Then we had him for two weeks and he got out the open gate at midnight, he was only 4 months old. 45 minutes later after scouring the neighbourhood, we found him in the backyard waiting to be let in! He must have gone out, gotten scared and come right back while we were out searching.
Then just about a month ago he snuck out the door while I was going out and he ran into the road getting run over by a truck. This is where I start to wonder, because somehow upon going to the vet he had no broken bones or any of the other scary possibilities we were warned about. He got some painkillers, had a cut to his paw and some soft tissue damage. He was jumping on and off furniture not even 24 hours later and walking around soon after, albeit a little more gently. Aside from also having to get shaved as his hair got all matted from being wet/not getting brushed he is totally back to normal! The kids want to nickname him Lucky now!
Thanks for sharing your story, pets are such a great part of a family!
That’s amazing! Thank you for stopping and by and sharing. Pets are a true blessing!
I have been owned by cats my entire life. My last two came into my life via my husband. Butler and Shelby were barn kittens from Wisconsin and joined us in marriage with my four from Toronto. A few years back Shelby was diagnosed with Kidney disease, and shortly after that Butler was too, as well as Diabetes. Through proper diet and vet care, they lived liked queens for their remaining time. We had to let Shelby go in October of 2013, and Butler just after New Years of this year. Pets love us unconditionally and I miss all of my furry babies every single day. Thanks to all for sharing their stories as well.
Childhood pets… you never ever forget them because they leave such lasting memories. I had 2 dogs while growing up, they were both strays. I remember fondly of all the countless times all 3 of us would roam around my grandparents’ orange orchard unsupervised and getting into all sorts of mischief (as much as a 6 year old can at least).
I just lost my “boyfriend” Phoenix last month. He had a lot of challenges in his life but I felt so fortunate that his colitis wasn’t one of them. Based on large part to Petcureans line of products.
They touch our hearts and never leave. I hope that Czar and Phoenix are sunning themselves together.
Besos, Sarah
Journeys of The Zoo