E.T. the Turtle-Caring for Animals is a Sacred Trust
Good Morning from Montana:
I wanted to share another of the stories that have come to be included in the upcoming eBook on Grieving the Loss of a Pet. I am humbled by the support and sharing. Can’t wait for you to get the book. You will love it.
One time my husband Ray brought the family a surprise gift when he
returned from a business trip out of town.
An associate had a turtle that they could no longer keep and so Ray
volunteered to bring it home to our three young sons and me, all of whom are
animal lovers.
The turtle was about
8 inches long and when he extended his graceful neck, he reminded us of a movie
star, so we named him E.T.
Even though we knew a
lot about animals in general, we did not know the specifics of turtle
care. We went to a wonderful vet Dr.
Sara Stephens, who was just starting her business and had a turtle in her
office! Her turtle was 6 or 8 times the size of E.T. and very healthy. She told
us she had gotten her turtle as a small child from the dime store. It had grown from about an inch and a half to
it’s current size.
She gave us
supplements and instructions on feeding E.T. We force-fed him for a while
before Ray and I had a weeklong trip planned and was leaving the boys and pets
with a caregiver.
When we returned,
E.T. had died. I was devastated! I literally howled with grief. My remorse and
grief was much worse than with any of the other close family pets that we had
lost in the past.
I believe my sadness
was so deep because I felt that we had taken on a privilege and honor of caring
for a life. For what ever reason that life was cut short. We had made the commitment to protect this
animal and this charge should not be taken lightly.
E.T. went into the pet grave at the back of our
garden. Through the years we have buried
rabbits, cats, dogs and fish that have been loved and cared for by our family,
as well as birds and squirrels. On the top of the pet grave is a huge
Rhododendron plant that reminds us of our commitment to love and protect those
animals who have been put into our lives.
Susie Risho
Sorry I can’t figure out how to add the photos. Next time maybe.
Love, Judy H. Wright aka Auntie Artichoke, family relationship coach and author
http://www.ArtichokePress.com Be sure and join us for the free TeleClass each Thursday.
Categories: grieving loss of a pet
