SPECIAL FRIENDS 
FOREVER FRIENDS
If one of your pets has passed away, we invite you to honor your pet by posting a picture of him/her and a brief description of why that pet will always be special. Click here to share your story.
Kahla
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Simba & Jasmine
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Though she was the last of the litter, Kahla was the most beautiful puppy I'd ever seen. Recently engaged, Craig & I brought home our first child - an 8 week old, 22 pound fawn Great Dane. She went everywhere we could take her. We walked, we ran, we rollerbladed, we did obedience & doggy daycare. She even spent several months as a therapy dog visiting children in a local hospital, adolescents in a mental health rehabilitation facility & cancer patients at a treatment center. For almost 10 years she was by our side moving with us from Florida to Missouri, & then into our first house, as we brought both of our 2-legged children into this world, & built Best Friends. Unfortunately a Great Dane's lifespan is way too short & just before her 10th birthday she succumbed to osteosarcoma - bone cancer. I wish I could say she was the perfect dog, but like most families, we had our issues. As she got older she became less tolerant of other dogs, & we had to use caution around kids. And there were several times when entire plates of food would suddenly disappear from the counter. I'll never forget the first time we left her alone (outside of her crate). Forty minutes later was too long - she had already destroyed a large potted plant, urinated in the soil, and must have pranced throughout the house spreading her creation all over the carpet & furniture. Of course the couch was upholstered in a cream colored fabric & we lived in an apartment at the time. Needless to say we were up cleaning way into the night with a rented steam cleaner! We're still not sure if she tried to mimic the potty habits of our 2 cats & realized she wouldn't fit in the litterbox, or if she was simply punishing us for leaving her behind! Regardless of her motive, she had already made her way into our hearts. She will always be remembered with love as our "first child". We miss you Kahla! 
Having recently moved into an apartment by myself, I found Jasmine (right) at a local APA. She was the first cat I saw when I walked in, & when I held her she wrapped her arms around me & gently licked my nose. Several months later one of my professors was looking for homes for some of her barn kittens, & I decided Jasmine needed a friend. Though not quite as outwardly affectionate, Simba (left) too had a wonderful disposition. He in many ways behaved more like a loyal dog coming when called, hanging around by your side & sleeping right next to me under the covers each night. Unfortunately, when he was only 3 years old I discovered that he had heart disease. He lived another 9 healthy years with no signs of illness. An indoor kitty, he snuck out the sliding door one evening as our kids were playing, & when I found him the next morning he could hardly move. He had been in some kind of fight whether it was with a feral cat, raccoon or perhaps coyote, which left him with a broken leg & puncture wounds around his abdomen. Soon thereafter he went into heart failure & eventually passed on. The same year Simba's heart failed, Jasmine developed mouth cancer. Such a good-natured kitty, she never stopped purring, never stopped trying to eat. She loved being petted & most enjoyed being face-to-face touching noses. It broke my heart that she could be enduring such pain yet never stopped showing affection. The cancer was so aggressive that it was only weeks after we diagnosed it that we had to say good-bye. Though I wish both had lived to be much older, I am so grateful for the time we did have them as they were both such wonderful kitties. We love you Simba & Jas.