Florence wrote to share this story, as a loving tribute to her pet Shih Tzu, Ronan:
Dear Dr Chan,
I came to know about your website after talking to Wani from MDDB. I had called MDDB because recently I lost my pet and I wanted to talk to someone who cares about animal welfare, in my case, about dogs. She said I could share my story with you.
Ronan is my beloved 3 year old pet Shih Tzu. My parents, my sister and I all love him so very much. We brought him home when he was 8 weeks old and he is part of the family.
He brought so much love, joy and sunshine into our lives. He is so cute, loves us unconditionally and is very endearing.
He loves the company of humans and did not like being alone. I don’t think he thinks he’s a dog. He thinks he is one of us and he is. He is part of the family. If we could take him with us everywhere we go, we would. Even on the plane with us if we could.
Ronan passed on 4 weeks ago while he was boarding with a pet shop. We had to go out of town suddenly and put him there for boarding, as we had done before for previous trips. He was left in a cage for a few hours, apparently tried to squeeze himself out and got stuck in the cage door. There was no one around when it happened. By the time they discovered this, he was already lifeless. We trusted the pet shop to take good care of him, and were devastated and disappointed.
This has come as a shock to me and my family and we are all very sad. We miss Ronan very much. He will be forever in our hearts. We love you, Ronan.
Flo
Ronan, beloved companion
I sent Florence the Rainbow Bridge poem with the hope that it might offer some comfort for the passing of Ronan.
Unforeseen accidents and premature illnesses sometimes take our companions away from us unexpectedly. At such times, we draw comfort from knowing that animals, especially those who have lived with us as our companions, are always personifications of unconditional loyalty. Having lived such a pure and noble life, I am convinced they would surely go to a better place upon their demise. Call it heaven, Rainbow Bridge, a new rebirth, or anything we like, we’ll somehow be reunited with them again and again until we all get to that great Oneness, that Great Void, where suffering does not exist anymore.
Be happy where you are now, Ronan.
And you take care too, Florence.
Comments
2 responses to “In loving memory of Ronan”
That is why I always use a nylon string to tightly tie up the lower corner of the cage door after latching it (especially so if the cage door is of the type with only 1 latch in the middle). Because if an animal tries to escape, it will push the door and the lower corner will be the part that opens up, allowing the animal to squeeze its head out. The animals will get stuck halfway, suffer injuries, and even die if not discovered in time.
I also hate those cages with doors above the cage. They are so dangerous.
A professional pet shop should know better and secure the cage. It's 101 really.