It was just a few days after coming home from a four day camping trip that he disappeared. He was so happy to see us return. His tail just quivered as he purred around my feet. I was so happy to see him and would have taken him with us had I not feared he would get out of the camper and get lost. One evening shortly after getting home I called him. There was no answer and no Ace came running. I instantly feared something happened to him but hoped not.
The next morning no Ace again. We searched and searched. We couldn't find him. After calling several neighbors asking if they had seen a black cat on the road I even called the rural water company to see if they would check the little rural water station across the road to see if he got in there while they were checking it and got locked inside. They came out and checked but he wasn't in there.
After about a month we did find him. Dead! It was so awful. I still cry. I still want my Ace.
Officially he was Leah's cat. But we all loved him. She has been asking for another cat but I can't bring myself to get one. I am afraid there won't be one as good as Ace. I feel like I would always be comparing any cat to Ace. Another cat wouldn't have Ace's black shining fur and bright eyes. Another cat wouldn't sleep with me and purr most of the night. Another cat wouldn't have any of his funny little quirks and make any of his funny little sounds. Another cat wouldn't love me like Ace. And I wouldn't love another cat like I did Ace. So for now we won't get another cat. I hope my opinion changes in the future.
Here are some pictures of Ace being Ace. He was curious about the sink in this one:
This was taken last winter. He loved sitting on the bay window. I think he was happy to not have to be out in the snow.
Many times we couldn't find him in the house. He liked to be up high in hidden places.
Before we found Ace's body we had the idea that we should get a new puppy to help ease our sorrow. I thought a small dog that Leah and I could hold would be good. I wanted a non-shedding breed and knew that I liked Shih Tzus. I checked online classifieds but they didn't have any. I looked on the pet shop in Fargo's website. They had three shih tzu puppies, one a female. I couldn't believe it. Usually they only have the mixes that are popular now. I called them right away and got information about the little female. They told me they would hold her until 4:00 as I was over a hundred miles away. We got there at 3:30. There were people there who were interested in buying her. But we had first dibs.
She was so tiny and cute. Of course we fell instantly in love with her and bought her. Leah named her Bailee. But she has many nicknames. She has helped ease our sorrow though it is still there. Nothing can replace someone we love even if that someone is an animal.
Here is a picture of Bailee taken a few weeks after we got her. We did a lot of camping this past summer. She got so used to people exclaiming and gooing over her that she expects it from every person she comes in contact with. As she has grown people don't gush over anymore. But she is still friendly to everyone she meets.
I am almost certain that Ace would have loved Bailee as he and Elly got along so well and would play together frequently.
Elly instantly accepted Bailee. They are best friends and play all the time. Here is a picture of me with my "girls" on a trip we took to South Dakota last September.
Bailee was all tuckered out on the drive down to the Black Hills.
I love most animals. Elly had never tried to sit on my lap. One night she crawled up onto my lap. Then Daniel's bird, Rico, flew to me. Of course Bailee couldn't be left out and she joined us though she isn't in this picture.
After trimming the hair around Bailee's eyes and trying to find a good groomer I started to be informed about letting the hair on shih tzus grow long, just trimming the feet and around sanitary area. I felt I would like to try it. So we are letting Bailee's hair grow and it is getting quite long. I do have to groom her every day. But I find it a relaxing thing to do. In order to keep the hair out of their dog's eyes people will pull it up into pony tails. I have been doing this. Some of the hair is still too short to go into the bands. Bailee used to scratch it out right away but now leaves it alone. By the end of the day it is pretty disheveled. I bought some ribbon and am going to try to learn how to make bows for her hair.
I hope to write a school post soon. We finished our first semester and I haven't even written about what we are studying this year. Here is a recent picture of my students busy at their desks.
We are taking a week break from school so I might write more later.
Here are some pictures of Ace being Ace. He was curious about the sink in this one:
This was taken last winter. He loved sitting on the bay window. I think he was happy to not have to be out in the snow.
Many times we couldn't find him in the house. He liked to be up high in hidden places.
Before we found Ace's body we had the idea that we should get a new puppy to help ease our sorrow. I thought a small dog that Leah and I could hold would be good. I wanted a non-shedding breed and knew that I liked Shih Tzus. I checked online classifieds but they didn't have any. I looked on the pet shop in Fargo's website. They had three shih tzu puppies, one a female. I couldn't believe it. Usually they only have the mixes that are popular now. I called them right away and got information about the little female. They told me they would hold her until 4:00 as I was over a hundred miles away. We got there at 3:30. There were people there who were interested in buying her. But we had first dibs.
She was so tiny and cute. Of course we fell instantly in love with her and bought her. Leah named her Bailee. But she has many nicknames. She has helped ease our sorrow though it is still there. Nothing can replace someone we love even if that someone is an animal.
Here is a picture of Bailee taken a few weeks after we got her. We did a lot of camping this past summer. She got so used to people exclaiming and gooing over her that she expects it from every person she comes in contact with. As she has grown people don't gush over anymore. But she is still friendly to everyone she meets.
I am almost certain that Ace would have loved Bailee as he and Elly got along so well and would play together frequently.
Elly instantly accepted Bailee. They are best friends and play all the time. Here is a picture of me with my "girls" on a trip we took to South Dakota last September.
Bailee was all tuckered out on the drive down to the Black Hills.
I love most animals. Elly had never tried to sit on my lap. One night she crawled up onto my lap. Then Daniel's bird, Rico, flew to me. Of course Bailee couldn't be left out and she joined us though she isn't in this picture.
After trimming the hair around Bailee's eyes and trying to find a good groomer I started to be informed about letting the hair on shih tzus grow long, just trimming the feet and around sanitary area. I felt I would like to try it. So we are letting Bailee's hair grow and it is getting quite long. I do have to groom her every day. But I find it a relaxing thing to do. In order to keep the hair out of their dog's eyes people will pull it up into pony tails. I have been doing this. Some of the hair is still too short to go into the bands. Bailee used to scratch it out right away but now leaves it alone. By the end of the day it is pretty disheveled. I bought some ribbon and am going to try to learn how to make bows for her hair.
I hope to write a school post soon. We finished our first semester and I haven't even written about what we are studying this year. Here is a recent picture of my students busy at their desks.
We are taking a week break from school so I might write more later.
