# In honor of Tess- post your fondest Angel memory



## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

In honor of Tess, I thought I would list my top 10 list of things our little kitty did that will forever be in our memories. To keep this thread going, I just ask that you share with us your fondest memories of your Angel. It is hard to write these, but as I do, I just have to smile. Oh how my little kitten will be missed...

10. Gotcha day at the mall pet store, middle of November. We saw her in the window, and went in to see her. A family with little kids had picked her up first. Had to wait. Checked out the little black and white kitty with her. He was timid and scared, not for us. Family ahead of us had to think about it. They put her back, we immediately pick her up. She stands in my wife's palm and goes nose to nose with my wife. Not sure who chose who, but she is coming with us. Always wondered if that family came back for her...

9. As a kitten, Tess begging for spaghetti sauce. Standing on her hind legs, front paws in the air. She only did it a couple of times. We joked she must have come from an Italian family. But since she only did it a couple of times, I suspect she determined my sauce was not worth begging for.

8. Laying across a keyboard, iPad, book or newspaper your were trying to use or read. She did this right up until a few days before she passed. I miss her every time I sit down at a keyboard or read something. 

7. Playing footsies at bedtime. Every night before bed, she would wait on the bed for you to slide your feet under the covers and pounce on them. She would chase my feet all around the bed before I would go to sleep.

6. Watching over the boys. In our old house, when the boys were infants we had a portacrib that would sit right next to the stairs in our living room. Tess would lay down between the spindles on a step, and watch the boys sleep for hours. She grew to love both of them, and as they got older, she would seek them out to lay in their lap.

5. Catching flies. She would chase flies all across the room. She would eventually jump and catch them between her front paws. I can't even smack a fly between my 2 hands. How she managed to do it with those tiny paws, I will never figure out.

4. Boxes and Christmas. Boxes were Tess's favorite thing. If you opened one, immediately she was in it. She lived for Christmas. You had to work around Tess being in the box you were trying to take the ornaments out of, or put the ornaments in. When we were done, her favorite spot was on the skirt, under the tree. Gonna be hard not seeing her under that tree this year.

3. Kitty kisses. She always made sure to kiss me when I pet her. On my lips. She always made sure to lean up and put her nose on my lips. Could not be mistaken for anything else.

2 Chuckles. Whenever Tess did not get her way, she had this chuckle that was the combination of a meow and a purr. Think "hmmpf" or more likely at times "F/(! You.". We got this whenever she was pushed away because you were tired of petting you. It was backtalk as she walked away mad. She didn't do this the past couple of years. Not sure if it was because she mellowed, or just decided to stop swearing at us.

1. Kitty hugs. Whenever I picked Tess up, she always would swing one paw up and over my shoulder. It was that unmistakable hug that I will miss the most...


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## hotel4dogs (Sep 29, 2008)

what a beautiful tribute!
When my Tiny, Toby, and kitty were all young, the kitty ruled the house with an iron paw. He was 9 pounds soaking wet, but the king of the castle.
If the dogs were playing and he thought they were getting too rough, he'd fly over there, rear up on his hind legs, and start hissing and swatting at their noses. They would usually knock it off, which always cracked us up.
Toby would sometimes put the cat's entire head in his mouth and carry him around the house. Never hurt him, but the poor kitty was SO humiliated and indignent when Toby finally put him down.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Tess was much like your kitty. She was the queen, and Tucker adored her. We joked here that she stayed with us for over 3 years after getting Tucker because it took Tucker that long to convince her he could take care of us! My sister and I constantly talk of God's purposefulness. We truly believe her purpose was to help Tucker be a better therapy dog by being small animal friendly. He is so gentle with the therapy bunnies in our group because of Tess. 

Your story made me smile. I hope others will share theirs with us.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Well since this thread isn't moving I thought I would add to it myself. Tess had a knack of being a mediator. On many occasions, if my wife and I were having a heated debate, Tess would join us on the couch and try and break up the argument. She would go back and forth to whoever was talking and get her face right in your face. Only a few trips between us would stop the argument as we would end up laughing at this little kitty running back and forth between us trying to calm us down.

Please share some of your fond memories of your animals that have passed, I truly would love to hear about them.


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## Buddy's mom forever (Jun 23, 2011)

Phillyfisher,
I am sorry your thread is left with no post, it is not I don't want to, I just still can't think about Buddy as memory, it is too painful. I crash every time when I talk about Buddy, end up crying. I still think abut him being around, I still talk to him. I still look for him every morning when I get up. 
I am sorry.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Buddy's Mom. I certainly understand, I thought possibly this would be too difficult for people. I find myself in your shoes as well. I miss Tess every day, and just yesterday I confused one of Tucker's toys in a chair as Tess for a fleeting moment. I also realize that having Tess for almost 19 years made it somehow easier to know it was her time to move on and be with her litter mates, and members of my family. Hugs going out to you...


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## my4goldens (Jan 21, 2009)

the title to this thread brought me to tears. My Tess will be gone 5 months on the 20th. I still miss her so much. One of my favorite memories is the way she could leap and spin in the air when we went to let them outside.


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## Karen519 (Aug 21, 2006)

*Angel Memory of Smooch and Snobear*

*Smooch *used to literally spin and dance, when we picked up her leash to go for a walk.
*Snobear* was always at the WINDOW waiting for us, when we returned home.

I love the name Tess!! Your Mom misses you Tess!!


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Our Taz has been gone 7 months tomorrow-seems like only yesterday in some ways and a lifetime ago in others. We miss him so much........

I called Taz my Assistant Chef because he was always in the kitchen with me when I was fixing dinner, usually nudging me while I was peeling or cutting up fresh vegetables-_he loved fruits and vegetables. _

I normally went in to watch the News while dinner was cooking, Taz would stand in the kitchen and bark at me as if to tell me I'd better get back in there before it burned. If I didn't clean up the kitchen right away after we ate and there was still food sitting out, he would stomp his feet to let me know everything was still sitting out and that he thought he should have some. 

Everytime it storms I think of him-as he got older, he became so afraid when it rained really hard and it was thundering/lightening. We called him Doppler Dog because he always let us know whenever it was getting ready to storm. He was so afraid of storms he would climb into bed with us, get as close as he could, shaking so hard the entire bed shook.

He use to love going down to the beach, when we were out walking towards the water, the closer we got the faster he would go because he could smell it. Sometimes we would turn around before getting down to it and he would plant his feet because he wanted to go down to the water so badly.

Taz use to sit under my son's chair when he was small enough to fit under it, while my son was doing his homework. As Taz grew, he would either sit under the table or next to his chair until he was finished.

My son ran Cross Country when he was in High School-he would find tennis balls along the way during their practice runs. He picked them up and put them in the trunk of his car. When my son went off to college, we stored his car in our garage. Taz knew the Tennis Balls were in the trunk-my son's car became known as the Tennis Ball store. He would stand barking at the trunk when he thought he needed a new ball. Taz got so excited whenever he got a new Tennis Ball-he would spend hours licking it and what we called, singing to it. He was so ball obessed-he would sleep with one in his mouth most of the time.

Taz and my husband had a special time together where they would wrestle, usually on our bed. They wouldn't stop until all the pillows were laying on the floor. Taz became my husband's best buddy when our son left for college-he spent his golden years by my husband's side going everywhere he went.

We think about Taz every day, miss him everyday, he was a very special boy, one of a kind. He joined our family when he was 8 weeks old-he was with us for 15. 5 years. 

He'll always be with us in spirit until we meet again.


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## BayBeams (Jan 3, 2010)

The most special memories I have of Beau are highlighted by his "HAPPY DANCE". He would prance and twirl and sometimes give a little bark whenever he was excited which seemed to be all the time. He was such an amazing joyful dog. Even my friends recall him as one that was truely special. 
Remembering Beau is remebering a personality, a wisdom, a kindly old soul. Sometimes the tears flow when I think of him but they don't remain too long because remembering him fills my heart with a joy and thankfulness that he blessed my home.

I had to let him go Jan 17, 2011 due to cancer...it just seems like yesterday.... Thank-you Beau for the special moments


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

These memories make me smile. I hope it does the same for others too...


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## kwhit (Apr 7, 2008)

Savanah was nine years old when we adopted her and she went through a really long adjustment period. For the first few weeks, Savanah would stay by the front door waiting to go home. Broke my heart. Chance would try to get her to play with him, every day, for hours. Waving toys in front of her face, play bowing...everything he could think of. Nothing worked.

But...I'll never forget the day that I knew she decided that our family was her home. It had been almost a month since she came home with us and the day started out the same as all the others...Savanah planting herself by the front door and Chance acting a fool trying to get her to play. I worked at home at the time and my "office" was in the living room so I got to see what happened next unfold.

Chance stopped trying to play...he decided to give up.  He walked over and looked at me as if to say..."Well, I gave it my best shot, but I give up." Right then, Savanah looked at him and made a slight shake of her head in his direction. That was it! Chance grabbed a toy, ran over and started in again, only this time Savanah took the end of the toy he offered and played tug! :banana:

Chance was beside himself, I was laughing and crying at the same time knowing that, finally, Savanah felt at home. They played for a long time and then slept the rest of the afternoon. Savanah gave us her heart that day and loved us like she had been with us forever. 

She never went by the front door again.


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## goldensmum (Oct 23, 2007)

Kelly - loved having her photo taken, and especially loved christmas and opening her presents. She used to travel on the back seat of our car and go to sleep until she somehow sensed that we were going through a town and then she would sit up and look out of the car window looking very regal

Ginny - my shadow and our once in a lifetime dog - she was always there when I needed her, she saw me through some bad times, loved everyone. Holly, Ginny's sister did not like christmas at all and never opened her presents. When we were getting ready to go away in the caravan the pair of them would always lay between the house door and the caravan while we were packing, and then as soon as we were ready they were in the car ready and waiting.

Ralph - the rescue who came home for a couple of nights because he wouldn;t eat in kennels - he stayed for 7 years. He used to wear a red coat in the winter as he had arthritis in his spine and he always looked so proud when wearing it , head up and tail waving like a flag- sadly though I haven't got a photo of him in it.

There are so many more memories but I think I would be here all day - one more memory of Dillon my african grey parrot who went to the bridge in January - he was a real chatterbox and I miss his greetings, his calls, and most of all him telling our neighbour to shut up


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

With my Beau--my favorite memory happened when we moved to our new home and our new neighbor brought her Yorkie out to meet us and Beau. Beau got on his belly, tail wagging, and let the Yorkie approach him and sniff. Then when the yorkie finished sniffing our big guy rolled over on his back! He was gentle with all creatures, but I'll never forget that moment. I'll also never forget how loud and excited he got in the car--constant barking and noises that I can only describe as laughing! 

I'll never forget Barkley's howling songs he performed while dancing a two step. His tail thumped so loud when we entered his sight too--we knew exactly how he felt about us. Finally, I'll never forget the day he tattled on Toby for counter surfing--he met us at the garage door and went into an extended bark session and then ran over to Toby with the evidence in his paws!


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

One of my favorite memories of how special Selka was were when we did our therapy dog visits to the nursing homes. One dear lady who had Alzheimers, thought Selka was her childhood dog. He would stand with his head in her lap and allow her to pet him and coo to him forever. He had the most compassionate eyes and looked at you like he understood every word(which I am sure he did) He was always so gentle with the elderly fragile people.


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## baileyboym22 (May 28, 2011)

There are so many that we all must hold in our hearts. I few of the ones that come to mind:
1) Bailey's face when he walked into mom's hospice room, I swear he smiled at my brother and I and then went and kissed her hand. He took care of us all from that point on. It was like he knew.
2) Bailey, not a care in the world, walking out of mom's room and into the room of another gentleman, with his slipper. Many tears turned to smiles. then.
3) Bailey at the beach, for the last time, watching some 20-somethings playing frisbee. He looked so full of life and wisdom, and kept inching forward, combat crawl, to get a little closer.
4) Bailey, running to me like a rocket, everytime he walked a little too far ahead in the woods, and I got down on my knees and called him to me.
5) Bailey, with his tennis balls, always.


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## Phillyfisher (Jan 9, 2008)

Thank you everyone for these posts. I truly hope these memories bring a smile to your face as you share them. They certainly did to me as I read them. Your memories are so vivid, I feel as though I was there to witness them myself. Our beloved pets have left us with so many blessed memories and moments. Thank you again for sharing these...


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