Another has crossed the rainbow bridge

[ShinyGreenApple]

Mace died today. He was one of a set of twin Shetland ram lambs born this past May. He's always seemed the weaker of the two, and despite attempts to improve his health with vitamin B supplements and keeping his brother from bullying him, I guess the lil' guy just couldn't hang in there.

I'll always remember watching him be born, and how remarkably well-behaved he was when he was older and we sheared him for the first time.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/gracesfamilypics/l_367f832530e1bca273ce61a5c6b4a8f9.jpg

Mace, we'll miss you, little buddy. Hope you're enjoying that big pasture in the sky. :(

EDIT: Here's a pic from when he was only about 12 hours old. (he's the black one)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v674/gracesfamilypics/Our%20Furry%20Family/199533-R1-25-24_026.jpg

[Pedersen]

I'm so sorry LB. I do hate it when we lose our pets.

Just look forward to the day we get to see them all again. That's all we can do. And never forget them.

[ShinyGreenApple]

Thanks, Pedersen.

You know, it's really strange. I've been expecting this, sort of, since he's been weak for so long and recently went off his food, so it was no surprise when I got off work and found out he had died.

But it's only now just hitting me, I think. Damn, but he was a sweetheart. Never caused any trouble or did any of the bad 'rammy' things that most young male sheep do.

[Saydrah]

What a darling. I love rams, and am very sorry for your loss. It always seems that the most special ones have the shortest lives, doesn't it?

[ShinyGreenApple]

It always seems that the most special ones have the shortest lives, doesn't it?

Sometimes, it really does. This ram belonged to my nephew/would-be little brother, who also had a puppy a few years back that the neighbors gave to him. He named it Gus. Gus was one of the best puppies you could ever ask for; he was adorable, and at only 8 weeks old, never once had an accident in the house. It's like he was pre-programmed to whine at us so we'd let him out. We lost him to parvo by the time he was 10 weeks. Maybe it's like a former coworker of mine told me (though she was referring to humans)

God wants the most beautiful flowers for His own garden. We just have them for a short time.

[Saydrah]

The converse is also true- like we employees at the dude ranch used to say about the owner (pedophile who rode around with 13 year olds on his Harley and took them to bars):

"He's only still around because God doesn't want the ornery cuss and the devil's scared of losing his seat."

[iradney]

My condolences :(
My Mom had to put her dog down yesterday...Gretl was a 16 year old Daschund, and her quality of life was declining rapidly. Mom was very upset and heartsore yesterday :(

[Shabo]

My condolences to both of you.

My family raises Shetland sheep as well. The lambs are always very sensitive to heat and stress, and we usually lose one or two during the summers, no matter how careful we are. It's always sad when they go. Just remember the good times you had with him, and may you have many more great rams like him!

We had an amazing ewe named Misty. I used her as my main show sheep when I was still showing, and shortly after Misty was born we lost her mother during lambing. Her mom was getting old, and it was the last time we were going to breed her, but we figured one more year would be ok. She would have been fine, except she had triplets that year for the first time ever, and the third lamb was stuck. We weren't able to catch it in time to save the lamb, and had to call the vet out for the mom, but we lost her anyway.

Well, this year, we lost Misty to the same thing (only Misty was younger). Misty herself was the best ewe ever. She was a great mom, very quiet and easy-going, never a spazoid like most of the other babies we've had, and she would even come over if you called her name (as long as she wasn't mad at you). She had grey wool, but her face was black in the winter with grey circles around her eyes, nose, and inside her ears, and during the summer her face would turn to all reddish-brown. All of her babies have a similar demeanor to her, but slightly more wild. None of them were as pampered as she was. She was also the first Shetland born on our farm. It's really sad to lose the ones you love.

[DesignFox]

My condolences to you both as well. It's always sad to lose a friend... :(

I remember what it was like when one of my favorite cats at the barn had to be put down. She was so weak, that when she tried to come greet me, she had to crawl...it was so sad to see her try to get up, flop on her side, then try to paw her way to me... I picked her up and sat with her in my lap for that final hour before she went to the vet... :cry:

[ShinyGreenApple]

Shabo, I know what it's like to lose a Mama to lambing, too. A few years ago, both our ewes were pregnant, but Babs developed toxemia within a day with no previous symptoms. The vet came out and gave her some shots of B, but said there wasn't much we could do for her without spending $300 dollars on a surgery with no guarantees. In the end, we had her put to sleep. It was the first, and so far only time I've seen something draw it's last breath, and it's hard to describe unless you've been there. (I've seen some of you have :( )

It even makes me a little sad when I notice that Murray, my oldest Border Collie, is starting to get gray around the muzzle. I suppose that's the one downside to having pets.

Although, Shabo, I must say it's nice to meet another Shetland enthusiast :wave: We bought our first (Babs) back in September of '03 and the owner called us back a few weeks later and begged us to buy the other ewe and a ram lamb as well, since we were the only ones who'd looked at them that didn't want them for meat. Shepherding definitely has it's ups and downs, but this breed makes it all worthwhile. Anyone who says sheep are stupid and have no personalities have clearly never met a Shetland ^_^ They each have their own way of doing things. Your Misty sounds a lot like our Boo, the mama pictured above with the twins. She used to be really skittish and shy, but she's gotten to the point of walking up to us and shoving her head into our hands to be petted.

Rams are a different story, but they're fun as well. ;)

P.S. Thanks to everyone for their kind replies! Loverly to have so many fellow pet people on here that understand, rather than just giving the usual "So what? It was just a farm animal!" type of replies. :)

[Saydrah]

"JUST an animal" or "JUST a farm animal" is one thing guaranteed to get someone slapped with a trout or possibly beaten over the head with a plastic palm tree. That sort of thing is NEVER okay to say to someone.

Beauregard was JUST a rat, but he died in my arms at three in the morning at the emergency vet clinic- the same one on Animal Planet's Emergency Vets- with Dr. Keith Fitzgerald on the phone woken up to advise the vet on duty, and said vet on duty tried like mad to resuscitate him, and I sat in the quiet room holding my dead rat and crying like a baby for an hour before I would let them have him to be cremated. :cry:

[Amethyst Hunter]

"JUST an animal" or "JUST a farm animal" is one thing guaranteed to get someone slapped with a trout or possibly beaten over the head with a plastic palm tree.

Or worse.

To us animal people, our pets are treasured friends and are often more family to us than some actual relatives. You do not tread upon this bond. Ever.

My condolences to the OP. Losing loved ones sucks. :(