[Gpdd] Rainbow Bridge: Ernie is gone

[luitad at zedat.fu-berlin.de]

Hello, GPDD friends,
I am very, very sad to report that my piggie companion Ernie has died. He
was an elderly pig, six years old, but full of vim up until the very last.
He was fully grown when we adopted him in May 2003 from the Berlin Animal
Shelter, where he had been taken after being found abandoned in a park on
a very cold morning in February, so his age is a guess. We think that
Ernie had been abused, because while he was a very good cuddler, and often
fell asleep on my lap, he remained distrustful of humans throughout his
life. He was not a real "biter", because he was careful never to break
flesh, but he would snap if he felt at all threatened. He was quite
frightened of children, and we came to believe that he was perhaps bought
as a "pocket pet", was mishandled by a child, defended himself, and then
was left to freeze, starve or be eaten. Nevertheless, he came to largely
trust both me and my partner, and especially loved napping in the lap of
my purple bathrobe while I worked on the computer. He greatly enjoyed
floortime, and was an expert at finding hidden treats. His favorite game
in the world was to toss away a small plastic bowl to find the piece of
cucumber hidden underneath.

He began to fail after suffering a split tooth earlier this month, despite
the very best efforts of our excellent vet (who, when we both had to be
away one weekend, actually took him home with her). This same vet gave him
the gentle release he needed when it was clear that there was no hope, and
he died in the arms of my grieving partner.

Luita
and Bert