[Gpdd] [ANNOUNCEMENT] Rainbow Bridge: Isabella - Many Thanks

[Janna Hoskin]

Guido and I would like to thank everyone for their condolences on the loss
of our dear friend, Isabella. Guido is learning to wheek for treats on his
own now (Isabella was the noisy one), but he seems to be adapting to life as
an onlypig fairly well so far. We will probably start scouring the animal
shelters in a couple of months - I would like to provide Guido with an
actual cagemate this time, so I'll see if I can find a nice friendly male
who is about his size, maybe a little younger.

Isabella was very young, I think only two years old, but I wonder if she had
contracted uterine cancer before she came to live with me. I rescued her
from a family who did not want her anymore (apparently feeding a couple of
times a day and cleaning a cage a couple of times a week is too much to ask
for in return for the friendly little faces) in August of 2008. They said
there had been two but the other had died, and she was very pear-shaped - so
much so that I thought she might be pregnant. She never did have any
piglets, and I never got her to a vet - something for which I will forever
be sorry.

I am glad I was able to be there for her in her final moments. It is
difficult, but at the same time it makes the passing easier to deal with. I
have had many guinea pigs over the years, and their deaths are never easy to
handle.

I adopted Guido from a friend who was moving to a new place where pets
weren't allowed. It was difficult for her - they had a cat and a dog, too,
and weren't able to bring them along. Guido was about two when I brought him
home in August 2008, a few weeks after I retrieved Isabella. So he is
turning four this year. When I brought him home, he weighed about 700-800
grams, and now he weighs over a kilogram. This tells me that my care of them
was not a factor in Isabella's death. I wish I had taken her to the vet and
had her looked at when I first brought her home a year and a half ago, but
maybe my care gave her a longer and happier life than she would have had
with someone else. I do take comfort in that.

Isabella is probably hanging out with my other past piggies in the village,
and I'm sure she welcomed Audrey as well. She was an outgoing little girl.

Here are my past guinea pigs; I like to remember all of them when someone
joins them over the Bridge. (The dates are not when they were born, merely
when they came to my home and when they crossed the Bridge.)

Pat (1986); Checkers (1986-1987); Stardust (1987-1990); Moonshine
(1989-1990); Twilight (1990-1991); Tito (1990-1992); Tika (1995-1999);
Princess (2003-2007); Katonia (2003-2008); Napoleon (2005-2008); Isabella
(2008-2010)

Of these, only the first three came from a pet store. The next two came from
my junior high school. Tito and Tika came from two different friends, and
the rest were all rescues of one kind or another. In addition to this, only
Twilight and Tito were under six months old when they came to me, and Tika
and Katonia were the only ones I'm sure were six months old. Everyone else
was at least one year old (based on lack of growth in my care, though of
course some gained weight).

My fiance likes the guinea pigs, but mostly just puts up with them. However,
he understands and is okay with there being one or two in the house at all
times. Eventually I hope to run a rescue, and he is also behind that as long
as I have an appropriate facility to run it out of and they don't stink up
our home. ;) The cat, unfortunately, thinks they are toys or food or
something like that, so I must always be vigilant, even if I am only
cuddling with them (and not giving them floor time to run around).

I will post again when we welcome someone new into the home. Until then, I
will continue reading about everyone's antics. :)

-Janna and Guido (and Roy the cat, and Juniper the fiance)

"Nobody realizes that some people expend tremendous energy merely to be
normal." Albert Camus
"I want to remake the world; anything less is not worth the trouble." Karen
Cushman