Custom Pet Urns .Com Blog

Ever since Mabel was rescued from a puppy mill by Best Friends I have bee noticing Beagles. Sweetness, personality and ‘that look’. My Marie has ‘that look’, but she isn’t quite a Beagle. Maybe parts of her, who knows.

Here is Maggie. And the pet urn the artist Steve Shelby created for her. Feel free to see his other dog urns as well.

Yes. That look. I am forever drawn to it…

 Spring. Regrowth. Renewal. Again, no greeting at the door. Again, no can of tuna to open up. No walkies.  Sometimes it looks like everyone else is getting it but you. You are in that dark place that is in such high contrast to the green and flowers and the promises of warmth and love.

The cycles of the year move on. And we can’t always be on track with them. The contrast makes the pain more difficult. “Why me” can always come up. The truth is, ‘why me’ applies to everyone.

On this earth we are made up of both joy and sorrow. Loss and gain. Life and death.

Pema Chodron has a wonderful book called “Getting Unstuck”. It speaks of a concept called ’shenpa’. (I always refer to it as ’shempa’ as the Three Stooges character makes me start it off on a happy note).

Shenpa is about being present to how you are feeling, but putting no meaning to it. The meaning is what is most painful. The loss of your dog or cat ‘means’ you are alone, and you are suffering and in pain over that. The loss of your dog or cat ‘means’ that you will no longer get to experience that joy and love. The loss of your dog or cat  ‘means’, well, it can get very personalized. I have had thoughts, when I lost Peekay, that it meant I would never again have that love in my life. Ever. And that was doubly painful.

All this is a big source of suffering. Learning to just be present to the feeling and letting the meaning go, can help.

We cannot avoid pain and suffering. We cannot avoid loss. We can learn to have awareness of all these other meanings we attach, and let those go.

It is spring. There is joy and rebirth in the air. It might not be yours to have right now, I am not going to pretend otherwise. But allow yourself to just feel without added meaning. It won’t happen overnight, but it will help you join in with the others to celebrate sooner.

Today I am going to simply memorialize Chilli. That’s all. Just take a moment to know the love that was there.

She left her family at 7 years old. Very young for a cat. Let’s just give her some love…

I feel I wrote this last year as well. But the coming of spring is such a wonderful time of rebirth that it deserves notice every year.

And it is again a wonderful time of regeneration.

When we lose a beloved pet, it creates a dark hole in our lives. That empty space that you are reminded of every time you unlock the front door of your home and there is nothing furry there to greet you. That death haunts us with so many actions, or, rather, so many lost actions. No more opening the can of kitty food with someone rubbing against your legs. No more morning treats to be given out. Even not having to clean a litterbox carries a sadness with it.

On darker days, this is so much more difficult. If we can allow ourselves to feel the dawn of a new sun on our faces, a breeze with the warm hint of spring, we can have a momentary insight to the possibility of a new future of healing.

Allow yourself that reprieve.

A new spring will dawn. And you will be able to carry the memories of you lost angel with you in happiness for what you have shared, as opposed to what you have lost.

Believe me.

A great big thanks to everyone who came down to visit me at the Artwalk and see the urns in person. It was wonderful to see people’s reactions and talk to everyone. People really loved The Painted Kitty Urn and The Painted Puppy Urn. And, as they are my newest, I was really excited, and happy others agreed with me.

I was late opening up on Saturday morning because, as life has it, there was the sweetest little puppy lost on the street.

I drove my car down to get him, got the leash on him, then couldn’t get him in the car. So, there I was, stuck in the middle of the street with my car and the puppy, conditioner in my hair, p.j.s and slippers, with a myriad of people looking at me funny. Thank goodness for cell phones. I called up a neighbor and had him come down to drive my car home as I walked the pup home.

By the time I got home, the dear one was all over me and I was in love.

I took him to the pound, to allow him to be found by his owners. Three hours later, they came and got him. I am happy for that, that I could reunite the family, but I must say, my heart is broken. Just a bit…

April 5+6 11:00 a.m to 6: p.m.

It is that time of year again. I am opening my studio to 8,000 visitors at the Brewery Artwalk. Please come down and visit me. You will get to see the studio and see some of my other funcional art work along with my pet urns.

I actually share my studio with three other wonderful artists who create wonderful work.

The Brewery Artwalk is at the Brewery Art Colony which consists of 300-500 artists, at least 150 of their studios will be open to visit.

It is a wonderful way to spend the afternoon, and I would love to meet some of you in person.

Come say hello!

Take great care,

Alexandra

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Beauty.

Grace.

Love.

All these are present in life and intensify with death. Love at times is grief. Love is a passion. We are passionate in death. There is beauty in death. An elevated awareness of our capacity to love. To know we are human. Stay quiet in this place to honor it. For the stronger our grief, the more we know we have the capacity to love.

What has more value than that?

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Meet Buster. I am making an urn for him and his dad sent me some photos. I chose to put up this one because of the combined sweetness and humor (and reward for being such a good boy). O.k., I chose this one  because of his grace, elegance and power.

Yes, well, I am putting up both :). He was just so very handsome. Look at those eyes. That face…

I am sure he was very loved, and is very missed. Please say a little prayer for his family.

Spring is in the air. Time to garden. Time to play in the sunshine. Let the dog out. Let the cat out. Feel the sunshine warm on your face. Energizing. The renewal of life. And weeds.

Foxtails always spring up this time of year. Get to them quickly. They can get in your pets ears, nose, mouth, and under their fur. Cats and dogs alike. Once they wriggle their way in they may lodge permanently, unseen. Foxtails can cause all sorts of infections and problems. They can even lead to death.

It is always a good idea to give your pet a quick exam when they come in from the yard or a walk in the park. Look for any irritation, ear shaking, examine between their toes. While you are at it, look for ticks as well.

This is also a wonderful time to bond with your dog or cat. Those that like getting touched will love the extra attention. Those that do not, will slowly learn to tolerate it, and maybe even love it after awhile.

Next week I will give you a list of dangerous plants and toxins to watch out for when your pet is in the garden.

(Light and sun. Glittering color. Window Words Pet Memorials will also hang wonderfully from trees and posts. Put one in a secret place in the garden to bring up a wonderful memory when you come upon it.)

According to the Associated Press, a town in Iowa is offering a bounty on stray and feral cats. One receives $5 for every cat turned in. Owners can claim their cats, if not, they get put down.

I just read about this a few minutes ago and haven’t really been able to process it. It seems wrong in just too many ways. I cannot imagine that Trap/Spay/Release is that much more money. And it is infinitely more humane, both to the cats, and the possible owners who may be away on extended vacations, only to come back to find out that it is too late.

Another point is allowing untrained, possibly uncaring (as they are not cat tolerant) civilians capturing the cats. How are they to guarantee that the animal is not going to be hurt, tortured, abused or just neglected ?

Here is the AP link to the feral cat bounty article. And here is the Randolph, Iowa city contact information:

City Address and POC
107 S Main St Randolph, Iowa
51649
712-625-2601
randolphcity@iowatelecom.net
Mayor: Vance Trively
Councilmembers: Don Wolfe Al Wendland Fred Fichter Manford Foster Janis Bliss

Update:

Best Friends Network stepped in and brokered a deal with the town starting a comprehensive spay/neuter program, and offering an alternative to the ‘bounty’ program.

Yay!