The pain of losing them is the price we pay for the privilege of knowing them and sharing their lives . . .

We thank those people who have contributed to our work with recent donations In Loving Memory and in Honor and Appreciation of the following beloved family members and friends, both those who have passed away and those who are with us.

In honor of Nero, Fredericka, Julie, Nathaniel, Leonard, and Bertha, remembered forever and sadly missed. – Paul Deane

My donation is given in gratitude and appreciation of my dog, Ben, adopted from the Albuquerque, New Mexico Animal Shelter after suffering horrible abuse by his previous owner. Ben is a loyal, intelligent, vibrant creature that the world would be far worse without his being alive and with us. – Dixie L. Olson-Hawk

My donation is in memory of Dawn, a sweet Barred Rock hen who thankfully had some happy years in the wonderful home she shared with her guardian and rescuer, Sarah Kindrick. – Margaret Carpenter

Please accept my contribution in memory of Cleocatra, 1982-1997, my beautiful black feline, and Felix, 1997-2011, my handsome red tabby. They are gone but always loved and never forgotten. Cleo, I miss our conversations and your sweetness, and Felix, I miss your devotion and waiting for me at the door when I returned home. You are missed always by your Mom. – Ana A. Garcia

Fuzzy and Nadine: A Love Story

Sometimes there is a singular animal who shifts your consciousness. Fuzzy, a black Polish Bantam rooster whom I purchased with a box full of other chicks from a feed store, was such a one for me. Until then, I had never met a chicken personally. These innocent fluffs peeping for mothers they would never know touched my heart. Fuzzy, a crested Polish Bantam, was loving, generous, and brave, and he loved Nadine, a roly-poly, big-footed Cochin. They were monogamous, seldom apart, and he was devoted to her. But at almost 9 years old, Fuzzy was showing his age. One day I noticed Nadine pairing off with Leon. Fuzzy was the image of crestfallen. I saw him slowly make his way to a part of the yard not frequented. Since he never left his post with the flock, I went to investigate and found him on the ground. As I picked him up, he went limp. I held him long after the light had gone out of his eyes. I miss Fuzzy’s welcoming crow and him following me around chattering. I have had many animals of all kinds, but a few were extra-special. Fuzzy was one of those. He was my teacher. This is in his memory. – Diane Rousseau

Please accept my donation in honor of all wonderful Birds! – Gina Lane

My donation is in memory of all the hens who did not see freedom. – Ginger Langston

My gift is in honor of All God’s Creatures. – Brien Comerford

Our hearts ache this year for the turkey who was tortured to death by the KU fraternity in 2012 and for all the turkeys who suffer and die needlessly every single day for “food” that nobody needs. – UPC Staff