Panda died in my arms of a massive coronary in August of 2003. He is laid to rest in my back yard. My husband made him a beautiful wooden casket that we lined with fabric. Panda was buried with his favorite toy. His headstone reads:

Panda, We love you so much Doodlebug. We will miss your furry touch. 1994-2003

Under the willow he lies,
Feeling no pain,
But the willow,
He cries.

He knows the joy,
That was lost from this world.
My sweet little Soli.
My dear little boy.

His body was cold,
As heaven took him,
But his love gave warmth.
His heart was gold.

The dear willow,
He cries,
And often I join him,
I just have to, you know.

Shawn Aaron Atreyu

Dedicated to Soli, always loved, never forgotten.

This is Midnight a beautiful female guinea pig who had a very rough life until she found her savior. Darlene is the angel I speak of, who rescued Midnight from a horrible home. Read Darlene and Midnights story below.

I just happened to see a free guinea pig with cage in the paper. For where I live, it's just very unusual to see a free piggy with a cage, so, I thought something must be wrong. Something told me to go check it out.

When I got there, they had two new kittens running around the house. They explained that they were getting rid of the guinea pig (who they thought was a male) because they had just got the kittens and that was enough for them to care for.

On the floor was a cage with a small all black guinea pig in it. They picked up the cage and placed it on the dining room table for me to see. The piggy was in all cedar shavings and I just about had a conniption at that thought alone. Even with the newly cleaned cage you could smell the smell of feces and rotting smell. On closer inspection, the pig had a mass of dried poop stuck to it's rump. I picked it up, and inspite of it's obvious troubles, it was sweet and chirping. I knew I had to take this little one home. At this time, I couldn't tell if it was male or female because it's privates were to caked with feces. I figured it was a male thinking it was an impaction problem.

I brought it home and gave it a bath. To my horror the poop was coming off with chunks of skin and the little thing was squealing. No matter how gentle I was, the skin just came off with the slightest touch. I knew then that this pig had been in this condition for quite some time for it to have rotted so much skin away. I took it to the vets the next day. The doctor then told me it was probably an infection caused by eating rotten veggies and that she had probably gotten sick last week or two with diarrhea and they didn't care for her properly. She went on antibiotics, had to be bedded on towels and needed baths 3 times a day for a few months. It took a few months for the skin to grow back! Her nails were 2 inches long and curled into a spiral on her back feet which caused her toes to turn awkwardly out permanently. Even with them cut, she couldn't walk right and would get frustrated at the pain.

With each bath, she was so good. She learned how long the baths should be and let me know by bobbing my hand when time was up. Who says piggies can't tell time. LOL She always gave me kisses and pressed her head against my neck when I took her out of the bath water. I took her in my spare room and set up a little area next to a mattress on the floor and slept next to her for several nights. I was to worried about the little sweetheart who had melted my heart rather quickly. She would often chirp for a pat in the middle of the night, which, I tried to oblige when I heard her. LOL

Unfortunately, she had a lifetime of bad care and neglect and was already quite old. I estimated her to be at least 5 by the growth of the nails. She finally healed and had a few months of doing well. There was never a time you could pass by her cage and get away with not opening up the door and giving her a pat. She would detest loudly if you passed her by and didn't stop. She was the most loving pig I ever had. She passed away September 10th, 2004 only 5 months after getting her.

Written by: Darlene