For those of you who follow my Facebook page or twitter feed you will be aware of last weeks loss here in the Acton household, Eric the Hamster passed away just short of his second birthday.
Pets are the way many of us learn about life and death, it is the first tangible link we make between this world and the next depending n your beliefs. It is tempting to avoid having pets to protect our youngsters from dealing with the pain of loss but if doing so you do them an injustice and leave them unprepared when death arrives in the shape of a grandparent or other family member, the monster has taken the loss of this little soul quite badly but he will recover and be all the stronger the next time he has to say goodbye.
Paula Acton 
I love these hamsters, I currently have two of these hamsters (Harry and Billy).
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they are certainly characters Eric would not allow you to pick him up but would happily eat from your hand
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Aaaww cute, so sad that he is gone to hamster Heaven.
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Our animals teach us so much about life…and therefore about death. What a gift from them to us! (Do you live in Acton MA? I lived in Carlisle for years. Let’s look for each other via Facebook (my FB page is called roughwighting.) Blessings to Eric the hamster.
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oh duh, nevermind, I just got the ‘Acton household’ now. Ha ha. Hey, it’s early in the morning, SF bay area time…
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will look you up on f anyway when I get home from work tonight x
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I’m sorry for your loss. HUGS
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Aw 😦 sad… was Eric a Robovski hamster? He looks like he has a little moustache.
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yes he was he was quite a character and my desk seems empty now without him climbing on the bars demanding hamster popcorn
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so sad to hear Eric has gone, hugs
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Awwwwww, so sorry honey 😦
I dont know about protecting the kids, I’m the one who ends up in a state!
Its one of the reasons i haven’t had another dog yet since our last one died last June. Im still undecided if i can go through it again 😦
xx
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Gosh, that is such a shame! Eric looks like a right wee cutie. You’re right, pets are an important part of life experience, aren’t they? I hope you’ll check out Zest when the first issue is launched on Monday, there’s a piece in there that links quite nicely to what you’ve just written.
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Ph, Paula, do I ever get this! Please give the little guy a hug for me. Here is the story about our little hamster, Pandora.
http://naomibaltuck.wordpress.com/2012/05/22/pandoras-box/
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I remember reading your post but just revisited it the main fear here for me at the minute is the older dog is not doing so well at the minute he is thirteen and I have a feeling that the tears of the hamster will be well and truly drowned out by those for him when the time comes plus it is a hell of a lot bigger hole I shall need to dig
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