Nuts,
Our Pet Squirrel Nuts passed away this morning and I feel like I’ve been kicked in the gut. This is the first time I have had to go through losing a pet that is mine and let me tell you, it is tough! I still remember the day he came up to me back in 2009 at Liberty University. I was at work and was outside taking a break and he came right over, not shy at all. From that day, we developed a bond that is truly unique. I remember when we first got him, and we were still trying to train him how to eat healthy but were having a hard time. We researched online and found puppy milk would be the proper diet, but Nuts had something different in mind. Lindsay and I had brought home chick- fil-a for breakfast for us to eat and he dove right for the hash browns. When we tried to pull them away, he growled at us and tried to protect them all. We were able to get his diet under control soon after and then we would notice the same situation take place with nuts, go figure. For Christmas, we got him a huge bag of unshelled Christmas nuts, all kinds. He had the best time hiding and finding and hiding and finding them all over the house. We are still finding them under our pillows and couch cushions. One last story because I could write all day about our time with him. We left for vacation and accidentally left the side door of his cage open. When we returned home, he was in his cage like nothing had happened. We noticed the side door of his cage was ajar and then we started finding clues around the home that he had been out the entire week we were gone. A few bites of a piece of fruit here, a small taste of chocolate here, and most importantly, he broke into a huge Costco sized walnut bag in our pantry. He had a great week!
His last few days on this earth, he knew he was about to pass and he showed us the most sympathy and love that the little guy could show. He would struggle to climb up to our neck and lay there for hours. A few hours before he passed, he even licked Lindsay’s neck just to say good-bye. He will truly be missed. I look forward to the day when animals will no longer fear humans. I believe that this is what God meant by us having dominion over them, they trusted us. The Bible even says “not a sparrow falls without God knowing” I believe that this even means that God feels the hurt from one of His works of art passes.
If you ever find a baby squirrel, believe me, it is a gift from God, they will melt your heart. They can be challenging at times, and they will require a lot of attention and a special diet, but it is absolutely worth it!
“If our love would have saved you, you would have lived forever”
Loving owners,
-Daniel, Lindsay, and Connor
Ashburn, VA.
