Last night we said goodbye to our little Alvin. He was a Winter White hamster, but we named him Alvin the Chipmunk because of his cute stripe down his back.
We were all so sad to see him go. But God, rich in mercy, was so very SWEET to call our attention to Alvin's "quietness" last night, so we could have about 20 minutes to say goodbye and pray. Usually he is scurrying about in his cage, but when we sat down to play a family game, Hayden noticed he was quiet, so we checked on him and he could barely move around. After watching him struggle for a while, I finally cried out to God and prayed, "If he is in pain please just let him go"... and then he took a few more deep breaths and let go.
I didn't realize until last night (in my desperate internet search for hamster care) that the small dwarf hamster lifespan is only 1 or 2 years. And that's about how long we've had him -- since Christmas of 2008.
We were all so sad to see him go. But God, rich in mercy, was so very SWEET to call our attention to Alvin's "quietness" last night, so we could have about 20 minutes to say goodbye and pray. Usually he is scurrying about in his cage, but when we sat down to play a family game, Hayden noticed he was quiet, so we checked on him and he could barely move around. After watching him struggle for a while, I finally cried out to God and prayed, "If he is in pain please just let him go"... and then he took a few more deep breaths and let go.
I didn't realize until last night (in my desperate internet search for hamster care) that the small dwarf hamster lifespan is only 1 or 2 years. And that's about how long we've had him -- since Christmas of 2008.
He was a sweet little friend, always busy and fun. He was very sweet natured, even though he would sometimes accidentally take a little finger nibble. I know we will see him (and Hopper, and Chippy) again someday in Heaven. All pets go to Heaven, I just know it. Farewell sweet Alvin. We loved taking care of your little body, and having you in our family. Take your rest in hamster Heaven ... you will live forever in our hearts.
