Hamster named after Keith Urban passes away 1/1/2013

Well, it's with sadness that I write to report that a sibling of my hamster, Scooter, has died of an apparent stroke. Mickey the Hamster was renamed Keith Urban in honour of the famous country rock star, after a concert appearance here in Newfoundland in August by his namesake. While it was reported that Keith was often afraid of human contact, he warmed right up to me the day I took this picture; and he seemed to have a warm and friendly personality that rivaled that of his brother Scooter.

As was reported in an earlier blog, Scooter, Keith, and 4 other baby hamsters were a surprise addition to their human family, and I was the beneficiary of Scooter, who I've now had the pleasure of sharing my home with now for the past 14 months.

It's always sad when a pet dies, but it is part of what is an overall fun and amazing experience that I feel enriches lives. Animals can help us humans park our crazy life problems at times, and learn to enjoy the simple things.  A pets' love is truly unconditional, and I think many of us judgmental humans out there could learn some valuable life lessons by studying the life of a lovely creature such as a hamster.

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