Bye Bye Bernie

Serafin says goodbye

We had to say goodbye to our bearded dragon Bernie a couple of days ago.  We found him in his cage in the morning.  So sad.  There was a large cricket die-off a few weeks ago and a horrible smell was coming from the cricket cage, so we are thinking it may have something to do with that.  Could they have passed on some sort of parasite?  Perhaps he was already sick?  Really, we don't know, but that is what I suspect.  

We got Bernie when Serafin was around 2.  Originally, when we lived in Oakland, Bernie lived in Serafin's room keeping her company.  We watched him grow from a 4 inch baby to a 15 inch adult.  He amazed a lot of our younger guests as he would swish around in the bath tub when he had a bath.  We always looked at amazement when he would shed his skin or scuttle after a cricket and swallow one up fast.  

The laying of stones

We had a burial for him.  Our little pet cemetery is growing.  Honestly, it's so much nicer to do it this way.  We used to get our animal ashes and keep them in a box.  Somehow being a part of the process, actually giving our beloved pets back to our "mother" in this form of burial seems very right to me.  I wish it could be more common practice for humans as well, afterall, that's where we all come from.  RIP sweet Bernie.  We miss you.  xoxo

Here lies Bernie the Bearded Dragon, Goldie the Bird, and Henry the Cat