January 19, 2011

My sweet Mika


Over Christmas break, we had to say goodbye to our dog Mika.  Mika was a part of our family for almost 15 years.  I knew it would be hard, but still I was not prepared for the huge void she left.  I still catch myself consciously stepping over her in the morning when I wake up.  She always slept right beside my bed.  It's a sad feeling to realize I don't have to look out for her anymore. 

In 1996 My husband and I adopted her from the humane society.  We were so excited to have spent only $30 for a really cute dog.  Three days after we took her home she became very sick and lethargic.  Like good new parents, we immediately took her to the vet.  I was at work when I received the call that she had Parvo, a life threatening illness.  As I hung up the phone I began to SOB!  I cancelled all of my clients for the rest of the day and drove to my husbands work to tell him the bad news.  With tears and snot running down my face I told my husband the bad news and how we needed to move forward with intravenous treatment for her.  "How much is the treatment," he asked?  "It doesn't matter how much!"  
"We're her parents," I exclaimed!  He pretty much knew right then that it would take longer for me to forgive him than it would take to pay off the credit card had he said no to treatment.  So $500 and four days later, Mika survived Parvo and was worth every penny.

I always said that she knew we saved her life, because of just how great a dog she turned out to be.  She wasn't a chewer, only had one accident in the house (unlike other dogs of ours... ahem), and she was always on watch for suspicious characters.  I don't think there will ever be another dog like her.  I bet she could have learned to sew had I taught her =)

Well I can't leave you all sad here, so I'll share a recent pic of Shoog the Boog.


She's grown... a lot!  Sometimes we don't know how big she is until we take her for a walk and people stop us to say, "Your dog is huge!"  I politely tell them she is sensitive about her weight and that she prefers the term "big boned" thank you very much.

Dogs!  They are the best =)

Jamie


17 comments:

  1. Dogs are the BEST! I'm so sorry to hear about sweet Mika. She sounded like a beautiful part of your family. Hugs.

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  2. I'm so sorry you lost your Mika. Losing a pet is always so painful, but I hope big-boned Shoog will keep you happy.

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  3. so sorry to hear about the loss of your beloved dog, Mika. So hard to lose them as they are definitely part of the family!
    Shoog looks like she will be able to take care of you and your husband!

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  4. I'm so sorry for your loss. It is always hard to say goodbye to a pet - they are a member of the family!

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  5. Dogs are the best!! And I completely get the "it doesn't matter how much" part. My dog just had to have emergency surgery and cost wasn't the issue.

    I'm sorry for your loss. I'm glad you still have Shoog. Maybe some day another dog will grab your heart.

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  6. So sorry about Mika....we had to say goodbye to our 11 yr. old pug Buddha this year....in his 11 years he had a lot of health issues...and we probably could have put a child through 4 years of private college with what we spent on him, but as you know - they're your children and are worth it.

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  7. Thank you everyone! Very sweet of you all =)

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  8. My deepest condolences.

    I do understand the void and unfortunately have experienced it myself.

    It's amazing how our daily routine is a constant reminder of how important our pets are.

    The Shoog is what we loving term a "fatty" in my home. Dexter is our "fatty".

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  9. So sorry about your loss of Mika. I know how hard it is...we had to let go of our Sparky a few months ago. We also got him from the pound in 1996. We sure do miss our Spark. Pound puppies always seem to know they've been saved and devote their life to making you happy.

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  10. Dearest sweet jammie, dogs are the best...so true! I am so sorry to hear about Mika. My deepest condolences to you and your family. Have a lovely merry happy day and love to you and yours!

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  11. HI THERE- i found you on the blog "www.asimplewife.typepad.com
    She suffered a stroke 20 days ago and her friends have been reposting some of her favorites. I have a link on my blog at the top. I have a recent story about our bernese mountain dog "owen the wonder dog" with a super ending.
    take care and you may have other mentions of the simple wife (joanne)

    laura
    http://imnotatrophywife.com

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  12. Hi Laura. Thank you for letting me know about Joanne. I haven't stopped thinking about her since your comment. I visited her blog and I'm shocked, sad, and full of hope for her. I along with my husband are praying for her.

    ~ Jamie

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  13. Hi very sad to hear about your dog, but isn't it wonderful she picked the right parents to look after her!
    And our cat can totally relate to your other pooch. The vet just says she is not fat she just has a thick coat.

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  14. I like pets alot. I had a cat, a parrot and a peacock some times ago, but seriously I don't have much dare to pet a dog, as I am scared by the dogs :(

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  15. so sorry to hear about Mika!
    my dog looks exactly like a Mika's sister!! it is amazing how much they look alike!! i was really amazed!
    her name is Karmen and she is 15 years old and she lives in Greece!! so afraid that i might loose her soon :(

    is my family and more than that!

    for sure dogs are the B E S T!

    cheers from london!
    love your blog

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  16. Ok! This guy is really funny! But Mikas' lovely history crushed my heart!
    I felt every little emotion of yours!
    ThankS a lOt fOr sharing and to make life much more beautiful!
    Ana

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  17. I also like a dog's but specially i like german bred great danes.


    phone answering services

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