A Tribute to Millie

I have never had dog in my life until last year, when my daughter gave us a black lab we named Cocomo.  Cocomo was chasing and killing their ducks and so we took her in.  We were pretty ignorant about dogs and within a couple of weeks we started to wonder why all the dogs were looking at us through our back porch.  They wanted Cocomo, she was in heat.  Living in “lab city”, every guy in town was howling for her.  Within a few months, she gave us 6 puppies.   The puppies were adorable and I wanted to keep them all:   cinnamon, black, and four yellows.  One of the yellow puppies didn’t make it (water on the brain); we gave 2 yellows and the black dog to friends at work, and kept the cinnamon and yellow (really a white color).  We named them Willie and Millie after family dogs that had passed away and we wanted to keep their memory alive.  It was confusing at first when we called to them, but they were able to figure it out.

It was Christmas Day and they were 6 weeks old.  They were absolutely adorable and brought me so much joy.  I let the puppies out the back porch to feel the outdoors and suddenly they were all missing.  We franticly searched around the neighborhood by foot, by car and combed the lake shouting their names.  I quickly made signs with pictures of the puppies and plastered them everywhere.  I even visited our neighbors and emailed others.   Everyone joined the search.  On Christmas Day, my heart was sick, my joy was gone.   We prayed and prayed, “Please God, show the puppies the way back home”.   The night chill fell into the 20’s and I just knew they would not survive the frigid air.  All night, I stayed awake listening for their cries but heard nothing.  Early in the morning, I heard something and ran to the back porch, their smiling faces looking back at me, they were alive, and my joy was back.  Thank you God.

A year goes by fast and our two puppies have grown up to be beautiful 70 pound dogs.   All three of our labs (Cocomo, Millie and Willie) would play all day in our yard (2.5 acres) and run free around the unfenced 19-acre lake.  Every night when I come home from work, they run up to greet me as I’m getting out of the car, and sometimes they are soaking wet from swimming in the lake.  I often buy them dog toys and stuffed animals, and they look so proud holding a stuffed bunny in their mouth, jumping on each other and playing “grab” to see who gets it, later they’ll settle in to chew it to pieces with stuffing all over the yard.  At night, they nestle in their favorite spots on the couch and patiently await their dinner prepared.

Millie was the most beautiful dog I’ve ever seen and I would often press my face into hers and tell her so.  She was like a princess and could have anything she desired.   Labs have such a forlorn look about them.  She would lay her head on the couch blanket and look up so sadly with her puppy dog eyes.  Lately, she’s been snuggling in bed with me every night and sometimes I’d even find her head on my pillow snoring right next to me. 

She loved to eat:  chicken, hamburger, bacon, hot dogs, really anything but dog food.  We’ve tried every brand Pets Mart offers.   What an affectionate dog - she would follow me from room to room, and lay down at my feet wherever I was, somehow feeling more secure that I was right there.  She’d come to me if I called her name, or called out “chicken” her favorite food.  She loved to run alongside Mike as he rode his bike down the long road in our neighborhood and boy she was fast. 

She also was a “free spirit” and loved to explore the thick forest across the street and unfortunately chase things like school buses, trucks, farm vehicles, horses and joggers.  From the time she was a puppy, each and every day, I’ve always been nervous she would get hit by a car.  That’s why I kept her in the house at night, to protect her.  She was a leader; she would see something, stand solid and point, bark to gather up the other dogs, and head up the charge for the big chase.  She thought the entire neighborhood was her domain and she was going to keep us safe from intruders.   She was independent, fearless and assertive during the day but docile and humble in the evening.  She looked like a little polar bear to me, so white but she had yellow streaks in her shiny healthy hair.  She was the perfect dog, she was my little friend and I finally understood how people could love their dogs so much.

Then came the dreaded phone call, Millie had been hit and was found laying lifeless next to the road, right in our front yard.  Mike and Alan thought a truck had hit her.  She was playing one minute and just like that, she was gone.  I could not understand why God allowed her to die, to take away my joy.  Mike and Alan took her out to the “farm” and buried her there while being comforted by Coleman, our dear doctor friend.  We all cried, all day, and have moved into the melancholy stage.  We all loved her and she will be greatly missed.   I’ll never have another faithful and lovable dog as Millie but I am blessed to have had her in my life for a brief one year.  It’s hard to believe that a dog could make someone so happy and yet so heartbroken when they die.   We are thankful to have two dogs left, they are sitting on the front lawn now, looking and searching for their friend, we can tell that they are sad too.  But dogs are resilient, they don’t carry the pain too long like us humans, they have the knack of letting things go and moving on.

When we lose a pet, we can only offer tribute to them, stir up fond memories and let time heal those fresh wounds.  Ultimately, God has given us pets to provide us with a nurturing spirit and show us what unconditional love should look like.  They offer us continuous companionship, acceptance and devotion.

I don’t know if our pets will be in heaven, it is not mentioned one way or the other in the Bible, but it sure would be a nice touch to see them again.  

May you continue to love and care for your pets, your family, and friends and know that life is very brief, things turn on a dime, and you don’t know if today is all you have left with the people you love in life.   Live each day, as if it’s their last.

 

 

 

 

Farewell Millie, you’ll be missed