In 1996 I was over Kelly’s (my best friend and cousin) house swimming. We had sister Border Collie/Aussi females, about 2 years old. Lacy Day was mine and Tazzy was hers. Kelly also had a beautiful little Shih-tzu named BJ who was running around playing with the girls.
Suddenly we look around and UHHH OHHHHH, puppies were in the making for Tazzy! I wanted Kel to get her to the vet for the “shot” but she refused. We had several arguments over this the next 2 months. I told her no one in their right mind would want this kind of puppy, they would be ugly, and a lot of other things I am now ashamed of.
Well, June 12, the day after my grandson was born, low and behold, here Kelly and I are out in the barn “delivering babies”. The first 4 females all looked like the typical little Aussie babies. Fuzzy little bundles of white and blue or red patches. Then came a beautiful Blue Mearl short haired little male. Very dark like Mama. The last and runt was a little Border Collie marked female.
I ended up eating my words more than once over these little guys!! They all went so fast it made our heads spin! All but little “Jake” our male, and “Missy Girl” our little black and white female. Kelly would never part with Jake, and I told Missy Girl. Everyone thought they were Corgies!!
Who would have guessed that they would have been the smartest little doggies, we or anyone would ever believe? They were amazing! And Beautiful!
My Missy Girl was my best friend in the world! She became my constant companion through the years. When people would first meet ‘us’ they would make comments about how ‘weird’ I was talking to her, like she was human. Well, before long, they were eating their words too. She knew EVERYTHING I said to her. Not a soul I know didn’t at one point or another have to apologies to me for thinking I was crazy for talking to her like a person. She was a little person inside that beautiful little body!
She became known as “Mish” because my grandson, Cody, could not say Missy. Well, in 2000 Mish and I moved. She was so lonely and depressed without her brother Jake. I asked her if she wanted me to get her a baby and she went running all over and barking. Then she sat down and gave “Please”. That is what she would say. She would nod, and make a soundless “bark”. That was enough.
I searched for a month, and found Jack Russell/Wired Fox Pups. Perfect! When I went to get it I left her home. And when I got home, I said it was in the blankie. OH MY GOD! That was HER baby! I got out the video camera as he sat down in front of her. “Deaky Dog” was scared, and Missy brought him every toy she had. The only thing he responded to was her tail. I said “Mish, he wants your tail, turn around for him” and she immediately turned around, gave him her tail, wagging fast as it could, watching him the whole time. They were Mommie and her baby from then on.
When Missy got sick in Oct. 2003, the doctor said she had kidney failure, and it was prominent in Shih-tzus and some other small dogs. She came back, and was doing so good. Then she ate an ornament my grandson had made at school and brought over. It was a little ball with marshmallow ‘pined’ in with different colored shiny pins. It had fell on the floor and when I came in I found her with it.
The day after Christmas she had surgery. She never recovered. Her stomach was not moving food through, and the vet thought it was her kidneys the whole time. When they finally did listen to me, that something else was the problem, and they tested her, it was too late. We got her home, got medicine to help the stomach react, and she went down that day. Her Daddy drove in and she ran out to get him like nothing in the world was ever wrong with her! She made it back to the porch, and down she went.
It was horrible. All hope was lost at that moment. We bundled her up, and took her to the vet to say good-bye to her. Enough torture. Enough pain. She had went from a hefty 40 pounds to 20 pounds. So frail and so weak. As I held her on the way, she never took her eyes from mine, she was talking to me. Telling me it was ok and that she loved me.
That was February 4, 2003. She had fought for a long time. I will never get over this loss. I will never know love as I had for this little bundle of happiness that I was so blessed to know. I will never think of her that I do not cry my eyes out. I know I will see her again. Someday we will be together again.
A friend told me he knew she was the angel by my side. I do believe that. She protected me from any thing she felt would harm me when she was here, formidable she could be, and I know she will continue to be beside me and protect me now.
My grandson told me one night that the shiniest star in the sky was Mish. I looked at him and remembered when my sister was killed and his mommie was the same age as him, 7, and I told her that same thing one night as we drove home. She had remembered and told him. And I realized, that we always have loss. Things just rerun themselves.
She was here to raise my grandson, my granddaughter, her little Deaky Dog. She was here to help me through 8 spine surgeries, divorce, and everything else in her 6 short years. Such a big life for such a little girl.She will always be here. I MISS YOU SO MUCH MY LITTLE GIRL, MOMMY LOVES YOU.
Mommie Misses You Missy Girl,
| Missy |
| 4, Feb 2003 |
| Sandra Angie Fowler |