Midgie by Deana

MIDGIE’S TRIUMPH

When I was a little girl my father ran the local Humane Society
which was located behind our house.
We saw alot as kids that other children would never imagine.
Alot of abandoned abused and neglected animals.
Dogs cats skunks racoons etc.
When I was 5 a man came in with a dog and a sack full with
puppies. He was nasty and told my father that he’d better not
refuse to take them or the whole lot would end up in a river!
The mother dog was snapping and snarling but my father saw
something in this dog that touched him and he determined to
make her our family dog.
He had to keep her in the shelter for months and could
hardly get near her. He refused to keep her in a cage.

Sometimes when he’d sweep the floor Midgie as
we named her would cower in the corner and growl ’til Dad
put the broom away. It was evident what she’d been through.
Over time Midge (short for Midgie) developed trust for all
of us children and was moved into our home.
However she also had an affinity for orphans and while she
was still nursing her own litter Dad would sneak in the odd
orphaned baby squirrel or raccoon. She would lean over give
it a sniff and would then nudge one of her pups to make room
for the newcomer. She made the newspapers. We have a picture
of her in the family scrapbook of her in a baby pram with 6
puppies and a squirrel. I wish I had a scanner.
I’d send the picture! She loved them like her own.

It wasn’t long after Midge moved into the house with us we
realized how emotionally demonstrative she was. If she’d done
something wrong and we scolded her she would whine look at
the floor and the tears would literally roll down her snout,
and splash on the floor. And if it was me who scolded her
well that was more than I could handle. I would cry too. And
I’d hug her telling her I was sorry. She’d perk up wag her
tail and shower my face with wet sloppy doggy kisses.

Midge was a small dog and I remember when we moved to a new
neighborhood there was a massive black lab that terrorized
the area. In my whole life I’ve never seen a lab so huge. His
name was Zorro. All the kids in our family were afraid of him,
and we were used to big dogs. As it turned out Midge got sick
of Zorro scaring everyone. So he’d showed up one day doing
what he was best at. Midge ran down off the front porch bark
ing madly nipped him on the back of the leg and chased him
all the way down the street. We were afraid he’d turn on her,
but we laughed to hear him howling trying to get away from
Midge. She came prancing home a few minutes later. I’d never
seen her looking prouder unless she’d just had a new litter.
Oh and Zorro kept to his own neighbourhood for good from then on.
Midge learned how to catch birds as well and would leave a
bird inside the screen door. Us kids would find it in the morning
as we left for school. I think it was Midgie’s way of
giving gifts and for some reason they were always intact.
We were truly blessed to have a dog like Midgie. She enrich
ed our lives and everyone who came in contact with her unless your
name was Zorro.

We lost our beloved Midge on Christmas morning twenty years
ago. She had cancer and had gone blind. I think we all had a
hard time letting her go and I’m sad to say she probably suffered
more than she should have.
Christmas morning we woke up came downstairs and as always
we went to her basket. It was gone. She’d gotten worse in the
night and Dad decided it was time to let our old girl go. To
spare us he left us sleeping. We never got to say our good-
byes. Maybe it was better that way. But I know I’ve missed her
terribly over the years. I still cry when I think of her. I’m
35 and have never owned another dog. I guess in my heart I
have always had a dog. Midge. I still see her tail wagging as
she runs to us to greet us from school. I can still feel her
wet sloppy tongue bathing my face can hear hear bark.
She will always be a part of me.

Rest in peace old girl.

Love Deana