by Kim Adams
Hi All.
You are getting this note from us today because at some point you have either known "us and our dog" or you know of the love we have for our dog. Our dog; Mia Monster, Mia Pet, Mia-Mia-Bo-Bia or just plain Mia. She has had several nick names over the years most which has suited her for one reason or another.
As of today, August 14, we suffer from broken hearts as we have called her by one of her many names for the last time. As some of you know, in June of 2000 she was diagnosed with heart failure. My friend, Mike Johnson, was visiting then and he told me she could live for a long time with the condition. And in dog years she did. At one point when I took her to see the vet, he said to me "I don't know what keeps her going." But I knew. She had the biggest heart in the world not to mention the biggest brown eyes. As a matter of fact, there were several times over her life that we would come home and turn on the Van Morrison song, You My Brown Eyed Girl and sign bits and part of it to her. She would join in with her howling. Never really barked unless something startled her or unless she found something outside on her nightly patrol of the back yard. All that stuff she found she thought should play with her. Yep, we had some rounds about all of her so called friends. We had birds (she would try to get up in the tree after those), possums that were smart enough to know to play possum, one raccoon, several chipmunks which you could find her tossing around in the air, and then there were those darn rabbits. It was her responsibility to keep the rabbits out of the garden. Two summers ago there was this rabbit living under the shed near the garden and she knew it. She was always on patrol out there sticking her head under the shed to see if the rabbit was home. She finally calculated the timing right and out came the rabbit and down came the dog and now there is a rabbit's tail outside in the shed for which she was proud of. After that, she never chased another rabbit and to Mia's knowledge and mine, no rabbit has ever again made its home under the shed.
But the things we do for our pets. Its amazing. She went everywhere with me. The side of my car is all scratched from her claws because she insisted on hanging out the window; wind blowing and ears plastered back. Back in '91 I was doing some traveling for my company on business to Columbus, Ohio. I stayed in a hotel that took dogs so I took her with me. I was walking her one morning when her collar fell off. She was obviously bored with her little vacation by then and decided to take a little run through the busy streets of downtown Columbus with me chasing behind her. Some athletic "runner dude" came running up beside me probably knowing I was not out for a morning jog dressed in a suit. He asked me if I was ok and I explained (as I was huffing and puffing from running and from fear) that I was "chasing that dog." Since I could no longer breathe, I stopped running and "runner dude" ran after her. As soon as she realize I was no longer able to keep up with her, she turned around and ran back howling with the tail going so fast you couldn't see it. She just thought that was so much fun and I almost had a heart attack.
And she loved everyone. That is everyone except my sister-in-law Janice. Don't know what their deal was but those two just did not like each other for the longest time. And Mia knew this so she did stuff to agitate Janice even more. Mia always sat in their kitchen window and left nice presents for her on the floor. Funny, she has never done those sort of things at anyone else's house!!! LOL (And yes Kevin, you were secretly her greatest idol in the whole world. Who else would have assigned her first nickname "Killer" and feed her cookies the way you did.)
Well, this little bit on our Mia Monster has already grown to a page so I guess I will quit bragging. I appreciate all the support you have given, especially over the past 4-5 months which have been dotted with some very rough moments. But even those I would not trade for anything in the world. Mia and I, we have been up and over the mountain together and to think that I had to be persuaded to take her in the first place over 11 years ago...