I have a necklace that is as precious to me as almost any piece of jewelry I own. It’s two sterling silver pendants, a heart and a greyhound in full stride. The greyhound looks like she is running through the heart.
And whenever I wear it, I remember Missy.
Missy was our second greyhound and she crossed the Rainbow Bridge on August 30, 2007.
She captured our hearts on April 30, 2007, in front of the PetsMart where we had stopped to say hello to the Star City Greyhound Adoption folks.
She stood out among all the other dogs. She had a go-funny ear and a sly little smile that almost seemed to sparkle. She looked at us like she knew we were the ones she wanted to live with.
My husband was instantly smitten with her. “You know we’re going to take her home with us, right?” I said him.
A few minutes later, we were walking her through the store to pick out a crate and a pillow.
Life with Missy was a wonderful challenge. She was a young and happy dog, but she absolutely had a mind of her own. While most of the time she seemed oblivious, almost defiant really, to anything we wanted her to do, she was an affectionate cuddle pup who could be quite charming.
One night my husband told Missy and Dexter it was time to for the last turnout of the night. Dexter headed to the backyard. Missy headed to the bedroom.
Phil called to her again to go out. She looked over her shoulder at him, smirked at him, and headed off to bed.
He said he felt like she flipped him the bird.
But he could not stay mad at her. Neither could I, no matter how many times she bolted through an open door, requiring us to chase her through the neighborhood.
She snuggled her way into our bed almost every night.
Missy became very ill very quickly. She went from running 30 mph in our backyard to not being able to walk in a matter of days. The last night she was in our home, my husband had to lift her up into our bed.
After getting the very best care from our vet and from Virginia Tech's veterinary school, she was diagnosed with inoperable cancer. There was nothing we could do for her but say goodbye.
We miss her so much. It still hurts. We only had her for four short months, but she will be with us for the rest of our lives.
I will be forever grateful that she chose us that day at the greyhound meet-and-greet. I will be eternally thankful that she did not spend her last months at the track or in a shelter.
I am glad that almost all the days she lived with us were just like her: warm, sunny and bright.
I know she loved us and I know she was happy in her forever home with us. We feel honored that she was a member of our family before she had to move on.
She was our little girl puppy dog, and she took a little piece of our souls with her when she left.
We will always treasure our summer with Missy. And when I wear my necklace, you can still see Missy running through my heart.
Comments
[August 30, 2008 7:47 PM]
Amy Hanek : →http://www.houseonthegladehill.blogspot.comOh Heather, what a wonderful story!
Growing up, we had a greyhound-type mutt. Her name was Lady. She was almost bald (as most greyhounds are) with no tail - the exact opposite of what a child pictures when asking for a dog. But we loved her anyway. She was big and smelly and very, very kind (despite the ear pulling we often did).
Your post reminded me of my very first dog. Thank you!
[August 30, 2008 10:14 PM]
Nona : →http://blogs.roanoke.com/thehappywag/Hey Amy,
This post was not from Heather, although I am sure if she had ever had the pleasure of meeting my Missy should would have written something even more eloquent.
I posted this today from my hotel room while on vacation. Needless to say, Missy has been on my mind more than usual today.
Thanks for the kind words. Lady sounded like a wonderful dog. Missy had the bare spots on her hind quarters, too. Bald is indeed beautiful.
Nona
[August 31, 2008 1:10 PM]
Amy Hanek : →http://www.houseonthegladehill.blogspot.comSorry about that Nona - what a beautiful story!
The day we moved into our new house (I was six), Lady wandered across the street into a neighbor's house. A seven-year old girl living there, jumped onto her kitchen table, afraid. We found out later, that little girl was named Julie and she became one of my best friends. She also thought Lady was a lion (until we convinced her otherwise)! I am now the proud owner of two kitty-cats and a hamster. I miss those dog-days, but am not quite ready to take on the responsibility of adding a dog to our family.