Barb’s Blog: Thoroughly Marvelous Millie
A couple of months ago I wrote a blog about my pal Moochie. She was a delightful dachshund that I raised on a bottle after her mother died. Moochie was a part of our family for six years. She was funny, loving, intelligent and full of energy. She was also the best friend of our male dachshund Henry.
Moochie suffered a catastrophic stroke. The vet had some hope she would recover the use of her body. She was alert, barked at strangers, and continued to be a loving pet, but she was paralyzed. We gave Moochie ever chance for recovery. In a matter of weeks her back legs were again moving, as was her tail, which she wagged whole heartedly when we greeted her. She could move her head and continued to give us big doggie kisses.
The whole family worked diligently under the recommendations of our vet to provide her with quality care, and to keep her comfortable and clean. Sadly, Moochie never recovered the use of her front legs, and we watched them atrophy. I came to the heartbreaking realization that I was keeping Moochie alive for myself, and not for her. Her quality of life was diminished. Her will to live remained strong but her body continued to weaken. Eventually, it became apparent to all of us that we had to make the very difficult decision to release Moochie from her suffering.
I cried for days. I still can’t speak of it without tears forming in my eyes, and it happened in June. It’s one of those things I am not sure you ever really get over. What made it even more difficult was the response of our male dog Henry. He stopped eating, and would spend hours howling in the most pathetic, and mournful way. We expected that would pass. The summer passed, and Henry continued this behavior, even with extra attention from the family, and more walks and treats.
We were considering another dog to heal the wounds of the family and to relieve the sadness of Henry. We were only considering it, when Millie entered our lives. We found her very much by accident while browsing through yard sale ads online. Millie is also a dachshund and she’s very much a puppy! We weren’t really looking for a puppy.
One look at Millie and I knew she was our dog. She is sweet, and funny, with just enough spice to make Henry’s life interesting. She was raised with two large German shepherds so Henry doesn’t frighten her. We introduced the two slowly and they are still getting used to each other, but last night there was a wild game of chase between them with a lot of tail wagging. It did my heart good to see their playful interaction. I was also thrilled to see Henry eating well this morning.
Millie is beloved by every family member. She has only been with us for a week but is already very much a part of our lives. She is high energy, and low sleep, but adorable and thoroughly marvelous. No dog can ever replace another, but each adds new dimension and personality to a household. Millie has filled our home with puppy love.
