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Missi, "Queen Bitch", soulful matriarch of dogland, reigns no more. At ~14 years old and in seriously declining health, we called the vet. Laying on a special rug given to her by her good friend Isa, at home on the grass in the sunshine, the vet gave her a shot that instantly put her into a final sleep. Now her body rests in the earth in the center of a redwood fairy ring; canis sempervirens. We hope her spirit will remain on the mountain with us a little longer … it's hard to let go. Missi … always we will love you. |
| Joey is Missi's son, and the only dog she tolerated near her. He had a passion for the chase, especially if he could sink his teeth into what he caught. After a couple of bicyclist's legs were honored this way, Joey, who had been abandoned by a neighbor when he was a pup (along with his mom) officially became our dog. With the help of a trainer, he learned manners. More sedate in his later years, in part due to severe arthritis and anti-seizure meds, it was hard to remember the wild little guy we took in. Joey survived a puppyhood of neglect, a near miss with the SPCA and euthanasia, and the very toxic treatment for heartworms to become a sweetheart of a dog, loving, above-all-else, to have his belly rubbed. Complications of epilepsy, arthritis, and the interactions of the related drugs were too much to bear, and in May 2004, we ended his suffering. Joey's special friend, my dad, was with us during Joe's final moments. A trusting look, and a big kiss on my dad's face, and Joey was gone. Only in the physical sense though. In our hearts and minds, he lives on. |  |
