Saying Goodbye to the Heart of a Guardian: Missy

One day, my friend had a bike accident and had to retire early. Missy was a family pet, and so very sweet; a person couldn't have had a better pet friend than her. My friend Gus was told he had crushed one side of his skull and would have seizures for the rest of his life. Well, Missy wasn't a service dog, but one day we were just sitting on the couch when Missy jumped down, ran to him, put her paws on his leg, and barked. Miraculously, she somehow knew he was going to have a seizure, and he did. Funny thing is, she was never trained to do that—it was all on her own. From that day forth, she always alerted him before he'd have a seizure and stuck by his side as his service dog, complete with a badge and vest. She was so proud, and so was he.

I was so proud of her and happy that Gus had a best friend and didn't feel alone, thanks to her. Day after day, I worked with her to train her about waiting for safety to cross the street and other important things she needed to know. They were both happy, and I was content. Missy and Gus remained best friends until she got sick with a bad heart. We didn't know at first, and we drove to every vet place we could find, begging someone to take a look at her and find out what was wrong. Finally, one vet place on Bear Valley Road had an employee who ran outside and stopped us from leaving. He said, "Wait, I love dogs and will check her out for you. She looks as sad as the two of you, and I can see how much you both love her, so I will do what I can—no guarantees though, okay?"

After examining her, he said it was her heart, but we couldn't afford the money that could save her. That night, she slept on a soft blanket on the floor, and I laid by her at one end while Gus laid by her on the other side. I told him miracles can happen, but I woke up the next morning and saw her fur moving and thought she was breathing, but it was just the fan. She was gone. Gus broke down and cried, but we wrapped her beautiful self in her favorite red blanket like a queen and put her on her chariot, which was really just a wagon. We said a prayer and buried her under the trees in her special favorite place by flowing water, along with her toy. I put a garden light there so she would not be in the dark and would have light on her path to doggie heaven.

I know this was a very long story, but I couldn't tell you about Wilbur without you knowing who Missy was. She will never be forgotten, the angel sent from heaven who has now returned to heaven. Life, whether human or animal, is too short to be saddened by what we lost and not too late to enjoy the love we have while we have it. (Photo Below)

Credit: Kathleen Palazzola

 

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