pets Archives - NAILMUSIC.COM

This is about someone I knew. Someone I cared about, someone who sometimes drove me crazy, made me mad, made me feel compassion, made me laugh, who loved me no matter what, who just wanted to always be with me; someone who helped make me whole.

This is about our dog.

Her name was Missy. Not our choice – she came that way. She was a rescue.

We live in the City if Newburgh, NY. This city has a problem (to be saved for another post, for sure). The result is, a lot of displaced people, pain, poverty. We happen to live next door to a couple of apartment buildings, one right next to us (smaller) and one on the corner. There are some good families there, and some transient folk – some more trouble than others. Most of the ones know are in the closer, smaller building.

One of the transients was a woman (who’s name I can’t even remember). She was sent to jail; Missy, as a puppy, was abandoned in her apartment.

Finally, one of the other families in the building broke her out. That same day, the whole building next door (the smaller one) was having one of their many summer barbecue parties in the front yard of the building. (We’ve always been invited, though we’ve never attended.) I think my daughter was 3 or 4 at the time.

Anyway, story goes (I was actually out of town at the time) she leans over the fence and says to the neighbors “we’re going to get a dog someday!” and the neighbors, in their infinite wisdom, said – pointing at Missy – “take this one. She’s free.” They handed her over the fence to my wife.

And so began our 8 year relationship.

Our dog as a youngin’ –

At First she was so scared, she would stand behind us, so that as we turned around she would shuffle around so as to be invisible. Over the years, she proved to be a LOT to handle. I tried to train her to walk off the leash, and got pretty far, too. But this was my first dog, and I had (and probably still have) no clue.

Super high energy, “high maintenance” as was said. But a fierce protector – heaven help the poor soul who tried to open my front door, or even the front gate!

Becky & Missy

One of her favorite things to do was to tear around the yard at what had to be 50 miles per hour, challenging me to catch her. She would play in the snow till she couldn’t stand any more, paws freezing, and still she was ready for more. She lived life to the fullest possible for her…

We tried, and for the most part unless it was too hot or cold, took her everywhere with us. We found dog friendly camp grounds, hotels. Even my sister in law’s place, where she was not welcome at first…. but surely as eggs is eggs, she worked her way into your heart.

She would bark at visitors for what seemed like hours. When people were here, she had to be on the couch, along with everyone.

She had a tremendous vocabulary and could recognize what seemed like 200 words. She would vocalize, making sounds that sounded like “walk:, out”, “baseball”, and more.

I could go on and on….. but I’ll stop here.

She will be missed.

Dog|God – coincidence? I don’t think so. Not any more.

-NAIL