Front Porch Stories: Miele taking her final lap
By KATHY BOHANNON, Special to The Coweta Shopper
Our pup Miele is winding down.
It’s really hard to see the little furbabies reach the winter of their lives, but there’s so much love and companionship in their earlier seasons that it’s hard to resist the initial decision of giving them a home where they are loved and cherished.
My husband says Miele is a “Boston Terrier / Sneaky Neighbor Dog,” which really explains her breed. We got her in 2012. The rescue released her to her foster family and we adopted her from them. Her fosters are some of the best folks we know and we have grown to love them like family. She was certainly blessed to be with them, as the shelter she was in was a kill shelter.
Like many others looking for love, we found her on the Internet. Her pointy nose and big eyes won us over and in a matter of days we were headed to meet her in South Carolina. We took Hoover, our “big ole’” Boston Terrier with us to make sure he was as committed to the adoption as we were. He wore his best tie and as he greeted her, wagged his stubby tail. We knew then it would be a good fit.
Miele has been my shadow ever since. I am the chosen one. She is lying beside me at this moment after following me from room to room. The only difference now is that she can’t go on walks because she tires out, but in true Miele form she doesn’t mind the pup stroller I found on Facebook Marketplace. I didn’t know I’d be “that person” pushing a dog in a stroller, but she loves the outdoors and she loves me, so she won’t be left behind when we go on walks.
Miele (and our other two pups at the time) accompanied me every single time I drove from Savannah to Newnan to help with my daughter and her family while my grandlittle was going through chemo. (She is ten years old now.) For over a year, every few weeks we would load up and hit the road, Miele keeping an eye out on traffic from her perch near a window.
We moved to Newnan to be closer to our daughter so we could help when needed. Miele adjusted well to the new place, the new doggy door, an unfamiliar yard and new routines. I may take for granted how easy she is. She has never chewed something she shouldn’t, never made messes in the house and is just the “goodest” girl.
And my goodest girl will be fourteen in August. In the last year she has seen a liver specialist and multiple vet visits with bloodwork, pills and whatever else needed to try to keep her here as long as we can. She walks, eats, drinks and goes outside just like usual, but today’s vet visit revealed her heart may not last much longer. That mean old liver is just more than her little self can manage.
Right or wrong, I have a theory: a dog wants to serve us. When they are no longer able to alert at a stranger, follow us from one room to another or snuggle up with us to keep us safe at night, then their purpose is greatly diminished. Thankfully, our girl is still able to do all these things, but her winter season is getting darker.
We will enjoy her as long as God allows and give her the best days we can.
Kathy Bohannon is a Christian humorist and inspirational speaker. She can be reached at [email protected].
