Losing a Beloved Pet

This has really been a tough summer here on "Grandma's Ranch." The drought in Texas has wiped out my garden, most of my roses and azaleas, as well as my pasture and many of my other flowers.

Then a couple of weeks ago, one of our goats got bitten by a snake and we lost her. Then the two cats last week, and now we lost one of our dogs.

We got Misha about 17 years ago when we lived in Nebraska. Her breeding was always a bit of a question mark, but I think she was part Pekinese and part long-haired Dachshund. When she was very young and her marking were distinct, there were perfect circles around her eyes that made it look like she had eye-liner on.

She loved the snow in Nebraska and would dive into the snowbanks and then burst out in a flurry of snow and delight. She also loved our evening walks and had several dog friends along the way that she liked to stop and visit. What she didn't like was storms and firecrackers. The Fourth of July was never one of her favorite days.

Misha also did not like many people except my husband and I. She was never mean or aggressive, she just saw everyone as a stranger and would tell them all in no uncertain terms to get out of our house, even when our kids and grandkids came to visit.

When we moved to our place here in East Texas, I wondered how Misha would adapt to being a farm dog after being raised in a city, but she was quite happy here from the first day. It was great to have this big expanse of land to run on after having a backyard that was smaller than my present kitchen.  She knew how to behave around the horse so she wouldn't spook him, and did not bother the goats. She also got along very well with the cats.

Early on, Misha learned the perimeter of our land and knew the boundaries she should not cross. Seldom did she wander off our property, until recently when I think she was having some issues with dementia. I would find her sometimes going down the road, and I would have to go get her. Last night, I was too late. She had been hit.

RIP, Misha, you were a good and loyal friend.