Benji? Nope. Not a chance. Those Bethoven movies about that big old slobbery Bernese Mountain Dog? Uh-uh. Marley & Me? No freakin' way.
Oh sure, I read the book Marley & Me but I did so through a cloud of tears. Tears of laughter. Tears of sadness. Tears all the way through the book. One painfully funny page after another. So, no. I did not watch the movie when it came out last year and despite Buzz asking me every single time we go to the video store, we have not rented the DVD either. Rules are rules!
Today, when I logged on to Facebook I was sideswiped again when I read a status update that said beautiful Mitchy Goodspeed passed away today at the age of 15. And once again, there I was with a mess of tears running down my face. This wasn't any fictionalized dog. This was a real pet of a family that's like family to me and my family. He was a lovely, lovely boy.
Mitchy was a great dog. A Cairn Terrier by birth with an old soul and more people skills then many people I know. He loved to climb onto the couch and lay across the back of it surveying his domain from on high. I guess when you're only 7 or 8 inches tall, getting a little high is a good thing. He was Paul's constant companion - wherever Paul was, Mitch wasn't too far behind.
Although he was the boy dog of the family, he really was a bit of a wuss. No-one, other than my Snickers was more afraid of thunderstorms than Mitchy. I will never forget a summer visit to Four Winds cottage at Loon Lake and spending the entire first evening searching high and low, under the cottage and behind bushes , in trees, under canoes, looking for one little boy-dog who had vanished in advance of an on-coming storm. That night I wasn't sure he'd come home...but after hours and hours of calling him, and very nearly giving up hope, he waddled up behind Rosie as though nothing had ever been wrong, wondering what all the fuss was about.
Mr. Mitch was king of the castle, second only to her highness Miss Megan. Both were served better food then I often serve my husband. I'm so not kidding. This past summer at a return visit to Four Winds I learned the secret dog food recipe that included garlic and chicken, rice and vegetables. The savoury scent of it cooking on the stove was enough for us to go looking for a mid-afternoon snack. And this was dog food!
As we all do when we get older, Mitch started slowing down the last few years. He liked his "alone time." This summer his alone time included spending countless hours in our bedroom at the cottage, lying with his face buried in Buzz's underwear. We never really knew what the attraction was, but every time he disappeared for any length of time that's were we found him - in the closet on the floor inhaling Eau de Buzz Butt.
He was a faithful and loyal companion. Much loved by everyone in his family. He had a great life, with a great family who I know are missing him so very much today. Rest in Peace Mitchy!
