In 2006, my mom, sister, and I welcomed our dogs, Duddley and Millie, into our family. I knew the spunky, floppy-earred Labradoodle was the one for me, and Savannah fell in love with the small and sassy Silky Terrier. Duddley and Millie grew up like siblings do; they romped around the yard together, fought over bones and toys, got themselves into trash and trouble, and they demanded equal and fair treatment when snacks were distributed, cuddled with each other when they slept, and barked at nothing together. Duddley and Millie were meant for each other. However, it's like my sister, Savannah, said, Duddley doesn't have his buddy anymore.
On August 27th, we lost Millie after she was hit by a car. It made for a traumatic Saturday evening full of heartbreak and tears; it was surreal. Millie died in my mom's arms on the way to the emergency vet hospital. I am thankful that my mom was able to comfort Millie in her last moments. This article is dedicated to and written for Millie.
Millie was a feisty little dog with a fierce attitude, and she also had a ton of love, licks, and barks to share. Everyone who met her loved her. It was hard for people to resist her small, puffy face looking up at them while she jumped on their legs and greeted them with barks. Deep down, Millie loved most people back, but she has always been sassy and would act like she was better than you and was uninterested in your company.
There have been many times when I would call Millie to sit with me on the couch, but she would look at me to acknowledge my invitation and decline it by walking away, either down the hallway to a completely different room or to a different piece of furniture in the living room. Many people have been rejected by Millie, and they would be greatly offended that Millie wouldn't let them hold her or pet her. But Millie would usually return shortly after her dramatic denial and act like she loved everyone again. It was Millie's world, we just lived in it.
Although convincing Millie to love you is a challenging task sometimes, when she decided she loved you back she became very demanding. She did not care if your arm was tired from petting her for the last fifteen minutes. If you stopped petting her she would slide her nose under your hand to lift her head up, causing your hand to slide down her head, to let you know that your job wasn't finished. If you ignored her, she would wag her nubby tail and bark at you. Millie always got what she wanted, but that's okay.
Millie's absence is extremely noticeable. The house is quiet. I already miss hearing the jingle of her collar as she prances around the house. I miss seeing her laying curled on top of the cushions like a cat in a window sill. I miss her playful growl and her crunchy chewing when she would eat her dry dog food one piece at a time because she was an odd pup who would carry each piece to a different part of the room before eating it. If Millie was given a bone, she would carry it around for days. Millie would either tease Duddley by sitting with a bone she had no intention to eat or she would bury it to dig up later.
I will no longer have to lift up the kiddie pool that is in my backyard to prove to Millie that nothing was underneath it, even though she would continue to dig at the plastic pool the entire time she was outside. Sometimes she would spot a chipmunk scurrying into the rain gutter spout and would stand guard at the spout (even days after the chipmunk had already left), waiting for the rodent to appear. Millie also enjoyed playing with ants. She would pick them up with her mouth in a way that didn't kill the ant, and repeatedly tossed the ant into the air.
I'll miss cuddling with Millie when she's all wrapped up in blankets, and watching her take five minutes to bury herself underneath a pile of blankets. After a bath, she would zoom around the house and parkour off of the furniture, and she was still damp from the bath so she would roll around in the blankets to dry off. Sometimes Millie would suddenly stop running to sneeze or shoot someone a sassy look before she took off again, bouncing against the couch cushions as she ran.
Millie loved to wear sweaters in the fall and winter to stay warm. She used to have a red and white sweater for the Christmas months that Savannah bought her. She also had skull and skeleton sweaters for Halloween. Millie was born June 6, 2006. We always joked that Millie was the devil dog because her 6/6/06 birthday fit well with her aggressive side.
Millie was the best little dog I could have ever asked for. She was taken from us much too soon, and I miss her terribly. Not a day goes by that I don't think of her.
I love you, Millie. I hope you're having an awesome time running through the fields of doggy heaven and you have all the bones to bury that your little heart desires. This isn't a goodbye, it's a see you later. <3
