Our Mirra

To our Mirra,

When Christina saw you for the first time she says she fell in love with you. While all your brothers and sisters were of average size and weight you were the tiniest. But she saw in you the spirit that carried you these last two years. You out smarted your siblings for all the kibble you could get and thats why she chose you. You would not give up and you took what you needed to survive.

When you came to us you were so small and fragile I didn't think you would survive. But you did. You grew to the mini of minis. Six pounds eight ounces of the funniest little dog. Your personality made us laugh every single day. If you weren't barking at the shadows you were by our side. Protecting us was your calling. Especially when you heard the stranger at the door trying to get into the house. Had it not been for your keen sense of hearing who know what would have happened. Instead the police arrested a stranger with bad intentions. Although it took some time for you to except new people, when you did you loved them and showered them with affection. As if you were saying welcome to "my" family.

That's probably why I loved so. You had the soul of a giant. I carried you in my robe pocket while we nurtured you to health. You would sleep with me and wake me when it got to late in the morning. And if it was too early, you would call us back as if saying, "hey its too early, come back to bed. Ten more minutes". Or, when it was time for you to go to bed you would tunnel under the blankets or my shirt. We will miss your cooing little growls when you were hungry, thirsty or just wanted to play. I will miss seeing you bounding through the back yard chasing the squirrels who seemed bigger than you. I will miss our 9pm walks through the park courtyard where I could unleash you so you could run with Milla the lab. When I thought you were untrainable you were just starting to come to your own. Understanding that I was trying to protect you and thats why I had those commands.

I will miss you sitting on the couch watching the people in the park. Growling at strangers and barking at our neighbors. Your little tale wagging at the highest RPM's. "Lets go daddy there goes that lady and her corgi. Or "theres that man with the chihuahas. I think I'm actually bigger than them".

Our heart breaks for you because you were so young. You had so much to give and not enough time to share it all. But, what you gave to us will never be replaced. its only been one day but I know that you were that one dog. That one special dog that will never be forgotten.

I hope God has a special place for you because you deserve it.

We miss you so much.

Mommy, Daddy, Megan and Milla

Sudden Loss

Our family lost a small but significant piece to the puzzle that made our home. One minute she is playing and being her obsessive little self and the next she is lame. We are are grieving and miss our little girl immensely.

Mirra was the runt of a dachsund litter. Yet, when my wife saw her she says she immediately new that of all the puppies in the group, Mirra was the one she wanted. She was the "mini of minis". That's what everyone would say about our six pound mini duchs. She was full of spirit and carried the soul of giant. According to the AKC register she had every incorrect trait for a registered dog. But thats what we loved, because her imperfections where what made her so true.

I didn't want another dog but when I came home from a business trip and saw her in my wifes hand I immediately fell in love with this little power pup. She was so helpless and undernourished that I couldnt help myself in wanting to take care of her. My wife would laugh at the site of me, a six foot two inch man, walking around with this little dog. We also own a lab mix and my evening walks in the park were made up of trying to off leash train this little rascal as I had done with the lab. I tell my wife that I have been able to train every dog I have ever owned except Mirra. I think that she allowed me to put the leash on her so that she could control me. When she ran through the brush I was right behind her not even caring that my shoes or pants where getting dirty. I just loved to see her run and hop around in order to get a better view of where she was going.

We lost her today. It turns out that she carried the one worst trait common to the dachsund breed, verterbral degenerative disease. Although we new that it was something we would have to look out for we didn't think that it would happen at just over two years of age. One moment she was running and playing in our backyard and then hours later, while laying in our bed she was dragging her hind quarters. We take her to our local emergency vet center and by the next morning they say its so bad that the optional surgery would not be a guarantee. Not that surgeries are ever guaranteed but the risk of it not doing any good, plus the price, upwards of $3000, we had to make a choice for her suffering and our way of life.

She loved to camp with us, she loved to run and she loved to just be our sweet little girl. When I would come home from a business trip she would sit atop our couch and welcome me home. My wife says she would wait in the hallway or go to the couch the first couple of hours of each night I was gone.

Most of all I feel sad for my wife. This was her little girl. Her barking, somewhat anti social, obsessive compulsive ( she would spend hours chasing shadows of whatever cast itself on a wall in our backyard), but utterly loyal and loving little dog. We are expecting our first son and we often spoke of Mirra being his little dog. His first experience at having a pet.

What hurts me the most is that it happened so sudden and that she was still so young. Mentally she was so full of life.

We will miss our little girl Mirra.