truly man's best friend

After 13 years of unbelievable companionship, my parents had to make the tough decisions to put our family dog Missy to sleep. They made the decision that was the most humane and loving for her, and I know it was not easy. If you know me at all, you know that Missy was more than just a pet to me--she was an unbelievable companion, friend, and roommate for much of my life.

It may sound silly, but she seemed more like a part of the family than a family pet. Maybe it's because my sister was so much older than me so it was just Missy and I for a lot of years--so she seemed like another sibling. Maybe it was because SHE thought of herself as a person, feeling the need to do everything a normal person would do...she was THAT kind of dog. Maybe it was just because I loved her so much from the day we brought her home. She was just another part of our family. (FYI: If you have never had a pet that you are close to or loved deeply, none of this will make sense to you...it may even sound silly. For me, it's therapeutic for me to write my thoughts and I do want to have this blog as a way to remember, so thanks for listening).

Here are some of the reasons that I loved this sweet dog so so very much:

• She was always excited to see me whenever I would come home!! Her love was unconditional...people do not love like that, but she could. It was a reminder to me of what true unconditional love looks like.
  

• Missy liked to follow you around, but she always gave you your space. When I was home alone, she was independent, but she still made me feel safe because of her presence. I liked that.

• Missy looooooved people!! I never saw a person that Missy didn't like, and most people liked her as well.
  

• Sleeping next to Missy was awesome. She was a built in heater, but if she got in my way, I could just shove her over. She didn't know the difference. I felt protected and safe when she slept in my room at night.
  

• Missy was an awesome car rider--better than most people. It doesn't matter where we went, she wanted to go along too. She was quite trooper, and she just wanted to be with us. The picture of loyalty.

• We never had to train Missy. After a severe ice storm, we brought her into the house for what was to be a temporary arrangement (until the ice melted). Days turned into weeks, weeks into months, and pretty soon she was part of our every day life. She let us know when she needed to go out, and aside from the occasional garbage can that she got in to, she was a trained "inside dog." We still don't understand how she became trained all of a sudden...
  

• She acted like a puppy until the day that she died--she would always chase her ball, she loved to play tug-of-war (she never really mastered "fetch" because she didn't want to relinquish control of her toy), and she loved to run around like a playful pup.

Missy girl, I loved you so much.
Thanks for so many years of love and loyalty.
I miss you.

Missy "Jean" Nervig
1996-2009