Not with my husband, though I did fall in love with him in 2004 as well.
No, the love I’m talking about was for a little cotton ball of a miniature poodle that I named Munchkin.
I had spotted Munchkin at the local pet store where I would stop by and check out puppies. I just loved the scent. Munchkin was a poodle, a breed I knew I loved from past family experiences, and when I held her in my hands, cupping her against my chest, I just wanted to take her home with me.
Isaiah was a little bit of a hard sell that we really needed a puppy (he was right). I was able to persuade him that she should come home with me via a mixture of pleading, batting my eyes, and capitalizing on the “honeymoon stage” of our marriage! So Munchkin came home with us.
Today, almost five years later, Munchkin passed away. It was too short of a time to be alive and I’m struggling trying to find the words to express what made her such a special dog.
Since before we moved to Oklahoma Munchkin has been living with my mom and dad. She decided she wanted to be a member of their household after we stayed there for the Skunk Incident (remember when the skunk sprayed under our house and we had to move out for several weeks? Well, that was when Munchkin made the decision that the canine culinary masterpieces my dad can cook up for the dogs and the ability to sleep in bed with my mom and dad were superior to our dry dog food and crate system for sleeping!)
She’s still been nominally my dog, at least in my parents mind, although she’s spent most of the last two and a half years in my dad’s lap.
My mom and dad discovered today that Munchkin only had one functioning kidney, most likely she was born that way. Even under the vet’s care, her remaining kidney failed her and she simply went downhill quickly – last night she was weak but improving, this morning her scenario was hopeless. The condition is extremely rare and her death comes as a shock for all of us.
She was a great little dog. Fast as a speeding bullet (remember the time that the neighbors greyhound began to chase her, thinking she was a coursing rabbit?! She outran him!) and possessing an ambition to be on the lap of anyone who would hold her. She was petted and pawed by our youth group members, our children, and her doggy playmates, Zoe and Gidgette.
She’s shared many life altering moments for me and she’s been a mainstay for my parents. Though she drove them crazy with her wandering ways, she has taken their hearts even more securely than my own and charmed them with her sweet nature and snuggling softness.
More often than not my mom would make the bed in the mornings with Munchie still under the covers, snug and warm from her evenings’ rest tucked by their feet. When she got to hot, she would burst out from under the comforter and lay her head in between their pillows. And for some reason, her personality made this something cute rather than kind of yucky!
It is what it is, but it’s been heartbreaking to lose her. Pets are an irreplaceable part of our lives, each with their own distinct attitudes and personalities. Before we had kids Munchkin was my constant companion, after we had Mia she was a comforter, guardian, and stress reliever. I’m going to miss watching her play. I’m just going to miss her.
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