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good dog

I’m waking up to an empty house. Mickey was a difficult animal. We bought him from a truck driver when he was 6 months old. He was most likely from a puppy mill in Eastern Europe. Taken too early from his mother, and left alone too often. Mickey was wonderful with our family, but could never accept strangers. Even when he saw a person for the 100th time, he would bark. You could never get him to stop barking. So he earned himself a trip to a time out in the basement, or my bedroom. But two of our neighbors had their houses robbed. I’m sure Mickey has chased away a few buglers. When Sarah first came home from China, she had RAD (reactive attachment disorder). The nannies in her orphanage were abusive. They would tie her to her bed at night to prevent her from getting up, and punish her harshly when she got into things. And they called the nannies mama. So when they told Sarah she would have a new mama, she was afraid of me. And she would not fall asleep around me unless Mickey was there to watch over her. And in her orphanage they has beautiful playground equipment. It was perfect because it was never used. Sarah would trip everywhere because she was never allowed to go outside and run. But every day I would take her on two Mickey walks. “Mickey walk “was her very first English words. And her little 4 year old legs grew very strong, very fast. And within no time, she became healthy. Now she plays soccer on a team. Mickey played a big role in her recovery and adjustment. Jessica (my 24 year old autistic daughter) loved Mickey. She would chase him around the house with towels. And she would throw the towels over him. He would allow this game. And Jessica can say very few words. But one of her words is eyes. And she would be fascinated by Mickey’s eyes. Any time Mickey was near her, you would hear Jess say “eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes”. Even two days ago Jessica spent about 20 minutes on the floor with Mickey. Yesterday Jessica sat next to me, holding my hand for about one hour. She could tell I was sad. I think she understands why. Today I emailed a breeder of Giant Schnauzers. They are the owner of the German national champion dog. And they have 6 puppies. I do not know if they would consider our family to raise one of their dogs? But Giant schnauzers are very good therapy dogs. And I want to get another companion for Jessica. This time I want a dog that is allowed to stay with its mother for a good long time. One that is socialized well, and that we take to dog school right from the start. I’m sure the owner of these puppies will be very picky about who gets their dogs. We will not be showing the dog, so they probably will not consider us. But I asked. I would like a dog towards the end of August, after our vacation. So I have time to look around and be picky. I hope the next dog will be with us another 14 years. I really loved Mickey. He was crazy and loud and very loyal. He was a gift to our family. He is already missed.

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