What I Will Miss
It truly is the little things in life that fulfill us with the greatest joy. Our senses drink in the daily sights and sounds of the beauty that surrounds us and fills our soul with the wonders of life. So it is how the daily activities of our canine companions enrich our lives with their love and constant devotion to us. When they leave us, we realize how much they enriched our lives and how we will miss that enrichment. I miss all of them that have shared their lives with me. And now, today, forward from this point in time, I will miss my beloved Millie.
I will miss her morning wakeup kisses and hugs. Each morning, when I would arise, she would enter the bedroom, jump on the bed, lavish me with kisses, and wave her leg at me to solicit a giant hug from me.
... Her evening appreciation kisses and hugs - usually right after our dinner and with me seated at the table, she would stand with her front paws in my lap and shower my face and the top of my head with wet kisses. The same ritual was done with me right before bedtime with me seated on the couch.
... Petting her head as she sat down next to me and smiled back at me as I sat at the sunroom table. That contented, broad smile will always stay with me.
... Sharing my morning bagel with her and her licking the peanut butter spreader.
... Licking out my yogurt container and spoon after dinner.
... Playing ball catching with her in the early evening. She would catch my high tosses while springing off her rear legs. Sometimes, she would miss it and catch it on the first bounce off of her nose before hitting the ground. After each catch, she would always bring it back to me by dropping it at my feet for the next round of tossing. She was so graceful at this ball playing and beautiful to watch, even after gaining weight in her last years. When she was ready to stop playing our game, on her final catch, she would trot pass me, with the ball in her mouth, and head straight for the door. She was the best ball catching and ball retrieving Weimaraner to ever grace the Orr Family.
... Watching her trot through the same trace of worn down grass when positioning herself for my next ball toss.
... Watching her crunch on the flexible balls.
... Lying down in the hallway, waiting patiently, while we washed the dinner dishes, just prior to play-ball time in the backyard.
... Witnessing how gentle she was around our two Miniature Dachshunds. The doxies could sleep on top of her without her stirring. The doxies loved and trusted her so much that they often tried to jump up and kiss her on her mouth while she was standing next to them.
... Showing our little Dachshund how to defend the fence-line from any encroachment by the neighbor’s dog.
... Barking her alert signal at the sound of the mailman’s truck arrival.
... Starting the chorus off of four dogs barking and howling in unison upon my wife’s home arrival. Who will lead the choir now?
... Spending quality time with my daughter on her weekend stays at the house.
... Watching Millie receive a good toothbrushing from my loving and caring daughter. Millie was not only the first of our Weimaraners to readily accept this hygiene, but she seemed to get great pleasure from receiving this kind of attention.
... Watching her effortless, flowing, and graceful swimming in the pool during vacations down at the beach. She was the best swimming Weimaraner companion ever to join the Orr Family.
... Watching her swim alongside my son in the pool.
... Me smiling as she entered the vacation hot tub on her own volition with the rest of the family.
... Recalling on how as a youngster she would grab multiple personal items in her mouth all at once (socks, balls, oven mitts, sweaters, shoes, placemats, etc.)
... Recalling on how with conviction she coerced her other Weimaraner companion, Maddie, to accept her into the household.
... Watching her lie on the floor and bask in the sunlight streaming through the front window of the living room on such a winter’s day. All of our Weimaraners enjoyed sunbathing that way.
... Being a mentor for our “Big Boy” Weimaraner by showing him how to behave himself both indoors and outdoors.
... Recalling the Dinner Show Ritual that she and Maddie invented and performed prior to alerting me that dinner time had arrived (see the tribute to Maddie blog entry, here.)
... Leading the procession of her and Toby as they strolled into the sunroom to inform me it was their dinnertime. Millie was the heir apparent of this leadership role once Maddie crossed over the rainbow bridge.
... Pointing to the leftover dinner rolls sitting on the counter to let us know that she was ready to consume them.
... Recalling how she was not fond of the presence of thunderstorms with the loud booms and electrical power interruptions. She would often seek shelter in one of the bathrooms or head for the basement level. I would console her not to be fearful.
... Taking photographs of her elegance, grace, and goofiness; and her interactions with my other three canines.
... Recalling how proud she was when she captured her first squirrel at 5 years of age.
... Gazing at her sprawled across my wife’s lap as she watched television on the couch.
... Recalling the years when she would sit down and lean next to me in my chair by squeezing herself into a tight place. She would do the same with my wife.
... Rubbing her chest and belly after she would roll over on her back seeking such affection
... Plowing herself under the bed covers when joining us at bedtime.
... Her warm body next to mine on a cold winter night.
... Her loyalty, devotion, tenderness, bravery, and zest for life.
Early evening, on the second night before she passed, as usual, I was playing ball toss with her with no signs of any troubles ahead. Later that evening, instead of her usual kissing routine, she walked up to me by the couch and through her body language told me she was feeling ill and asked if I could help her. I knew immediately that something was gravely wrong. A great dog wanting to let me know but not wanting to bother me too much. God knows that my wife and I gave her the best care money could buy, but she was suddenly called to the rainbow bridge on the second day at the somewhat young age of 8 1/2 years. Millie will live on forever within our mortal souls until we too are called to the promise land. We hope upon our arrival there that we will be able to play ball toss not only with Millie, but with her former close buddy Maddie, Macie, Markie, Mollie, Maggie, and Hildy I and II. Meanwhile, we will continue to share comfort and joy with our remaining male Weimaraner and two Kaninchen Miniature Dachshunds.
I have taken so many images of Millie that have captured her personality and zest for life that it was difficult to limit them to only a few as seen here. I invite you to visit her life recorded in the first sixty-nine photos and some of the latter fifty-six images at my Weimaraner Gallery. I believe that all these images of Millie, Maddie, and Toby capture the day-to-day spirit of the Weimaraner.
Also, see my blog post from September 2015: Canines, Weimaraners, and Me
Post Script: Millie will be the last of 60 years of female Weimaraner companionship in the Orr Family. A very sad day indeed and the end of an era.
D W Orr
Environmentalist, Weimaraner/Dachshund Companion, Blogger, and Photographer
Harford County, Maryland
August 23, 2019
Millie at 6 Months
Millie the Pup, Resting on her Mentor, Maddie
Millie on the Double Retreive
Millie, The Champion Swimmer
Millie in the Hot Tub
Millie, the Champion Ball Catcher
Maddie & Millie, Best Friends Forever
Millie the Wise Girl
Millie With Mom
Me and Millie Squeezed In On the Chair
Millie Showing the Way to Puppy Toby
Millie The Magnificent
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The Poet-Provocateur
”The Man who sees well beyond the day-to-day Bullshit”
~ D. W. Orr
“To see clearly is poetry, prophecy and religion, all in one”
~ John Ruskin