Goodbye Our Precious Mika...

R.I.P. "Mika-Choo" (Tai's Little China Girl)
November 10, 2005 - Sept. 22, 2008

She was a wonderful puppy. A pup she was at only 2.75 years old.

An injury at the groomer (torn ACL) left her requiring surgery on her right hind leg. She had been recovering well and after approximately 4 weeks she somehow blew out the ACL on her left hind leg. Our vet told us that without having the surgery performed on the new tear, her first surgery would not recover. Unfortunately we are not able to afford the 2nd surgery at a cost of almost $4,000 per leg.

We were also told that Mika would develop hip problems in a few years due to the fact they did not grow in properly. She also may have a possible thyroid disorder. These, along with severe allergies which she was on steroids and antihistamines for, left our poor girl in a lot of pain and not enjoying life to its fullest. (There is more ailments to this story but I will keep it short).

She was having a lot of difficulty walking and clearly was in a lot of discomfort. It was like watching her walk on hot coals because she didn't know which back leg to stand on. This broke our hearts. We did everything we possibly could emotionally, physically and financially to keep our girl with us and keep her comfortable but unfortunately it just wasn't enough. It was her time, and after praying a lot about what to do, she left us peacefully on Monday September 22, 2008.

Scott and I both miss her beyond belief and I know I find myself tearing up every time I walk to the main floor and she is not there to greet me. I never thought it could be this hard. Writing in this Blog is therapy to an extent - to let out some emotion of how she touched our lives. She was a big part of our family and I talk to Roston about his puppy all the time. He knew when we were going home, we were "going home to see his Mika". It feels weird to just tell him we are "going home" now.

Time will heal and it will probably take a lot of it. She is missed so much and we can only hope that God has taken her into his care and she is among others who are happy frolicking in the grass and pain-free happiness in heaven.

We miss you Mika.

Love,
Dad, Mom & Roston
xoxoxo

Winter Fun!

The snow was so high in our backyard in the winter of 2008 that Scott had to shovel her a path to do her "business". She loved throwing herself into the sides and digging tunnels with her muzzle!! Then she would look back at the door to make sure someone was watching her....show-off!

So curious of this new being....

When we brought Roston home, she was so curious...always sniffing his feet and ending it off with a little lick, as to say "I approve".

Guarding Roston

She loved to be near when Roston came downstairs! He was her baby too....

In the Garden of Iroquois...

She loved going to visit Nana and Grandad's house in Iroquois - relaxing in their new garden, basking in the summer sun! This was her last trip there before her surgery.

Time to Relax!

She always liked to relax and guard the house. One of my favourite things about her was how she tucked her front paw underneath her, see? So cute!!

Hallowe'en 2007

Mika always just seems to fit right in when it is fall - all those beautiful fall colours match her perfectly! My gorgeous girl...

Mika Hair is Everywhere!!

Hair everywhere is an understatement - our girl never ceased to amaze me how much hair I could get out of her at ONE brushing. This is an example! Odd, perhaps? We're not sure - it was normal life for us!!!

Can't Get Enough

She just can't get enough of fresh snow! The minute she gets outside, she throws herself, no wait... body-chucks herself into the snow and wiggles around on her back. When she's not busy doing that, she digs tunnels in the backyard with her nose. Scott and I just watch her in hysterics. We love our girl.

Sleepy Girl...

Mika gets sleepy...and when she does, she passes out no matter where she is.
We love how her eyes get squinty when she sleeps.

Food Time!

So it was time to re-fill her food bin, so of course she was there 'snooping'. She would sit at her bag of food and give us her "fake bark". Translation: "Me wants food Mom & Dad".

Her Window To The World

So this is what she does. If she can't sit outside (which she would all day if we let her) she sits at "her" back door and stares outside. As if she was "wishing" she could be out there too....
And her fascination with having to walk behind the curtain amazes us all. She can't walk in front of it, she has to walk behind it.
So Cute!

Mika & Her Dad

Here is a cute photo of when we took Mika on an outing to the rapids at Mooney's Bay. Yeah, not fun. She was so excited to be in a new place, she was pulling the whole time - that girl is "outta control"!

Slipper Thief!

Nana was sitting relaxing one day and *whoosh*... What flies by high in the air but her slipper, from one end of the room to the other.

Not knowing what just happened, she looks down to see Mika chasing after it! Ah I see, so the culprit is a furry critter with a mischievous demeanor! Can you see the guilt in her eyes? Ha ha

Nap Time!!

A girl's gotta get a little tired after all that fresh country air!

Mika Learns The Stairs

I got a call from my Mom with an update before we left. The only "problem" was that they coaxed Mika upstairs so she wouldn't be alone but when it was time to go downstairs, she was too scared! Nana couldn't lure her down the stairs with treats or anything. The last straw, with leash in hand...."Mika, want to go for a walk?"

That got her moving pretty fast...next thing Nana heard was little nail "clicks" down the stairs! Ta-Da!

"Do Not Enter - Construction Zone"

Mika barely went inside, she loves it outdoors and she kept Grandad company when he was working outside on the house & yard!

Dirt-balls are my new toy!

So when she discovered that there were "balls" in this pile of dirt, her day was made!

Vacation Away from Home

Mika stayed with my parents in Iroquois while we were on our cruise. Her past times were watching TV at night with Grandad, playing with Nana's slipper, guarding the "construction zone", and finding and playing with dirt-balls outside!

She's so cute! Lazy eye and ALL!

Okay, so she may have a bit of a lazy eye, don't we all? We love this girl so much, I can't even handle it!

"Lovey-eyes"....ah! So cute!

The Nosy Neighbour

A crack between fence boards in our backyard provides our Girl with countless hours of enjoyment! (Hence, she's the nosy neighbour!)

Our neighbour is a daycare provider, so when the children are out playing in the backyard, Mika can't wait to sit (sometimes lays down) and watches them through the fence boards...hours and hours of entertainment for her! She loves children and though sometimes unsure of their small size ("Wait...they're as big as me?"), she is fascinated by them!!

"And in the ring, we have Mika - The Wonder-Dog!"

So here's the problem, brown spots on our luscious green grass. Comes with the territory, you say. Well, we would like to think we have a remedy for this! Just rotate a fenced off portion (as we refer to it as the "boxing ring") of the backyard every so often, while the other half is being treated with new grass seed. Ha! The Mika-Choo is much too smart for this. She has found a way to weasel her way through the ropes and into her beloved pee-patch! And when she's not "IN" it, she sits "ON" the ropes as to say - you think you're so smart...

Mika Loves Iroquois, ON

When we visit my parents, Mika is not too sure about the ride there...she puts her head on my shoulder (she sits in the backseat, of course!) and stares out various windows. The Subaru has never been so "furry"! I carry a lint brush in the car now!

When she arrives, there is always a treat waiting from Nana...I think she looks forward to it!
A huge backyard is great for her to snoop around in - oh boy - new territory...she could be occupado for hours, just sniffing her surroundings.

Mika Collage - Yes, We're Crazy

Okay, so you may say we're crazy, but she's our baby and we love her too much... probably!

Loving Food Is An Understatement

Alright, for those who think they love their food, not exactly. Our little "Chou" as we call her, LOVES her food so much it's un-real! Don't even try and give her treats, she would much rather get her food...she waits for it and we have had to start hiding her dish where we let is soak because she sits, stares and barks at it! Too funny!

Her Friend Bailey

Bailey is Mika's next-door friend. He's a 1.5 yr. old Golden Retreiver who is so gentle!

Have you ever seen a 6-month, 38 lb.Chow Chow tackle a Golden? Here's proof she can hold her own!

Taking A Rest!

She was pretty docile at first, now she's full of beans all the time! A true lively pup! Laps around the living room are not uncommon. I have had to convince Scott that the scratches in the hardwood come with the territory! Ha ha

Her favourite spots were sitting by the sofa in the bottom picture...and between the legs of the bar stools in the kitchen (how bizarre?)! Comfort spots I suppose!

And she is a sure Daddy's Girl! Loves Daddy and all the men that come by! Mom...well, she could do without some days! No offense taken!

Her New Abode!

4 mos. old - Crate training was pretty easy with Mika. She loves having her own space. She loves her pink fleecy blankie too...drags it around the house with her!

Training is FUN!

Training Mika outside in the winter was not always fun! But it was cute, we had to teach her how to go up and down stairs! It took her awhile to get the knack, but after many treats (one shake of her treat container in the bottom pic), and she got it!

After awhile she loved the outdoors, so much that it's hard to get her to come in the house!

Our First Visit!

Here is little Mika (at right), before we knew we were going to scoop her up and take her home. She's with her gorgeous Mom China. See her little blue tongue? Too cute!