Mikko

TW: pet death

I really don’t want to write this post. In fact, in many ways I struggled with whether I should. I am also struggling with whether or not I can.

But I’ve decided it’s important.

You see, today my family is losing our beloved dog, Mikko.

Mikko- taken during my last trip home in October ’17

Mikko has gotten old, and is no longer himself. For many reasons, my parents decided it was kinder to let him go to sleep than to carry on as he is.

I understand, but am heartbroken.

We got Mikko several months after our first dog, Meg, was put down after she broke her back.

He was a Sheba Inu. My parents decided on that breed as they wanted a dog with high energy to encourage our family to walk more. A high energy dog is what we got!

Mikko loved to go on his runs around the house, and we always knew he was up to trouble when he got that gleam in his eyes.

As a puppy, Mikko also loved the taste of plastic, and ruined a few glasses that people left lying around!

Mikko also had an amazing sense of when something was wrong.

When I was in my late teens, I worked at camp and ended up hurting my foot/ankle. The doctor at the hospital in the local town told me it was just at bad sprain, but it later turned out that it was broken, and I had damage to it because it hadn’t been properly casted.

When I came back home from camp, Mikko kept trying to lick my foot and ankle at the same places that it hurt. He wouldn’t leave them alone.

He knew.

Mikko was also a great companion.

When I hurt my neck in university, and spent many nights awake in the basement, sitting in the chair in pain… Mikko would come and sit with me.

When the pain got unbearable, he knew and would let me know he was there. That helped get me through the tough nights.

I will forever be grateful to him for that.

I have obviously moved away from my parents’ home now, and live abroad, but I’ve always loved visiting and seeing Mikko when I got back, and talking to him on Skype (although he always got wound up by hearing my voice on the computer!). It hurts that I cannot be there to say a proper goodbye to him, but I am glad that I was able to see him in October.

Mikko was a good dog, and I hope he knew that.

Mikko and I on a walk together.