Wednesday, January 14, 2009

In memory of my Munchie...1983-2000


Today it was nine years ago since my Princess died. I always loved this picture where my dad put his hat on her head. We were in our motor home, just getting ready to play cards, and we dealt her in.

She was the first dog I owned from birth. We had a dog when I was living at home before I was married, but I never had my own dog.

It was almost like giving birth except for the painful stuff, and of course breast feeding. Thank God she was weened by the time I got her.... or I might of tried it. I was crazy about her.

But soon after I got her, I found out the hard way about training a puppy. I was not prepared. I worked full time and had two cats, and 5,627 fish in an aquarium, and oops and let's not forget "Pecker" my budgie, plus my husband, but thankfully he was litter trained.

I took three weeks of holidays when I got Munchie, just to make sure I would be there for her to make the transition from her mom's house to mine. I never ever expected how needy a little puppy could be. My cats were a handful when they were young, but much more independent than a dog. It was a learning experience, and some days when I would come home to find toilet paper strung from one room of the house to the other, I couldn't believe it. House proofing the house had not occurred to me until then.



Haaaa...that's her flipping over because she knew she was in trouble. She was so little then. She did really well with house training as far as going out to pee and stuff, I finally figured out I should contain her in the kitchen when we weren't home and if she had an accident, so it wouldn't be on the carpets. But, I have to admit there was a point where I thought "what have I got myself into"? I know, people who have had kids are laughing their asses off right now reading this. Hey, I was a babe in the woods. My cats had litter boxes, the bird shit in the cage, and the fish...shit in the water..so I wasn't used to anyone shitting on my carpets. If I would have got pregnant in those days, and had a kid shitting in diaper...I think I would have lost my friggin mind. Way to much crap coming out of way too many bums already. Clean up on isle one...all the time. Changing the water in the fish tanks, cleaning kitty litter boxes, and cleaning up the bird cage............ oy..and now this little furry critter who stole my heart. It all worked out.

She changed my life. My Friday night cocktail hour(s) with my pals after work, stopped, because ...well I had a dog who had to empty her bodily fluids in a timely manner, and that meant 5:00 PM. Not 10:30 or so when I normally got home.. a little tipsy. Everything changed for the better. As she grew, and I smartened up a bit, we started to get to know her, and love her to bits. I may have lost a few drinking buddies, but it was well worth it. We walked for miles everyday, and I got to see stuff around the neighbourhood I never would have if I wouldn't have had her.

I am forgiving, for all the slippers and bedcovers she ate, and how many baths I had to give her....she could not pass up a mud puddle or a garden that was soaking wet to roll in.


This time, she was helping my dad dig for potatoes in the garden. She was a good helper.

She was the most wonderful dog. Kind and gentle right to the end.



You be a good girl honey bunny. See you when I get to heaven.

7 comments:

Brenda said...

I laughed and cried with you while reading this post. Your Munchie was sure a pretty thing.

Your bird shit in it's cage?

Anonymous said...

Hi, Joan.
I know exactly how you felt about your darling puppy. I felt the same about my Bridget. (I had to put down my Bridget 15 months ago when she developed incurable liver disfunction) But all our beloved babies will be waiting at that Rainbow Bridge---and that's where I am going! No damned pink cloud and stupid harp for me! I'm going where the dogs go!!
Verna (in Oregon)

Anonymous said...

Munchie sounds like a wonderful friend. How nice that you had so many years together. I swear up and down, no more pets after the Dynamic Duo. Then I was in the pet shop and this little tortoise was trying to charm me! I gotta think about it. It's too hard to lose them.

Donna said...

A good cry never hurt anyone...but when you do it at Work, your employees tend to get Nervous!!!Hahaaa.....oh well, after explaining WHY I was bawling and they Weren't loosing their jobs, all was well....LOL!
Sweet tribute Sugar...sweet.
hughughugs

Joan said...

No crying allowed. She was the best dog, and she saved my life. She taught me about responsibility. When I was not.

Smart Mouth Broad said...

What a sweetheart!

Anonymous said...

A very sweet tribute to a wonderful dog. I can relate. That's why this entry hit my heart with so much joy and also so much sadness. I miss my buddies every day and it's been years.