Here is the second half of our fur family, the one who tricked me into keeping her.

As you read in Ivan’s intro, he was a monster from day 1. But after training and bonding to me like crazy, the kid wouldn’t let me out of his sight. I had, in essence, recreated the monster into an affectionate, time-consuming, high maintenance pup.

Ivan needed a toy: enter Miah.

The first day Miah came home – skinny and all ears.

Miah came to me through a private adoption, the same organization from which I got Ivan. I figured that if Ivan had a buddy, he would leave me alone and when I started teaching all day, he wouldn’t be as bereft.

We arranged a meeting with Miah, and it was love at first sight – not for me, but for Ivan. The two were allowed to run around in a supervised pen, and after they had sufficiently worn each other out, they sat side by side in the shade, hanging as if they’d been best friends forever.

I was told Miah was around a year old, and that she had been abandoned by this man’s friend who took off for the military without telling anyone.  He thought she had been neglected and malnourished, but she seemed cool and collected (though boundless energy) and she was a great fit for my growing boy.

Until the day I picked her up.

Little did I know she was cursed with an anxious gene – and the poor girl didn’t sleep for days. Let me amend that, we ALL didn’t sleep for days. I brought her home (she shook like a leaf the entire way) and she spent the better part of three days with the fear of God in her eyes. She seemed to want to like Ivan, but they fought at every feeding and wouldn’t play together like they had on the meet and greet.

I came to my wit’s end – I cried and told my mother there was NO WAY I could deal with another Ivan – she had quickly become as needy as he, and I wanted out. Before I gave in, I decided to give the girl a MINOR sedative atleast to take the edge off and allow her a few minutes rest. I cut the pill, halved it from the original dose, and down it went.

Within a minute, Miah’s head began to droop, her eyes started rolling back into her head, and her body began weaving like a drunken sailor.

OH MY GOD I KILLED THE DOG!

In an effort to revive her, I promised Miah that if she could regain consciousness and snap out of it, I’d keep her forever and ever.

Up she sprang, not a smidge of drunkeness left.

It was then I realized that this little lady had as much drama queen in her as I , and we would be kindred spirits. I wish I could tell you this was an exaggeration, but ask my Mom – I embellish not.

Miah has been the most obstreperous dog I’ve ever known. I’ve spent many a morning running down streets in my pajamas because she jumped the fence, and there hasn’t been a squirrel or bird she has seen on our walks that hasn’t resulted in my arm out of socket. But I swear, next to Ivan, you can’t imagine a heart as big as Miah’s.

Almost 2 years ago, Miah fell on ice in the backyard and was diagnosed with a rare and fatal condition – systemic lupus.  Though I hope to explain this in more detail in a future post, she is losing feeling in her backend, resulting in that same drunken step she had almost 8 years ago. Every day with my girl is a blessing, and I’ll continue to let her fall asleep with her head on my pillow. I’ll enjoy every moment she attempts still to pull my arm out of socket, before I reach down to help her back up from her fall. Every night I will lend a hand to scoop all 65 lbs up onto my bed, and in the morning, I will help her legs find their way to the floor,

And Ivan and I will continue to cherish the day that Miah dramatically dropped to the floor and I promised to keep her forever.

-Al