by Mary Grace Mauneymmauney@mistermigs.com
This month, a terrible tragedy struck within the Mister Migs family. Angel, a five year old dachshund belonging to Jamie Noble, one of our team members, passed away before her time in an accident. She fell off a dock and into a lake, and while Jamie succeeded in saving her from the water, she died later that night. Most likely she suffered secondary drowning, in which inhaled water in the lungs can kill a victim after the fact.
At Mister Migs, pets matter. We understand that they are every bit as important to us as our brothers, sisters, and children. They are our best friends, often our soul mates, and losing them is a devastating blow even in the best of circumstances, like when a pet has lived a long time and has died a natural death devoid of suffering. But to lose one like this, too soon, and so traumatically, is the worst thing that I can personally imagine anyone having to go through. As a pet-lover myself, I wanted to do something for Jamie. I remembered how much it had meant when Mister Migs had allowed me to publish blogs about the lives and losses of my pet rats Sam and Blatz, and offered to write one about Angel for her. Jamie accepted, and told me about the amazing little dog that was Angel.
Angel was adopted into the Noble family at the age of eleven months; her previous home was described by Jamie as a “rough” place where her owners “did not take good care of her”. It took some time, but with the loving care of Jamie and her family, Angel’s fun personality began to emerge. Jamie said that “she was funny and interesting every day” and described her many quirks to me.
“She was a very picky, spoiled diva,” said Jamie, and “very particular about who she liked.” For those lucky enough to be in Angel’s good graces, she would grant the honor of “hugs, head rubs and kisses” and putting her paws on their shoulders. One such VIP in her life was Jamie herself, whom she was very protective of. Jamie’s mother, on the other hand, had a harder time winning Angel over. Since Angel had been brought home while Mrs. Noble was out of town, Angel was under the mistaken that she had been here first and Mrs. Noble was a newcomer in the house, making Angel the boss of her rather than the other way around! “When my mom would wake me up in the mornings Angel, who was under the covers, would growl because she thought she lived there first!” Jamie told me, adding that her mother “did not especially appreciate” this. However, she says it didn’t take Angel long to warm up to Mrs. Noble in the end, or to Mr. Noble, the only man that Angel ever liked. As for those Angel didn’t care for, well, perhaps that was why her teasing nickname in the Noble family was “Angel with Horns”!
I never had the gift of meeting Angel myself, but I can tell that she was a sweet, fun, sassy, very special little dog who will be missed greatly by her family and all those lucky enough to have known her.