REMEMBERING MINDY...

On Tuesday June 23rd, we made the difficult decision to let our sweet angel Mindy pass over the rainbow bridge. Our brave, beloved little girl fought a short, courageous battle with throat cancer and now it is time for her to rest and be without pain. We spent five wonderful years together and she gave us nothing but continuous unconditional love and devotion.

Before we adopted her, Mindy had spent five and a half years on the hard streets of Phuket, Thailand, even losing one of her back legs, but that did not change her beautiful, sunny and loving disposition. Mindy was the sweetest, most gentle pup you could ever meet. She loved everyone and everyone loved her!!! There was not a single person who did not fall in love with her, even after just meeting her on the street for the first time. She touched the hearts of everyone.

I will never forget her “Mindyness.” She was like a puppy, always curious about everything around her. She would also follow you everywhere, and she would prance up and down with her two front legs as part of her happy dance when we came back home or her food was ready. Here are some more memories:

• fixing her blanket “just right” before bedtime with her teeth & paws
• biting her tail clean every night before settling for bed
• the special tilt her head would do when she ran up to you, so happy to see you
• her never-ending tail wag
• giving you her special doe eyes and her paw when she wanted to get petted
• jumping on the coach when she saw you there and plopping her body on you so you could cuddle (she was a real lap dog)
• nuzzling our older cat when she was sleeping
• such a sun baby…one of Mindy’s favorite things was to lie outside on the deck with the sun right on her

Mindy had such a deep and throaty voice for such a small and delicate pup, even more than her brother, our husky cross, who is 25 pounds heavier. When she got really excited, she would bark while lifting her head up and stomping her cute little feet. Mindy was such a good guard pup, too, always barking to alert us of some strange noise or visitor at the door, or doing her cute little huff and low growl when there were possible “threats”. She would also react almost on cue to join her brother to chase away the cat when there was food to be had.

I will miss how she would run into my arms to hide her little face on my shoulder, or how she was always such a playful puppy - she would take her favorite stuffed animal (a small red and green bear) or antler and chew on it contentedly. I will also miss her mad dash down the backyard steps to try to catch those pesky squirrels, or her Olympic-level running both up and down the stairs of our house to find our younger cat. We always worried that she would trip and fall, but she never did.

Every night, once she saw me after coming down the stairs to keep me company in the rec room, Mindy would sprint over to me with a happy skip!!!

As a tripod, Mindy was also a great ambassador, not just for Soi Dog, but also for all disabled, street or shelter dogs. During walks, people would often stop us to ask about her story. When they saw how gentle, loving and friendly she was, they would see that shelter dogs really can be good companions. She was an inspiration!

Thank you, Soi Dog, for allowing us to meet Mindy! She was truly a gift and a blessing. My gentle, beautiful girl will always be in our hearts and never be forgotten.

Karina Huising
Toronto, Canada