Our little Minnie gained her Angel wings over Thanksgiving weekend; we have not had the strength until today to share our sadness. Sometimes you just can’t find the words…
Minnie climbed into the arms of her favorite person, her Sidekick, laid down, and went to sleep forever; it just must have been time.
It’s hard to describe the multitude of emotions we are feeling here at the Sanctuary. How do you say goodbye to the soul that brought so much love and light into your lives with just her mere presence. For the people and dogs here at the Sanctuary, at a mere 2.5 pounds, she was special, larger than life- in charge, the boss, and honestly things will never be the same.
Minnie arrived at Paws Give Me Purpose Sanctuary back in October of 2020 with 2 other dogs. She was found wandering the streets of Baltimore; it looked like she had been neglected for a long time, a walking skeleton with barely any hair, not having much hope left and cowering in fear when touched. Our promise to Minnie was to provide her with a safe and loving environment for the rest of her life, we committed and kept this promise.
Minnie quickly became the Sidekick to our CFO, she was always by his side, in his arms or on his lap whenever he was around – the human love of her life. The rest of us would watch in awe at her just waiting for him to come through the doors because that meant snuggles and snacks. Her excitement made us all smile and laugh because the rest of us felt so offended when she’d ignore us to be with him. If he was in the other room, she would try to climb furniture to get to him. When she saw him, she would bark at him until he picked her up. They had a very special relationship.
She was the boss of our senior center here at the Sanctuary, leader of the “mean girls” Chihuahua group and ruler of the sofa – her throne. She decided who was permitted to join their clique and who could sit on her couch. She ruled with her tiny stature, sheep-like bark (which earned her the nickname Sheepy), and fierce nature. All the other female Chihuahuas were at her beck and call. They wouldn’t touch a morsel of food until she ate first, and if she decided she didn’t want a non Chi around her, she would initiate the group of nasty girls like you wouldn’t believe – barking and snapping away until the non Chi dog would walk away. Not one single dog here in Sanctuary, even those larger in size, would go against her – it was a dynamic to observe like no other.
Minnie also had a doggie boyfriend, Inky. When Inky arrived at our Sanctuary, she claimed him as her own and welcomed him in as a member of the Chihuahua clique – he is the only male she ever allowed to join the group, and when her human Sidekick wasn’t around, she was always snuggled up to Inky.
One of her favorite times of the day, late morning, it was snack time on the couch with Sanctuary mom. The clique would all gather on her couch and enjoy extra special treats. If Sanctuary mom was running late she knew it, and would complain until snack time began – she was a punctual girl.
Her favorite snacks were blueberry muffins, sweet potato fries, and honey goat cheese – and boy could she eat! We just couldn’t figure out where she was putting it all since she always stayed so tiny.
This tiny senior had such a profound effect on everyone here at the Sanctuary and her loss has left a gaping hole for so many like no other. Since her passing the couch remains empty, none of her friends will sit there – almost as if she is still there and they are waiting for her permission. Her little group is missing her like crazy, the entire Sanctuary dynamic has changed and little Inky has been keeping to himself mourning this loss off on his own.
Every time we lose a Sanctuary resident, they take a piece of our hearts with them, and every new dog that comes through our doors gifts us a piece of theirs. All of the components of our hearts here at PGMP are dog and these precious souls, no matter how long they are with us, have taught us to be as generous and as loving as they are.
Every dog that comes here to our Sanctuary brings something special with them, they too have a purpose just as we do, and our little Sheepy certainly lived her life to the fullest with purpose.
You will always live on in our hearts Minnie – you were taken way too soon. We were blessed to have known and been able to love you with our whole hearts!
Thank you to each and everyone of you for caring, for being a support to us during this time and for being a part of the best days of Minnie’s life!
Paws Give Me Purpose – Hearts Like Dogs
