Ode to Mimi

Our sweet little dog, Mimi had an unfortunate accident with a taxi this week. Sadly, Mimi passed away. Mimi really was the best dog in the world. So, we will share some of our favorite Mimi pictures and memories with you.

Shelby, 4 1/2 years old (doing BIG eyes) with Mimi the puppy.
Mimi was born in New York on January 6, 2005- on Claire's 2nd birthday. We picked Mimi out of lots of different puppies at the Shady Pines Kennel in Brewster, New York.

Mimi LOVED to have her tummy rubbed. For some reason, Mimi's puppy hair was all different colors but as she grew up (and was groomed) her hair turned almost completely white.

Claire (2 years old) and Mimi
Claire and Mimi have always had a funny relationship. Because Claire was so little when Mimi was a puppy- Mimi felt that Claire was her equal in every way. Claire loved to try and walk Mimi when she was a puppy. However, Mimi would bite on her own leash and try to "walk" Claire. It would turn into a tug of war with Claire and Mimi- it was a toss up who would win. Claire is also one of the few people who would let Mimi kiss her on the mouth. (Ooh! Yuck.)

Mimi in her hula dress.
Mimi wouldn't get to go with us on our trips. So, Mimi got to stay with lots of different families who also loved Mimi a LOT! The Bucko, Flory, Mongelli, Buckner, Parkins, Murray, Economos, Guild, and Silva families all took excellent care of Mimi. Grandma Carrell bought this little hawaiian dress for Mimi before one of our trips. She thought a new dress might make Mimi feel better. It worked. Mimi loved to dress up. (She was a very girly dog.)

Emery and Mimi- both Snow White for Halloween.
As I mentioned- Mimi loved to dress up. If you put a sweater or a little dress on Mimi and told her how pretty she was, she would stand up a little taller and walk proud. Then she would go to each member of the family until everyone complimented her on her appearance. (I think that Grandma Carrell bought Mimi this costume as well.)

Mimi and Jake.
This is one of my all time favorite pictures. Mimi loved it when Jake would play with her. On the day that we brought Mimi home, Jake and Mimi fell asleep together on this huge pillow we had. Mimi loved all of the kids and tolerated them really well. Her favorite games were sardines (the reverse of hide and seek), tag (she enjoyed being "it") and throw the sock/toy.

Our family Christmas picture 2006.
Mimi was a big part of our family. She thought that she was just one of the kids. Every day when Danny got home from work- the kids would usually run to him and yell, "Dad's home!" Mimi would be in the throng. She would try to get to Dad's legs first and would scratch his legs, trying to get some love. If any of the other kids would get in her way, she would growl at them and nip at them- as if saying, "Hey, this is my dad and it's MY TURN!"

Shelby, Jake, Claire, Kailey and Mimi right after Mimi got a haircut.
Mimi thought that she was a big dog. One day we took Mimi with us to the beach. She saw a huge dog and chased after it. The big dog was scared of Mimi and ran away. Mimi came running back looking like she was the queen of the castle. It was a proud moment for her. Danny would always tell her how brave she was and she believed him.

Mimi and Claire looking out the window.
Shelby had just left for kindergarten and Mimi was sad, watching her leave. Claire knelt down and put her little arm around Mimi. Then she said, "It's okay Mimi, I'm here!" Then she kissed Mimi on her little head. It was so sweet. We miss our Mimi. BUT- we are sure that she is chasing around big dogs in heaven and having a wonderful time. Maybe she's even wearing a fun little dress! We hope that if she ever looks down at us, that she isn't sad. No dog will ever replace her place in our hearts, but she had a great life and was loved by all who knew her. Thanks for all the fun memories Mimi!