While surfing the web, we came across a heartwarming story shared by Ashley Carter Cash of Greenville, South Carolina. The story revolves around a beloved family dog and the invaluable lessons the dog taught, loving her mother unconditionally.
Adopting A Canine
Starting to narrate this beautiful story, Ashley Carter said that she had answered her mother’s phone call nearly twelve years ago when she was drunk. That was the only time she liked to talk on the phone, even though she could not remember the conversation details the next day. Since the particular time was different, thanks to the hysteria in her mother’s voice, that immediately sobered her up.
Her mother had exclaimed that she saved this poor little dog’s life by paying three hundred bucks for this dog. He’s not the purebred like they said in the ad, but I don’t care!”
She explained how the house was without electricity and how a woman with no teeth and no shoes, claiming to be a certified breeder, had presented the pup covered in dirt and with fear in a plastic laundry basket.
She just ignored it because the dog did not belong to her.
She mentioned that instead, her mother had made the transaction on behalf of her grandmother. She recalled telling her mother, “Don’t get too attached!”
Courtesy of Ashley Carter Cash
The little quivering dog proved too much for her aging grandmother to handle. Within days, the dog had joined her brother’s household, who lived closer and agreed to foster the dog until their mother came back.
She recalled that while Milkey was in her brother’s custody, the dog’s name changed twice, but neither was fitting. Mikey finally found his permanent home in a camp in the foothills of eastern Tennessee with the woman who saved him.
Rebuilding A Relationship Is Not Easy! But She Did It!
Regarding rebuilding her relationship with her mother, she noted that her mother was newly sober, just out of custody. Her mother had never found companionship in an animal before Mikey. So, the tiny puppy became her child to look after. Her mother nurtured Mikey with her fragile heart; in turn, Mikey helped mend it.
She mentioned that she lived with her mother on the ranch for six months, a couple of years after Mikey had moved in. She was restless and irritable. She found solace in late-night conversations with an animal she knew. She recalled that she had hidden a lot of anger toward her mother and blamed her addiction during her childhood.
Courtesy of Ashley Carter Cash
She reflected that during those six months, Mikey unknowingly played a pivotal role in strengthening the broken relationship between her mother and herself. That year allowed the three of them to “grow up” together. The anger towards her mother gradually dissolved.
After getting married and having a child, she visited the ranch frequently. Each time, Mikey awaited her eagerly at the door, his tail wagging in anticipation of belly rubs. During those visits, she sat with Mikey and discussed motherhood, stress, anxiety, marriage, and staying sober, finding solace in his attentive listening.
When it was time to leave, she reluctantly bid him goodbye, affirming that he was indeed a good boy.
To her, Mikey was more than just “good.” She saw heaven reflected in his eyes. Describing him as merely ‘good’ wouldn’t do justice to his essence. Mikey, to her, was a gift—a touchstone. Undoubtedly, he was barking, licking like a guardian angel walking the earth on four legs.
Losing the dog
She recalled that before her son was born, she joked that her mother seemed to love Mikey more than her human children. However, naturally, her son became the apple of her eye. Despite this, Mikey remained her mother’s number one.
She remembered how Mikey fell asleep next to her mother every night. His small, stout body warmed her mother’s legs under the bed linens. However, what Mikey did not realize was just how small he was.
When Mikey was six, her mother and stepfather added a German Shepherd. He showed no fear. Unfortunately, this bravery would later lead to a fatal consequence.
Nearly eight weeks ago, she saw Mikey alive for the last time. As she gently stroked his fur, she could not help but notice a change in his big brown eyes. She thought that Mikey’s time on earth was drawing to a close.
Initially, she considered that Mikey might have had cancer or some other illness. She mentally prepared herself for the inevitable conversation she would have to have with her son about losing their pet to a terminal illness. However, she attempted not to dwell on worrying thoughts upon returning home.
She recalled how her mother fed Mikey nutritional foods. Mikey seemed perfectly fine and lived a grand life.
Courtesy of Ashley Carter Cash
She was sure that Mikey fought like hell. Despite the oxygen steadily escaping from the bite hole in his flesh, he managed, with labored breaths, to escape the woods and the predator, miraculously making it back home. Although his lung was punctured, he was dying yet visibly unafraid.
She reflected that Mikey had left his fear behind in that laundry basket years ago when he first met their mother.
She recounted her mother’s tearful account of wrapping Mikey’s injured torso in blankets. The wounds were so severe.
During the hurried drive to the nearest 24-hour veterinarian, she could not help but wonder if Mikey had any clue that this car ride would be his last.
Mikey took his final breath in the loving arms of those who cherished him the most and whom he adored.
Coping with pain
Regrettably, her mother thought she was responsible for letting Mikey outside late at night. Reflecting on the twelve years she spent with Mikey, she acknowledged his invaluable lessons about life. She found herself sitting on her mother’s front porch, Sadie, the German Shepherd, waiting by the gate, yearning for her brother’s return.
Mikey would not be returning this time, and his soul arrived wherever the eternal spirits of canine companions find rest. Everyone at home tried to cope with the grief in different ways.
They chose to bury Mikey’s remains next to her mother’s cherished rock garden—Mikey’s favorite spot. She found comfort in her mother’s decision to memorialize Mikey in that special place.
Courtesy of Ashley Carter Cash