Mikey: The Best Dog

Puppyhood…Never a dull moment.

Some puppies come to you scared. Some come soulful and searching. Some are jokesters and some are so hyper you can’t even hold them. Mikey and I met when he was 4 weeks old, so my first impression was a little blip that was barely toddling around. I wouldn’t label him as bossy at that age, but I will say he was a persistent little squirt. I knew I wanted a brindle male boxer when I went to visit this litter, but I also knew that personality and energy could persuade me to get a female or a fawn possibly. I was really attached to the brindle idea because my dog who passed the month before, Bruno, was a fawn, and I already knew that a pup with a different look would help me to not subconsciously confuse myself. I also knew that I needed another dog, but not to replace Bruno, because that wasn’t possible. I needed a dog because I wanted that love and kindness in my life, and because I was obviously lonely for it. I was even beating myself up for looking again so early, as if that meant I didn’t mourn Bruno well enough if I got another dog quickly. I’ve realized that it’s never like that. I didn’t get a dog to replace my best bud; I got a dog because I love having dogs and in getting another dog I also honored Bruno.

I got the same breed and was careful about what litter I purchased from. I will say that the one wounded place that affected me the most was that I wanted a puppy instead of a rescue situation. I was reeling from the fact that Bruno only lived 10 years and my wounded heart didn’t think I could handle not having a full lifetime with my next boxer, especially if their lives were shorter than the average dog. I knew it was selfish, and at the time it’s all I could manage in order to make sure that I protected my heart in some way. I now know that this is flawed logic. Because you truly never know how long you have, and an educated guess doesn’t count for much. I also know I could’ve adopted a puppy through a rescue, but at the time the ones I was tracking didn’t have puppies, so I found a local litter to visit. Back to meeting puppy Mikey now…

That day I sat down on the floor with a kiddy pool full of puppies nearby and started watching them and holding them. This one silly little brindle kept ending up in my lap. And I liked him immediately, but I also thought he was being pushy and knew I didn’t want a puppy that didn’t have the energy I wanted. I would hold him and then put him down to let him play with the others and he fit in well with his litter. He played and wasn’t dominant…. he was more neutral. Also he wasn’t scared at all. Some of the others seemed a tad disinterested in the people, but not this one. When I held another puppy, he’d be crawling in my lap waiting to be next. He didn’t cry or act obnoxious (that would come later!) but he waited and made it clear he wanted to be the one that was held. I decided that this would be my pup, the “Mikey.”

I already knew if it was a male I would name him after the Godfather, Michael Corleone. Bruno was also a play on the novel, named for Bruno Tattaglia, so I thought it would be fun to keep that line of naming going. But then they said, “Oh, you picked, Runt!” And I immediately was backtracking in my mindset. Runts always seemed to have health problems or to be brats because they were coddled, or worse—victims because they let the other puppies push them all over. But he seemed healthy enough. And the owner said that Runt was his wife’s favorite…. And he wasn’t a crier like the only other male brindle I was truly contemplating, so I took him. I paid my deposit and thought I wouldn’t get him for at least another month. But I had that to look forward to, so I was happy for the moment.

Fast forward a couple of weeks and the family asked if I could take him at 6 weeks because the wife was pregnant and had gone into labor early. The family wanted to lighten their load at the house with a new baby and a sunroom full of puppies. I inwardly wished my pup would get more time with his mom, but I also was happy to take my Mikey home. When I got to the house to pick him up, I pointed at the litter and said I think that smallest one is mine. They laughed and said, ‘Runt is the biggest one now!’ And he had the pointiest conehead I’d ever seen in my life. But he was adorable, and he was all mine.

Mikey’s puppyhood was fun and cathartic for me. I still mourned the dog that I lost because honestly, grief is love in another form, but I also found so much depth in training a new puppy. I also was reminded that relationships don’t start deep. They start with basics—food, attention, and play. And then that grows into affection, dedication, and love. Mikey was a hoot because he had no fear as a puppy, but he also didn’t need a lot of affection because he found his own fun and kept himself entertained. He enjoyed the attention, but it wasn’t like he was needy to please the humans.

When he went to a two-week intensive dog training at a year old, he received a “complimentary” third week because they said he just hadn’t made the progress they had hoped in two weeks. When I asked why that was, the trainer chuckled and said, “Well, he’s a boxer and he has some defiant behavior.” I got it. It was Mikey’s, ‘But why should, I?’ The reason being that it made people happy, wasn’t his top concern. Mikey learned obedience at one year old, but it wasn’t because he wanted to, it’s because he just was like ‘Fine, I’ll do your thing because this is boring, and I want to be done.’ Mikey did eventually learn that doing the thing with humans was fun. But I honestly think it’s because he and I just got closer. I can’t really explain what the difference is, but something just sort of eased in his opposition reflex. If I ponder it deeper, I think that it had to do with the request to come. He just didn’t see the point as to how that benefited him for the longest. Then when we continued to work on it, it’s like one day he was just like ‘Wow, this girl gets so weirdly happy when I come; I guess I could do that more for her.’ I can say that little bit of whatever gelled with his training during his intensive just seemed to open some lines of communication for us. I also think he just wanted to be with me more as he got older. He knew the fun adventures came with his humans!

Becoming A Grown-Up

Mikey was slow to mature, and he ALWAYS made me laugh as a pup. He had a knack for being in the fray but not necessarily the cause of it, and his expressions were just hysterical. I worked at home through his puppyhood, and he was always reminding me that I needed to stop working and take a break. When he was small that was by climbing into the office chair with me and sitting behind the small of my back. As he got bigger this was comical because he was sure this would still work, I just needed to give him some more room. Pretty soon he was sitting in my office chair alone, but that meant he wanted a break, not that he wanted to sit there and do work…!! So, we did a lot of playing, training, walking, and laughing. He still feels the most at home with me when I’m working and he’s close by, whether at home or at the shop that we now own. He’s always keen to be there with me even if it means he just lies on the floor in his dog bed near me.

Mike is an interesting kid because in his puppyhood I’m not sure I would’ve ever believed he could be soulful, but he definitely grew to be this. He’s quieter as he’s gotten older but that’s just because inside the house or shop he rests typically, and outside he explores.

He was my running buddy along with Jackie our Malinois/Dutch Shepherd, and people would always comment that they couldn’t believe he had so many road miles, but honestly, he was super fit and he loved it. I also ran at good times of day for a boxer–always avoiding the heat. But he helped me half-marathon train as well as trail run for another training plan. Honestly, there’s something really cathartic about the steady thump of your feet and your dog’s pads running down a road. Neither of us were natural runners, but we just kept at it. He ran a 10k with me in December one year and was super cute in our Grinch outfit theme. Those pictures make me laugh because he’s so serious, and I think it’s because we’re done and he wants to go nap ASAP. 

My Buddy

As much as he loves being the running buddy, the shop dog, and the at-home worker buddy, I’m not sure there’s anything Mike likes more than being outside when I ride horses. There’s something so peaceful about being on a horse working on whatever I’m focused on that day with dressage and seeing him lying in the shade of the big gum tree in the pasture, always facing the arena and watching my progress. Or in the winter he’s walked around to the other side of the arena and has found the farthest patch of sunlight with the most windbreak and he suns himself and just looks so serene as he watches. He just looks truly the most peaceful when he’s watching me ride. Maybe it’s the process of it. Maybe it’s that he’s a guarder and he’s being a guardian in that space. But he just looks…right… in that role. Now that’s not to say that he doesn’t in true Mikey fashion create his own variety of chaos frequently as well. There is something about the way he moves or his coat color or both that seems to get horses all worked up when he is down the hill and then pops his head up in their periphery. He typically lays down for ¾ of my ride and then starts wandering around the outside of the arena. Especially with my mare, Dahlia, this usually results in either a very pointed stare and snort or a full-blown dart or whirl and spin. Whenever the more dramatic antics happen Mikey always has this concerned look on his face like, “Oh good grief! Are you OK?!” And he looks genuinely shocked every time as if to say, “It’s just me….”

I’ve gotten snarky with him before and told him to just lie down but honestly, that’s not fair. He’s allowed to walk around. It’s just up to me to ride the horse. If I want to horse show there’s no point in making every single moment at the house quiet and distraction-free. Because a horse show is anything but distraction-free. And by the way, he’s also the BEST horse show dog ever. He doesn’t care about the other horses or dogs. He just hangs out with his crew. He really doesn’t even need a leash but he wears it to keep in compliance. At the last show I didn’t even realize I had him with me hand-grazing Phineas. I thought he had stayed at the trailer with Scott but in the corner of my periphery I saw Mikey laying down near us while the pony hand-grazed. Such a loyal follower!

Wearing So Many Hats

Beyond being a loyal shop dog and treat-taster at our grooming shop, Mikey is the face of Splash and Dash in Southern Pines. He’s incredibly photogenic and seems to enjoy having his picture taken—I know it’s because there’s treats after, haha. We have a system. I know there is payment required for services rendered. He also makes it very clear which treats are acceptable payment, so our system seems to work pretty well. He also has a little photo blog on social media that we started during the Pandemic and we’ve continued to work on over the years. This dog has given so much fun and laughter to my life. Honestly, he’s the loveliest breath of fresh air every single day.

When our son was born, one might wonder if Mikey would be jealous because prior to he had to feel like the only apple of my eye. When we brought our son home, there was no adjustment time necessary for Mike. It’s like he truly believed we all had a baby now. He didn’t fret over him or follow us around to diaper changings etc. He just was with us all the time. If I called him over and invited him to be closer to August, he would, but otherwise he kept a respectable distance. As August got bigger, Mikey happily went with the stroller on walks. And as our baby found his walking skills, Mikey was always right there close by. The funniest thing these two would do when August was just learning to walk was to play with Mikey’s jolly ball. Mikey has a horse-sized jolly ball that he LOVES running around with and wants you to either throw or kick. When 1 year old August would take it from Mikey, it was immediately given to the baby. No playful tugs, no hesitation, just a complete give. When I think about how generous that is from Mikey’s point-of-view, it touches my heart. He freely gives his favorite toy in the world to his little boy. If that’s not love of the truest form, I don’t know what is. Anyway, we affectionately call him the Nanny Boxer. He’s attentive, but he also is like a parent and he wants the baby to spread his wings and have some independence. It’s beautiful to watch in action every single day.

As I look at Mikey at already 7 years old and moving towards 8 in July, I’m honestly baffled at how fast a life moves. It wasn’t very long ago he was a little brindle squirt, and now he’s got this wisdom and patience and love that I aspire to also have. I suppose dogs are just better than us at living wholeheartedly and at being authentically themselves. They aren’t wondering how they come off or what perception versus reality is. They just live fully every single day. Even in simplicity, routine and in practicality—somehow they still manage to not be stale and rote, but instead to suck the absolute marrow out of life. Mikey has gone from being my little charge to becoming my teacher. In truth he’s been the teacher the whole time, I just didn’t realize what I was learning at first. I’m happy that I can see the gift of his presence, and I’m so thankful to have my best bud with me every single day. There’s a quote that says “Everyone thinks they have the best dog and none of them are wrong.” I can’t think of a truer statement. All of us who are blessed to have dogs in our lives know this to be real. For the record, I have the best dog–I’m sure of it!! He’s love in its finest form, and I’m so blessed to have him in our family. Looking forward to many more happy adventures with our boy.

Thanks to my sister-in-law Anna for the fantastic pictures through the years of Mikey. All photo credit goes to her and Anna Fonke Photography.