Midnight, Our Big Hearted Dog

Midnight. An excellent, patient dog and the best brother a Jasmine could ask for. While we were never lucky enough to have children, we were blessed to have you in our lives.

The Upside of Multiple Sclerosis

Midnight came into our life, somewhat miraculously. Sadly, we had just lost our first dog in an accident. At the same time, our neighbor’s dog ran away. His granddaughter felt determined that grandfather needed another companion animal. Mr. St. Cin has multiple sclerosis, and had limited mobility. Therefore, his grandfather acquired Midnight. Unfortunately, Midnight always yearned to be where the action took place. Immediately next to your feet. Not a good thing for an elderly man with MS. Therefore, Midnight came to live with us. He restored my confidence in being a “dog mom,” and slowly eased the ache and guilt I felt over losing our previous dog.

While small in stature, Midnight was ferocious. I often called him my “15 pounds of fury.” He was a bit of a stinker too. He learned to put the windows down in the back seat of the car. Midnight figured out how to flip his stuffed cardinal just right to hit us in the head. He “relieved” himself in the most inopportune places. (Remember Triumph the Insult Comic Dog? This is a nice place…)

Never Met A Lap He Didn’t Like

Midnight loved to travel. Often, he stayed with my parents, or my in-laws when we traveled. He immediately sensed when the car neared Grandma Betty’s house. He knew she was a push over. Grandpa Loren always took him for walks, which he enjoyed. He could nap anywhere, with anyone. His little paw on yours, and he owned you.

However, his preferred place of rest was between your legs. If you bent your knee just right, he would curl up in the crook of it. He’d hurrumph like an old man until he made himself as comfortable as possible. Then he’d stay soundly asleep until you moved. I will miss morning cuddle times with him the most. He also liked to sleep in my photography room. He’d lay on the floor, in a patch of sunlight, and nod off until I was done shooting. After all, you never know when mom might drop some food.

Calmer of Fears

While Midnight loved company, he really enjoyed children. I remember the circumstances of the above photo. Our neighbor’s girl felt nervous around dogs. One day, we encouraged her to take Midnight for a short walk around the church parking lot. He helped her conquer her fears. As time followed, E helped her younger brother and sister feel less nervous around dogs as well.

Best Big Brother

I never thought I would own two dogs at the same time. Especially when Midnight was younger, he wasn’t the biggest fan of other dogs. However, one day my husband rescued a stray from the neighborhood. I thought for sure Midnight would practically harass her non-stop. However, Jasmine was malnourished and sick. He sensed it, and just let her be. They cuddled on the couch the next day, and they became inseparable ever since.

With Midnight being smaller, we intentionally treated him as the “Alpha” dog when Jasmine first entered our lives. He ate first. He entered the house first after a walk. While later we relaxed all of those rules, she still waited on him. She never stole food out of his bowl. She protected him as much as she does us.

Watching her miss him as been one of the hardest things about this.

Remember the Best Parts

I took this picture years ago, when Midnight was younger. I still chuckle as I remember him trying to attack the waves. He’d run down the shore, trying to bite at the ripples of water. Just like he’d attach the vacuum cleaner. So much of his energy later in life was spent on fighting against his illnesses. While I sometimes have guilt, wondering if we made the decision too soon, I do find peace in knowing he doesn’t have to fight against his own body anymore.

When I remember Midnight, this is the image I want to remember. To think of him in his best times. Maybe our world would be a little better if we thought of the best in each other when we don’t act like ourselves.

Come Close To My Heart

When I first wrote this post back in 2015, I used it to share more about my faith. The Sunday after learning about Midnight’s enlarged heart, tears streamed down my face as I sung in the choir. All I could think about was being at home, holding my sweet little buddy and telling him how much he is loved. I thought of Christ wanting to do the same for us. How God promises to be close to the broken-hearted. How when Jesus entered Jerusalem, he mentions the desire to gather us to him, as a hen gathers her chicks to her chest

I mentioned the following recently in one of my weekly newsletters, after sharing about Midnight’s condition.

“Last Sunday, our pastor asked in his sermon “Are you preaching about the Kingdom?” That we are to meet needs like Christ did, but we need to share WHY we do what we do. That the unending love of Christ is free for all of us.
In so many ways, I feel like being a Celiac Disease advocate is God’s call on my life. That while God does not want us to “suffer,” He allows us to use the struggles in our lives to be a source of aid for others.
While I want to be your gluten free resource, I also want you to know (as my friend Niki would say) that “there is God who knows you best and loves you most.” Just the way you are.

And maybe you’re not into all this faith stuff. Possibly you’ve been burned by the church. (If so, on behalf of believers, I apologize.) Either way, just know that you are loved, worthy of love, and have more value than anyone can measure. <3

**Looking for a dog to care for? Please visit the Humane Society. If you live in the greater New York area, please consider fostering dogs through Mr. Bones and Co.**