Mikey

Sunday, December 15, 2024

I have an important post for you that I would like you to read very carefully so as not to inadvertently cause any confusion. Since I report the activities of all four of our Mayor dogs here under Mayor Max, I am now letting you know this:

Mayor Max the Third, Vice Mayor Meadow, and Deputy Co-Mayor Mitzi are all fine and well. However, our beloved Deputy Co-Mayor Mikey is now in Heaven.

Mikey was 11-1/2 years old and doing well. However, a few weeks ago, he did become a finicky eater and didn’t want to eat his regular food. For a few days, all he wanted to eat was bread.

I took Mikey to the vet, and they put him on antibiotics, and he was switched to a digestive care prescription diet. He loved that food and gobbled it right up. He did not have a fever or any other signs of illness, but his white blood cell count was elevated so they treated him for infection. Since he returned to eating normally and seemed fine, I thought the crisis was over.

However, as what happened with Mayor Max the Second, Mikey could not get up when we went to feed him his dinner. My husband picked him up and rushed him to the 24 hour emergency veterinary hospital in Temecula. Mikey passed away upon getting to the clinic an hour away.

The vet examination conducted after Mikey‘s passing showed that Mikey passed away from the same illness and cancer of the spleen and liver that caused the death of Mayor Max the Second in July 2022.

Mikey was vibrant, active, alive, playing, retrieving balls, etc., right up to the last day of his life. In fact, many of you saw posts I have made recently about the vibrant health of my two senior dogs, Mitzi and Mikey, and how well they are doing. I even thought they would both live for many more years because they were doing so well.

As you can imagine with the loss of a pet, we are devastated and heartbroken at this time. But it gives us great joy bringing the Mayors out in public, so we will be continuing that at our regular schedule resuming on Thursday this week.

As many of you know from my posts, I believe in past lives and future lives. I believe our pets come back to us. I believe that Max, Mitzi, and Mikey have all been my pets before their current form. I believe that Meadow is a new dog for us.

I knew Mikey was going to go to Heaven when I saw him in that condition so my last words to Mikey were my telling him that I love him, to come to the house and inhabit Mitzi so they could continue to be together in the form of a combined Mitzi with Mikey, and that would make Mitzi happy to feel his presence, and it would make us happy to feel his presence as well. I told him, when the time is right, we will get another dog to bring him back into our family.

I thanked him for being a part of our family and that we have been through this before, and we will always want him with us.

Since Mikey‘s passing, I have perceived his presence at the house, and I believe I have seen Mitzi perceive his presence as well.

Max, Meadow, and Mitzi all seem to be dealing very well with Mikey’s passing compared to my husband and myself. But I do find it comforting to feel Mikey’s presence at the house, and it makes me smile when I perceive it.

It is often hard for me to know in the spiritual universe what is real. I am so used to the physical presence where I can see my dog with my eyes.

From all the things I feel, I believe Mikey is alive and well in the spiritual form hanging out with us at the house, and several times, things have happened to let me know that.

Sometimes, Mitzi is now doing the things that Mikey would do. When I see that happen, it actually makes me smile quite a bit because it is somehow so funny to see it happening. I feel like Mikey is telling me that he is here, and it is OK.

When I see someone else’s dog, the dog seems to know I am grieving and comes over and looks at me. But the dog looks at me in a different way where I’m thinking, Is that Mikey? And then I think it is, in an odd way, and I get to hug my Mikey in the form of that other dog. I kind of feel like Mikey is following me around, and when there’s a dog, he somehow jumps into that dog and then that dog is looking at me as if it’s Mikey, and Mikey is saying hello. I know it’s odd but it’s happening. I find this extremely comforting. It could just be that the dogs immediately perceive grief and know what to do. Either way, It’s helpful.

In fact, I was on my walk today, and a neighbor walked by with his dog. It’s a vicious dog, and it always lunges at me to bite me. But the neighbor holds the dog tight on the leash, and I have never been bitten, and I know not to get close. Today, for the first time, that dog did not lunge at me or try to bite me or even bark. I heard the owner saying, “good girl, good girl,” to his dog.

Thank you for your understanding when you witness that I am a bucket of tears at this time. It’s probably best not to bring it up. I prefer not to cry in public. I have often wished I were more like a man that way.

But I won’t bring it up out in the public unless I am asked. And if I am asked, you will see my sadness.

It has been my experience that the grief does lessen over time. On any day, I can still cry over the loss of loved ones, but I am able to eventually move on from this intense grief and then miss them, but not in a way that it destroys my life forever. It is very difficult for us right now.

I apologize for causing any upset at this time. I believe in only creating positive uplifting communications to elevate the spirit. I considered holding off on this announcement until after the holidays, but I decided to make the announcement any way because my heart is not letting me hold back.

Mikey was a wonderful dog. He was so upbeat and enthusiastic and cute and playful. He loved belly rubs and was known in Idyllwild as the belly rub boy. I could ask him if he wanted a belly rub, and he would immediately roll over and get his belly rub. I love that he would do this on command of my asking the question. That always pleased people so much to see that he perfectly understood the English language. I would also quip that my dogs are the only politicians in the world that will close their mouths on command. I would then hold up a treat and ask Mikey to close his mouth, and he would do it flawlessly.

Because Mikey liked belly rubs so much, he was often lying down when out in the public. I used to always say he was undercover as a lazy dog, but believe me he’s watching. Sure enough, if a dog went by, Mikey would pop right up and start barking. He was very alert and always watching everything.

He along with his sister Mitzi are known as the head of security and the bodyguards for the Mayor. I came up with that idea when they started acting like guard dogs if a dog walked by. I thought it was funny, and it just sort of stuck. I also like the idea that the Mayor and Vice Mayor have a security detail. I think I will keep up that tradition.

Mitzi is now the head of the security team and will carry on this job solo. Mitzi, being the alpha dog of all four of the Mayors, is up to the task with no problem.

I have included some of my favorite photos of Mikey here. My all-time most favorite photo of Mikey is what I call the Rambo in the Reeds photo. We lived on a property for 4 1/2 years that had a pond. Mikey liked to hide in the reeds and spring out unexpectedly. I saw him hiding in the reeds one day and took this photo. I always loved this photo so much I wanted to make it the cover of one of the calendars, but I didn’t do it because I thought it could be scary for some children to look at this picture. So I just posted it periodically.

In the 2026 calendar, I will do a tribute to Mikey and certainly include this photo as part of it. Those are my thoughts at this time.

Because I believe that positive energy leads towards life, and negative energy goes in the opposite direction, I’m sorry if this post causes you sadness. On the bright side and the positive side of it, Mikey graced our lives with his presence for 11 1/2 wonderful years. He was as perfect a dog as any dog could ever be. He brought nothing but joy to our lives, and I believe Mikey will bring joy again. I also believe he’s keeping Mitzi’s morale very high at this time by hanging around in the spiritual space wherever she is, whether in the house or on the deck. He is there with her and this just gives us great comfort.

The 2025 calendar was already on press for printing when Mikey went to Heaven. I should have calendars Christmas week. Through all of 2025, you will get to see my lovely Mikey throughout many months of the calendar.

We hope you find the calendar to be an extraordinarily lovely and happy experience for you all year long as it is for us. Every single picture of my pets, past or present, brings a smile to my heart and elevates my spirit on every day and every night.

That is my intention for you as well, to elevate your spirits and increase your happiness and well-being on every day of your life.

Love always,

Your Dear and Devoted Friend Forever,

Phyllis Mueller

Chief of Staff for the Mayors of Idyllwild

Mayor Max Home Page