I was the lucky person who, back in April 2012, got to adopt Miko, a Bernese Mountain Dog, from your organization. Miko was almost four years old at the time. Sadly, I have to tell you that I had to say goodbye to Miko last March. He had been diagnosed with leukemia in 2018, after undergoing a spleen removal in September 2017 due to a mass (that could have ruptured at anytime). Miko recovered very well from the surgery and went on to have a good quality of life for almost two years, until the end of the winter, when his condition worsened. He was a fighter, my Miko, but I had to make that heart-breaking decision… about three weeks before we would have celebrated our eight years together. He would have been 12 on June 1st, tomorrow…
I wish that I could have kept him for a little longer, but it would have been selfish of me. Considering the rather short life expectancy of the Berner (six to eight years), I am so grateful that Miko had a long and happy life with me! And he received the best care. Maybe that is why he lived such a long life for a Berner! He was well loved in the neighbourhood and will be fondly remembered by all who knew him. I miss him so… he was such a big part of my life. Being retired for the past seven years, I had him as a constant companion by my side. I don’t know if I will ever be able to replace him…
I have enclosed a couple of pictures of Miko. The first one is the photo that you sent me before the adoption and the other was taken in 2017. What a smile my dog had!!
My hearfelt thanks for bringing Miko into my life!
~Michèle S.
