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Monique
Davidogue Monique crossed over the
Rainbow Bridge
We miss her. |
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Monique
Davidogue Monique crossed over the
Rainbow Bridge
We miss her. |
Monique was an animal control pup who came to the Ajo Copper News to have her picture taken for an adoption story back in 1987. She went back to the pound, but only for a few hours before my brother Hop went over and adopted her. She soon moved into the "mother-in-law" cottage in my brother's back yard to live with my mother, an Alzheimer's sufferer. They bonded and Monique was a wonderful, patient companion for my mother for the last years of my mother's life.
I moved into the cottage to care for my mother during her last months and I've never moved out, so Monique became my dog. I'm not a "dog person" but Monique became one of my best friends. She went to work at the Copper News with me and was introduced by all the employees as "The Boss". Her office was the knee hole of my desk, though she frequently made the rounds to check on everyone (and their snacks).
She's shown at the right here at a Halloween parade a few years ago. The friendly pumpkin is Dominique, daughter of our newspaper office manager, Michelle Pacheco. Dominique was one of Monique's favorite people, though she was normally wary of children. Close observers may note Monique is sporting her summer "punk" haircut.
Though her full ancestry is unknown, her grey on grey coat and the blue spot on one eye led us to believe she's mostly Australian shepherd. She definitely showed traits expected of a working dog, though she opted for an office job instead of field work.
Monique's ambition was always to be a Good Dog. She worked hard at being trustworthy, loyal, and true, taking care of her family and being obedient. Except for some youthful slips involving digging and wandering, she was successful.
Monique had her own set of rules. Even though she'd never been forbidden to get on the couch, she felt it was not the place for dogs with people present and only climbed up there to sleep after I went to bed. One Christmas I tried to get her to pose at the table with the cats, enjoying a Christmas feast of Fancy Feast and dog bones. She adamantly refused, knowing full well that Good Dogs did not sit on chairs at the table. (The cats had no such compunctions.)
She owed her allegiance to me, but accepted the cats as her charges and worried about them. She never bullied them away from their cat food bowls but waited patiently until they were done and then cleaned up their leftovers. A cat spat brought quick intervention from Monique, and she took any scolding I gave the cats personally, crawling under the desk with her tail between her legs until I reassured her that it was not her fault and she was truly a Good Dog.
As she grew older, she lost her youthful vim and vigor but never her cheerful spirit and good nature and, when praised, would respond with her enthusiastic tail wag, termed "propeller tail" by the family. She remained my faithful grey shadow all her days.
On October 4, 2000, at 1331 hours Arizona time, suffering from acute kidney failure, Monique Davidogue received a shot to help her cross the Rainbow Bridge. She died quietly and peacefully in my arms at home; she was 13 years old. She was a good friend and a Very Good Dog.
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