Thirteen years ago, Hadley turned on her cute little blonde girl charm convinced my dad that we NEEDED a dog in the house–specifically, a West Highland White Terrier. It was not long after that Muffy Mae McTavish joined our family. She was a tiny little thing, but our blue heeler, Maggie, and Schnauzer-Cocker Spaniel, Macintosh, quickly grew to love her–and she won all our hearts. Hadley was in second grade and I was in seventh. Life is pretty simple up to those ages, so you could easily say Muff’s always been there for us.
Muffy’s first week in our family, with Mr. Bunny
Muff’s first Christmas, Hadley received a couple of B*Witched albums. I still remember, like it was yesterday, us tying Muff’s big ears back and dancing around my room singing “Red Indian Girl.”
Muff would steal our Chapstick, take it under the bed, unscrew it and eat it. She’d hide away under the bed until we found her and scooted her out with yardsticks from both sides.
May 28, 2011
For Halloween, our grandmother B sewed Muffy a hot pink satin jacket–complete with white zipper–and monogrammed her name on it in white sequins.
One Christmas, Muff ate all the fake red berries off a garland, evacuating pink for days and earning the nickname Millberry from Uncle Mike.
Throughout the years, little Muffers was there through ups and downs, sickness and health. She experienced great losses (like when Mac and Maggie left this life, we left for college, divorce, hospitalizations, I left for Europe for five months and moved to California) and great joys (like when we got Bode, graduated from high school and me from college, came back from long trips and for Brandon’s and my wedding) with us.
Easter 2004
Mother’s Day 2008
Christmas 2008
Christmas Eve 2010
Easter morning 2011
Muff’s 12th birthday party, July 16, 2011
Muff’s 12th birthday cake and cupcakes decorated by Hadley (don’t worry, Mup ate the doggie version)
Thanksgiving in College Station 2011
Christmas Eve 2011
December 29, 2011
Greeting Hadley on a weekend visit home from college, August 08, 2012
Visiting Bo in the hospital, November 01, 2012
After sav’s and Brandon’s rehearsal dinner, November 02, 2012
After sav’s and Brandon’s rehearsal dinner, November 02, 2012
Christmas Eve 2012
Muffy’s favorite past-time was chasing shadows, sometimes for hours on end.
2005
2005
March 03, 2010
November 27, 2011
January 2011
January 2011
Muff didn’t like baths, but she loved going swimming and chasing Ziggy, the pool cleaner.
c 2003
June 09, 2005
May 2005
May 2005
Maggie, Bode and Muffy watch for Ziggy, June 2005
Maggie, Bode and Muffy chase Ziggy, June 2005
July 18, 2009
July 18, 2009
She would sit in our laps as we did homework, no matter the subject (though I think algebra was always her favorite), lay on my steps while I was on my computer into the wee hours of the night, and always be around if we needed to laugh or cry or anything in between.
Studying Biology with Hadley, February 27, 2008
June 01, 2009
August 21, 2010
December 27, 2011
March 14, 2013
If there was ever a stack of clothes or clean basket of laundry, Mup always found her way to the top.
February 27, 2008
August 2010
March 27, 2011
December 09, 2011
July 03, 2012
Little Pook didn’t like being on her back, but she always loved a good tummy rubbin’.
c 2005
She loved playing with her toys.
December 27, 2010
February 22, 2012
Our Muffers always gave the BEST hugs.
January 2011
May 24, 2012
Christmas Eve 2012
Hadley’s last photo with Muff, March 16, 2013
Little Muffy girl loved kissing and licking–her tongue was always busy!
c 2005
At the foot of the bed, her second favorite next to pillows, lickin’, March 21, 2013
We had so many good laughs with Muff, like when she had a frog caught in her fur and jumped on the bed. When you talked to Muff, she would lay her ears down. Somehow, her tail got a little crook in the end of it. We’re not sure how it happened, but it gave it personality. She received a strand of pearls one Christmas and was always on her best behavior while wearing them.
“Lady in Red” portraits, 2005
Runnin through the yard, 2005
Always finding some shade, 2005
2005
2005
2005
December 2006
June 27, 2007
Muff came to pose for sav’s photography class at Kids’ College, June 24, 2008
Muff came to pose for sav’s photography class at Kids’ College–she was great at posing, June 24, 2008
January 10, 2009
March 18, 2009
August 23, 2009
September 27, 2009
September 27, 2009
Modeling sheets she gave savs for Christmas, December 23, 2009
December 24, 2009
December 20, 2010
December 20, 2010
December 24, 2010
January 2011
January 2011
New cupcake shirt, February 25, 2011
Good sniffer, March 17, 2011
April 24, 2011
June 25, 2011
July 08, 2011
Tuffet time, July 08, 2011
Alert and ready for dinner, August 29, 2011
Rootin’ around in the bushes, how else would you bring leaves in the house? October 15, 2011
December 25, 2011
Christmas night naps, December 25, 2011
December 29, 2011
Napping with Brandon, June 05, 2012
Rollin on bugs in the yard, June 06, 2012
With Had after work in College Station, July 02, 2012
Eating dinner in College Station, July 04, 2012
Muffy Mae’s Thirteenth Birthday Portraits, July 16, 2012
Enjoying the sun, August 12, 2012
Testing out Bode’s new bed for him, October 01, 2012
Napping atop the chair by the Christmas tree, December 19, 2012
Last photo with sav’s, December 26, 2012
Muff and Bo were the bestest of friends.
Enjoying summer c 2005
Fresh haircuts! c 2005
c 2005
She loved little Bo so much, she would even clean his ears out for him.
Watching out the window (sometimes Muff acted a little catlike–her favorite food was salmon!) January 10, 2009
January 10, 2009
January 09, 2010
Christmas Eve, 2010
Holidays 2010
It’s better to share, January 22, 2011
The cutest Valentines, February 14, 2011
Visiting College Station, February 26, 2011
New things to check out in College Station, February 27, 2011
About to head back to Texarkana after visiting “the girls” in College Station, February 27, 2011
Always nearby, May 04, 2011
Red, white and blue bandannas for Memorial Day, May 30, 2011
Some haircuts were better than others, September 15, 2011
Helping savs set up the tree in College Station, November 25, 2011
Playing outside with Mr. Fox, December 29, 2011
January 04, 2012
February 20, 2012
Getting in a few more snuggles with savs before she went back to College Station, February 20, 2012
Tulin’ in the yard with Bo, March 29, 2012
Looking out sav’s backdoor, July 06, 2012
Keeping Bo company when he got out of the hospital, November 10, 2012
Christmas Day 2012
November 14, 2012
January 07, 2013
Getting warm by the heater, January 14, 2013
March 02, 2013
Really? More photos? We’re just gonna stand here like this. March 08, 2013
Snuggle Bunnies, March 24, 2013
Bo and Muff’s last photo together, March 26, 2013
Two weeks ago yesterday, we found out that our sweet little Muff had liver cancer. The vet only expected her to live a few more hours. For ten days, mom held Muff and took great care of her while sending updates to Hadley in College Station and me in California. Muffy Mae died with Jesus on Good Friday, March 29, 2013.
–savannah
~I didn’t feel like I could resume blogging without sharing this. Little Muff was really like a sister to us, so it’s been a very difficult time. (There are plenty more photos from the early years, but the negatives and hard drives are 1500 miles away.) We will always love you so much, little Muff.~
Such a sweet girl. Thanks for sharing the photos. Hard to pick a favorite, but these were particularly sweet:
– waiting for Ziggy by the pool
– focusing on the shadows, with her little leg sticking out
– napping on the couch around Christmas with the bow in her hair
I had the best time looking at these precious pictures of Muffy and Bodie. I was so engrossed by them that I couldn’t stop the tears when I came to where Little Muff died with Jesus on Good Friday. I am so sorry for your loss but what good and happy memories you have to cherish the rest of your life. Thank you for sharing these memories.