Our family had to say goodbye to our beloved rescue dog Misha a few weeks ago. He was at least sixteen and a half years old, and his little body just wore out.

Long ago, I became his person and he became my sidekick and muse, inspiring all sorts of art and haiku. He gave me the unconditional love that only a dog can provide, and losing him has been even harder than I expected.

But after a month of grieving, the pain of Misha’s difficult last weeks and his passing is giving way to memories of his many good years. In processing the loss, I browsed through literally hundreds of photos of him. There he is trotting down a leafy trail, racing along the ocean, snuggling with my kids. After his traumatic puppyhood, we gave him a great life.

Misha, we miss you deeply, but we’re grateful we got fifteen years with you. May your spirit run free on the beach forever.

Following is a haibun about Misha from my 2021 book, Water and Stone. (Haibun are prose pieces with haiku.)

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Lost and Found

The dog is supposed to be for my eleven-year-old. Searching online for a hypoallergenic breed, she finds a small white poodle-bichon mix listed by an animal rescue group. One hot summer afternoon, we pick him up from his foster mom in the parking lot of a Sacramento gas station.

Scrawny and shaved almost to the skin, with huge brown eyes, Misha attaches himself to us right away. My daughter falls head over heels, saying, “I love him so much that sometimes I just have to laugh to let it out—I feel like I’ll burst if I don’t.”

Misha has had a hard run. It seems he was lost or abandoned somewhere near the Mojave Desert. When picked up and taken to the San Bernardino pound some weeks earlier, he was emaciated, filthy, matted, and suffering from giardia. He had dog bite marks on his head and shoulders and an infected cut almost completely encircling his neck. But it turns out his deepest wounds are emotional.

thrift store puzzle
the holes
you can never fill

In our first days and months together, we learn that Misha has severe separation anxiety. When left alone, he claws his way through screen doors, digs under gates and fences, chews through leashes, and scratches up doorframes and floorboards, all in desperate attempts to find us. He is determined he will never again be abandoned.

We watch dog-training videos, read dog books, and discuss the problem with Misha’s vet. But through tough love, Misha trains us to take him everywhere. And as anyone could have predicted, I end up taking over his care from my daughter.

home from errands—
a hero’s welcome
from the dog

Despite Misha’s issues and all his trauma, he turns out to be a very sweet fellow who brings a lot of comedy and laughter into our home. He is pushing fifteen now—105 in dog years—and going blind and deaf. But “His Dogship” still makes sure we get our daily walks at the beach, along the river, or through the woods. And for short bursts, he can zoom around like a puppy, barking at us to try and tag him.

Again and again, I tap his rump as he zooms past. Again and again, I claim him.

the jingle
of the dog’s tags
wild currant in bloom

(“Lost and Found” is from Water and Stone: Ten Years of Art and Haiku; Annette Makino; Makino Studios; 2021. The included haiku were previously published in Modern Haiku, tinywords, Four Hundred and Two Snails: Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology 2018 and The Heron’s Nest.)

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Makino Studios News

Playful dog sticker: To celebrate Misha’s life, I am planning to create a sticker from an early sumi ink painting of Misha in a playful stance. I’m away on a creative retreat this week without good wifi, but please let me know if you’re interested in ordering one and I’ll tell you know when they’re ready. Cost will be around $4-5.

Sunkist Festival: I’ll have a booth at this small and sweet fair on Sunday, August 6 from 11 to 5. Besides arts and crafts, the festival will feature wood-fired pizzas and other goodies plus live music. 135 Sunkist Lane, off Glendale in McKinleyville, CA, near the Blue Lake Murphy’s Market.

Obon Festival: Organized by Humboldt Asian Pacific Islanders in Solidarity (HAPI), the Obon Festival will take place on Sunday, August 13 at the Creamery District in Arcata, CA from 4 to 8 p.m. There will be taiko drumming, bon odori dancing, bento boxes, games for kids and vendors like me. (I’ve decided not to do the North Country Fair in September, so these two fairs are your best shot at catching my Makino Studios booth in the coming months.)