If you’ve met Morty you know, he always had a plan. He was direct in his intentions and HIGHLY vocal.
I believe when he set off that July day in 2021 that he found himself in the Hoke County shelter, he had a plan. His foster mother, @texanshg spotted his potential from a brief grainy clip and it was on to @billies_buddies from there
it made no sense to be pining after a dog in NC. We had two already and Ana was nearing the end of her cancer journey. But we agreed we needed a Morty. He’d billed himself as maybe 6 years old and an easy going guy. And that was part of his plan.
Morty was probably closer to 8 or 9 and through testing done by Billie’s buddies, we learned his health was very poor. He was heartworm positive and not a candidate for the treatment due to an enlarged heart (a result of the heartworms). We were given an estimate of maybe a year and even though it made no sense, we knew we had to have Morty in our family.
From day one, September 11, 2021, Morty chose Joe. I would often remind Morty that it was I who found him on the internet, but to no avail. They were in the Best friends club. And I was inducted as the “photographer.”
Morty was ungovernable in so many ways, we quickly learned. There were tears - I didn’t know how to give him what he needed. He chewed his way out of his metal crate and ate through a canister of squeeze cheese. Archer and Morty fought. I was scared. But Morty had a plan.
Morty gradually weaned us off our expectations and navigated the rhythm of the double Dutch so that WE could enter HIS world. I have said often - he is the most unapologetically himself being. And so we learned from him.
With Ana’s death in March followed quickly by Archer’s death in May, we were broken yet renewed in our understanding of the importance of this little old man joining our family. Morty must have had a plan.
Morty dipped his paintbrush into his well of possibilities and spread his magic to all he encountered. Usually this looked a bit like having your lunch stolen or garbage cans upended. His hot breath on my knee as he waited for me to leave him some of my meal was sensory overload but signature Morty.
He never once stopped believing in himself. Never once did he think there was a place he didn’t belong. Not even the kitchen, where he asserted that “unlimited Mortys” was the correct number of Mortys allowed in the no-dogs-allowed kitchen. And so Morty manifested his plan.
He beat heartworms and his year sentence. We celebrated. Daily, he asked of us to live in the moment.
We didn’t ever know how many days we had left, he walked that in between and asked us to do the same.
As part of his plan to live his best life with the most access to hot dogs and chicken tenders a dog could manage, Morty served as Chief Morale Officer for the Norfolk Tides. He LOVED work. He got himself featured on Sports Center and the local news, and begrudgingly supported Bark in the Park. He completed a recent work trip to cheer on the Fredericksburg Nationals. He is the inspiration for yet unreleased catalog of songs I have made up about him to encourage him to do something he doesn’t want to do, including one called “Hang out with me, Mortimer James” which had a 0% success rate.
Last night Morty let us know his work in this body was complete. He was not interested in even the best tasting food, nor his leash (typically a favorite), and struggled to maneuver his body. I prayed with him and prayed for strength for us and for our beloved vet.
I believe we live on and we are safe outside of our physical body, and I asked over and over - out loud and in prayer- why must this be so painful? It just doesn’t make sense. As we sat with his body, I heard:
We are here on this earth to love and to be loved by each other.
And that was Morty’s plan
If you’ve met Morty you know, he always had a plan. He was direct in his intentions and HIGHLY vocal.
I believe when he set off that July day in 2021 that he found himself in the Hoke County shelter, he had a plan. His foster mother spotted his potential from a brief grainy clip and it was on to Billies Buddies Animal Rescue from there
it made no sense to be pining after a dog in NC. We had two already and Ana was nearing the end of her cancer journey. But we agreed we needed a Morty. He’d billed himself as maybe 6 years old and an easy going guy. And that was part of his plan.
Morty was probably closer to 8 or 9 and through testing done by Billie’s buddies, we learned his health was very poor. He was heartworm positive and not a candidate for the treatment due to an enlarged heart (a result of the heartworms). We were given an estimate of maybe a year and even though it made no sense, we knew we had to have Morty in our family.
From day one, September 11, 2021, Morty chose Joe. I would often remind Morty that it was I who found him on the internet, but to no avail. They were in the Best friends club. And I was inducted as the “photographer.”
Morty was ungovernable in so many ways, we quickly learned. There were tears - I didn’t know how to give him what he needed. He chewed his way out of his metal crate and ate through a canister of squeeze cheese. Archer and Morty fought. I was scared. But Morty had a plan.
Morty gradually weaned us off our expectations and navigated the rhythm of the double Dutch so that WE could enter HIS world. I have said often - he is the most unapologetically himself being. And so we learned from him.
With Ana’s death in March followed quickly by Archer’s death in May, we were broken yet renewed in our understanding of the importance of this little old man joining our family. Morty must have had a plan.
Morty dipped his paintbrush into his well of possibilities and spread his magic to all he encountered. Usually this looked a bit like having your lunch stolen or garbage cans upended. His hot breath on my knee as he waited for me to leave him some of my meal was sensory overload but signature Morty.
He never once stopped believing in himself. Never once did he think there was a place he didn’t belong. Not even the kitchen, where he asserted that “unlimited Mortys” was the correct number of Mortys allowed in the no-dogs-allowed kitchen. And so Morty manifested his plan.
He beat heartworms and his year sentence. We celebrated. Daily, he asked of us to live in the moment.
We didn’t ever know how many days we had left, he walked that in between and asked us to do the same.
As part of his plan to live his best life with the most access to hot dogs and chicken tenders a dog could manage, Morty served as Chief Morale Officer for the Norfolk Tides. He LOVED work. He got himself featured on Sports Center and the local news, and begrudgingly supported Bark in the Park. He completed a recent work trip to cheer on the Fredericksburg Nationals. He is the inspiration for yet unreleased catalog of songs I have made up about him to encourage him to do something he doesn’t want to do, including one called “Hang out with me, Mortimer James” which had a 0% success rate.
Last night Morty let us know his work in this body was complete. He was not interested in even the best tasting food, nor his leash (typically a favorite), and struggled to maneuver his body. I prayed with him and prayed for strength for us and for our beloved vet.
I believe we live on and we are safe outside of our physical body, and I asked over and over - out loud and in prayer- why must this be so painful? It just doesn’t make sense. As we sat with his body, I heard:
We are here on this earth to love and to be loved by each other.
And that was Morty’s plan