Michell and Doug Marshall are very sad to report that their beloved dog Mikey died on Monday, Dec. 27.

He had “something” going on with him, health wise, over the past seven months, but he was doing very, very well until about 4:30 p.m. on Monday, when he suffered what apparently was a seizure. He recovered from that and was doing okay until about 11 p.m. when he had a series of convulsions and then lost consciousness.

He was way too young to go (he would have been eight in February), but they feel so lucky to have had him for the years they did. He was a good guy, with a very sweet disposition. He was everybody’s best friend. Michell and Doug thank everyone who regularly gave him the loving and petting that he craved, and he loved getting your treats and toys.

If there is any good news in this, it is that he enjoyed life right up until Monday afternoon. He led Michell and Doug around Mountain Lake on Christmas Day, and on Monday, he was his usual friendly shop dog self (getting lots of loving from his friends).

They don’t know what caused the seizures, but he had developed a swollen lymph node last June. A biopsy on July 1 was “inconclusive.” Dr. Jill also did blood tests for tick borne diseases, and found he had a very rare tick borne organism not normally seen in these parts. He took shots to treat that, and a later blood test came back negative. While the babesi organism could have been contracted before Mikey moved to Orcas, and probably was not the cause of Mikey’s last illness, Doug and Michell urge fellow pet owners to be aware of swollen lymph nodes and the possiblity of tick borne diseases.

Mikey had many friends on Orcas, and he probably would want us to celebrate his passing by giving another Orcas dog a loving embrace and a belly rub.