Mimi Loses Her First Friend: R.I.P. Harry-chan

On the morning of Sunday May 24^th, Mimi kissed Harry-chan, the Iwasaki’s beloved sheltie, goodbye as she prepared to board the car for the airport.  Sumie and I watched her and thought, “She’s really going to miss him.”  I’m sure Mimi, though I have no way of proving it, was thinking the same thing.  Harry was not only Mimi’s first word, he was the only one who could always make her smile just by walking into the room. 

I think Harry-chan loved Mimi, too, for early on Monday morning, after having wished Mimi well in her new life in California, Harry passed away peacefully in his sleep.  Sumie and I are so thankful to him for seeing off our little girl.  Despite his short time with her, we think he’s had an impact that will color Mimi’s life for decades to come.  He was just that kind of dog. 

Harry entered Sumie’s life shortly before I did (maybe that was the reason behind my initial jealousy).  The runt of the litter, he left his birthplace in Gilroy to join the Iwasaki’s around the same time that Sumie and Kae began their first quarter at U.C. Davis. 

I’ve had several dogs in my life.  They were all good pets, but never really more than that: pets.  Harry, though, was truly part of the family.  I had a little trouble understanding this at first.  The “finals episode,” for instance, really perplexed me.

It was finals week at UC Davis.  Sumie, Kae, and I had been studying like mad one evening as we all had several important exams the following day.  It looked like we weren’t going to get much sleep between the studying and the stress.  And that’s why Kae and Sumie’s response to the following situation was so odd to me. 

Their parents were out of town and had left Harry in Shusaku’s care for a few days.  Despite the impending finals, calls were made to ensure that Shu was going to be home early enough that night to feed and walk Harry at his usual time.  When it was determined that he’d be a little late, Sumie and Kae went into action.  Within 10 minutes they had packed their books and jumped into the car to rescue their beloved Harry-chan.  Personally, I thought this was insane, but there was no arguing with them.  Harry was facing potential inconvenience and he would be brought back to the apartment.  Roughly 5 hours later I received a call from Sumie saying that she and Kae had gotten back to their apartment with Harry and were ready to begin studying again.  It was after 1:00am.  I didn’t understand it then, but I think I get it now.  It’s not the most logical decision, but when it comes to your family, sometimes you just can’t help yourself.  And, in the end, that less logical choice is usually right.    

Harry-chan was a part of virtually every family gathering.  Here a few from over the years:

But he was, first and foremost, Mr. and Mrs. Iwasaki's youngest child:

He had watched the kids of the family grow:

And had been a part of my life with Sumie since the very beginning:

Harry had even taken care of Sumie on the rare instances that she drank too much!

Harry was always gentle with the Grandchildren.  He had a natural instinct to watch over them, as all good shelties should. 

And, perhaps most importantly for me and Sumie, he was a loving friend and companion to our little Mimi.  Even when she tried to take away his food!

Despite their short time together, and neither of them being able to use language, Harry was a great teacher for Mimi.  He inspired in her a love of animals, a desire to use language (her first word being wan-wan), and a more gentle nature.  We saw one of Harry's lessons come to fruition just last night when we were visiting with Mimi's cousins Nana and Sayuri.  They have a cat, named J.J., who, despite the odds, is a virtual feline copy of Harry when it comes to temperment.  Mimi was, at first, a little afraid of J.J., but, thanks to her experiences with Harry, she eventually warmed up to him, too.  By the end of the evening she had her third official new word:  "J.J." 

Harry, we will never forget you.  And though she may not remember all you did for her, you will always be a part of Mimi's life as a result.  We will all miss you dearly. 

-Steve, Sumie, and Mimi