Part of the Family w/ Mimi Swartz

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Mimi Swartz On The Positive Effects A Pair of Corgis Had On Her Father’s Life

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About The Episode

Mimi Swartz’s family always had dogs and animals around growing up, including dogs. Eventually, her Dad, in particular, became more and more obsessed with the dog they had. The biggest shift happened when Mimi and her siblings all were out of the house, and her parents got a Corgi.

The Corgi’s name was Wesley, and he became her Dad’s ultimate companion. He used Wesley to project his feelings (like feeling tired or bored) and also as a barometer for seeing who he could trust as a person.

Wesley, however, was getting old. Mimi’s Mom noticed that he was fading. Corgi’s are known to have Degenerative Myelopathy (DM) – a fatal, chronic, progressive, degenerative disease of the spinal cord. Wesley had it, so her Mom went in search of another additional and/or replacement dog. Even though she herself had not bonded with Wesley in the same way, she was afraid of how her father would react if he lost him. So Mimi’s Mom found one, but did not get it before she herself passed away from a surprise fall.

The dog she had tracked down, and made a reservation to pick up, was another Corgi. This one was named Trilby, after the hat. Mimi and her Dad went and got him, and Trilby turned out to be a great last treasure from her Mom and played a significant role in her Dad’s coping and moving forward.

It turned out to be important timing, as Wesley passed away not much later – put down after suffering from the conditions of the aforementioned DM disease. Trilby became a conduit for Mimi and her Dad to talk, to bond, and to keep Dad moving out and about in the world every day.

Later, Mimi’s Dad eventually started having memory issues. He came to live with Mimi temporarily and then moved next door for the remaining years of his life as the neighbor sold their place to them. Trilby kept him focused and alert during that time, even with his memory fading from dementia. When he finally passed away himself, it was revealed to Mimi by a close friend that her Dad wanted Wesley’s ashes to be buried with him. Luckily, Mimi had the ashes with her and the two were peacefully put to rest together.

Mimi, as a result, has seen how powerful the impactful of dogs can be (she has two Golden Retrievers of her own) and could never see her life without a dog in it. The beauty of companionship she witnessed with her Dad and his dogs was something he surely gave her, and it’s something she’ll never forget.

About The Guest - Mimi Swartz

Mimi Swartz is an Executive Editor and Author at Texas Monthly. Throughout her life, Mimi’s whole family has had a relationship with dogs. However, it was her Dad especially who was the most connected. His relationship, in particular with the dogs later in his life, showed her the ultimate power of how dogs and humans can bond together. During both good and bad times, dogs provided a level of companionship to her Dad that was crucial to his well-being.

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