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Dear Friends,
I am sad to write to you about the passing of Mica
Dog, November 21, 2005. She slept peacefully after a
year long battle with lymphatic cancer.
Mica (Junk Yard) Dog was born in approximately 1992 on
the South Side of Chicago. Her youth was a traumatic
time, and Mica would rarely talk about it. Mica was
rescued from her vagrant lifestyle by Christine
Kordiuk, who then called her friend and co-worker and
well-known softie Scott Zelenka. At the first meeting
between Scott, Estee Segal and Mica, Mica immediately
rolled onto her back for some belly scratches, which
was surely a sign.
Scott was living in an apartment that didn't allow
pets, so Mica had to live a covert life avoiding the
landlord. Scott's room mate Andy Gregg was won over
by Mica as well and took several famous photos of her
in action. Mica went to work with Scott every day and
got to have the run of Chicago, and got to run after
many cats. She didn't limit her chasing to cats: She
chased and caugt a squirrel on the University of
Micigan campus and also swam after a gaggle of geese
in a city park pond.
Scott, Estee and Mica move to Portland in 1996.
Looking for an apartment that took dogs was an uphill
struggle, and the three camped out in Jonathon Ayers
apartment for a couple weeks while looking for a home.
When they finally settled down in SE Portland, they
lived in an apartment complex that was also home to
Mica's best friend, Slack, who lived with Anne Tegen
and Jonah Harrison.
Mica continued her hobbies of cat chasing, ball
fetching and defecating in public. She could often be
seen running through the woods of the Northwest, with
and without her owners, in the summer sun and in the
winter snows.
Scott and Mica moved around several times, finally
settling again in NE Porland on Rodney street. Here,
Mica finally had a dog door and a yard to call her
own. Jeff Heikes lived there as well, and became
familiar with Mica's habit of pushing open bedroom
doors with her snout, and emptying the garbage every
now and then all over the kitchen floor.
After Jeff went to Alaska for summer work, Andy
Schwartz became a new roommate for Mica. She liked
to curl up under Ydna's computer desk and get petted
with stocking feet.
Big changes came for Scott and Mica in 2000/2001.
Stephanie Tolk moved in with the pair, and later
Carmen Kitty came on the scene. For such a notorious
cat chaser, Mica took a cat house mate in stride.
When Beckett Cat also joined the household, Mica even
allowed both cats to join her on her morning and
evening walks.
Mica was diagnosed with Lymphatic cancer in the summer
of 2004, while Scott and Stephanie were away and Mica
was staying with Estee. She started getting
chemotherapy right away and responded very well.
Although she got a little gray around the jowls, her
spirit stayed strong until the end.
Mica was loved by many. We will miss her very much.
Scott Zelenka
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