We bought him in 1961 from a pet shop on Crenshaw Blvd, in Los Angeles.
We went in to buy a dog. All of the candidates were standing at the front of their cages, kind of saying, "Take me. Take me.". Only Mike continued to lie quietly at the back of his cage, being a bit aloof. Sauny pointed at him and said, "We want him.
He was a terrific pet and was a great deal of company for Sauny in the early days of our marriage.
We were having a snail problem and were told that if we used the flake form of snail bait around the plants instead of the pellets, Mike would be safe.
Unfortunately he started to snuffle around in the dirt and we believe he inhaled some of it. He began to have trouble with balance and he started acting like he didn't know us and would snap at us. He would lose his balance and fall over. We believed he was not enjoying himself any more and was getting worse so we faced the inevitable and had him quietly put to sleep.