"How old is she?" was always the question about Maybel. "She won't say," was always my answer, drawing a chuckle from neighbors and passersby who came to know Maybel, my beautiful senior pup, as the chillest dog on the block.
Maybel and I met in October, 2020. I was renting an apartment above DC Petropolis, a first rate dog grooming salon owned and operated by Gabi, an entrepreneur from Argentina, who first told me about Maybel.
"She's perfect for your apartment," said Gabi. "A total couch potato." No truer words were ever said about my sweet angel, who mostly napped, snacked, and snuggled her way through an election, insurrection, inauguration, my first days on the Capitol beat, and my first oil paintings.
Indeed, the thirty-three months Maybel and I spent together as best friends were a sprint through a crazy stretch of American political history that changed my life forever and continues now without her.
In her memory, I oil painted her portrait, choosing a looser style and more expansive color palette than I usually use in animal portraits. Maybel loved when I painted her … and got jealous when I painted other dogs. She’d like this portrait, I think, which now hangs prominently on the wall of our apartment where I’ll always remember her perfect smile –
Something cute to watch…
If you’re on TikTok and want to see something super cute, here is a video of Maybel from the night she visited me at the Capitol during Kevin McCarthy’s race for House Speaker in January.
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Because McCarthy hadn’t been elected Speaker yet, the House couldn’t pass a rules package — meaning in the moment there were no rules, technically, which didn’t preclude doggos like my sweet angel from roaming the corridors. So she did —
Maybel was so happy to visit me that night. She couldn’t stop smiling. So many reporters, Capitol Police, and staffers who knew Maybel from visits to my apartment or picnics in Logan Circle stopped what they were doing (which was mostly just waiting around for the next House vote to be called) to say hello. When votes finally let out, several members of Congress — Dems and Republicans — stopped to introduce themselves to Maybel, who was overjoyed to meet them.
Miss you, girl. May you rest in eternal peace (and snacks).
We miss you, Maybel!