My friend Elisabeth Dimitras first told me about the passing of her dog Misoy during her interview about living mindfully in a tiny off-grid house on wheels. The moment our call ended, I knew I had to share his story. It wasn’t just the depth of Elisabeth’s grief that moved me, but a deeper realization. It made me reconsider my own understanding of mindfulness and sustainability and how they’re connected to the relationships that root us to this planet – the ones that teach us how to love deeply, live intentionally, and grieve fully. I felt like Misoy’s story, though different from our typical content, deserved to be told.
In 2013, Elisabeth met a scrappy street dog with a big, expressive tail. She named him Misoy – “tail” in the language of Canada’s Indigenous peoples – a nod to his expressive, ever-wagging appendage. What began as a foster attempt turned into a 12-year journey of healing. “No one wanted him, despite his majesty,” Elisabeth told me. “But he changed my life. I don’t know what kind of life I would have lived, if I hadn’t had the honor to become his guardian.”
Misoy was so much more than a rescue; he was a healer. He brought confidence to Roady, Elisabeth’s first dog, an elderly anxious Rottweiler mix that was previously abused and abandoned. Later, he also became a steadfast brother to Caramelo, a reactive dog Elisabeth had taken in back in 2015. Together, they roamed mountains, beaches, and forests across Greece and Spain, their adventures spanning 200 kilometers in 2018. Misoy’s gentle spirit disarmed everyone. “A vet once told me, ‘I’ve never seen a dog express love so openly,’” Elisabeth shared. He nuzzled kittens, greeted goats, and shared sunsets with Tsifki, Elisa’s cat who trotted beside him like a tiny, furry disciple.
The Start of a Nomadic Life with Misoy
Finding a dog-friendly place to live in rural Greece was tough. A lot of landlords didn’t want animals in the house. Elisabeth wanted her dogs inside, with her. So, she ended up living a nomadic life, moving from place to place, trying to find the perfect spot. Eventually, she decided to sell her house and buy land for a tiny house on wheels, so her dogs could have lots of space. She even dreamed of turning it into a farm sanctuary, because Misoy loved all animals.
From 2018 to 2024, Elisabeth, Misoy, Caramelo, and her cat Tsifki lived in 30 different places. She’d always scout out the area with Misoy first, because Caramelo was reactive. Misoy was the perfect companion for hikes, trips to feed stray cats, and even just hanging out at cafes. He was friendly and gentle, and everyone loved him.
Misoy, a Guardian of Land and Heart
In 2021, Elisabeth settled into her 30th home, a tiny house on wheels in rural Greece. Misoy claimed his role as protector, patrolling their fenced land with quiet focus. “He’d bark at hunters, wild boars – anything that felt like a threat,” she recalled. At night, his heavy breathing filled the tiny house, while Tsifki, their cat, curled against his side.
Misoy’s magic lived in the small moments: winter swims at Porto Katsiki beach, where he’d roll joyfully in the sand, or slow walks at sunset around their land. “He turned every walk into an adventure,” Elisabeth said. Their quiet evenings reading in bed with Misoy’s warmth pressed against her were her sanctuary. “With him, I felt safe in a collapsing world.”
Misoy was her constant companion outdoors. He was always there when she was gardening or harvesting olives. He made her feel safe, knowing the dogs were okay when she was away. And their daily playtime, the chasing and romping, was the highlight of her day, pure joy.
The Silence After the Storm
When Misoy passed suddenly in late 2024, the tiny house lost its heartbeat. Caramelo, now grieving too, clings to Elisabeth more than ever. Tsifki still searches for her furry brother. “I feel amputated,” Elisabeth admitted. “Misoy was my therapist. Without him, I don’t know my place anymore.”
For years, she’d been preparing herself to lose Caramelo, who was diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease. She thought Misoy would be there to support her then. But everything turned upside down, and now Misoy was suddenly gone.
Yet, nature, in its quiet way, offered signs of his continued presence. A robin appeared just the day after his burial – a bird rarely seen in their area. “They visit daily now and they bring me solace,” she shared.
“They say that when a robin appears it means that a loved one who passed away is nearby. All these years here, I only saw robins once during the snowy days in 2022. I am sure that he is sending them to me. Sometimes I would see them and feel him and I would start crying… They are still here, keeping me company, reminding me that he is always near, even if I can’t see him anymore.”
To honor Misoy and his legacy, she tattooed his beautiful smiling face on her skin, joining ink tributes to her first cat and a beloved tree lost to wildfires. “Tattoos help me carry grief forward,” she explained.
Love as a Legacy
The legacy of Misoy, a gentle soul who left an indelible mark, compels us to consider the countless animals awaiting loving homes. “Adopt a dog from a shelter or from the streets,” Elisabeth urges.
Misoy taught her how to love with an open heart, how to find joy in simple moments, and how to face grief with strength. He came to her needing a home, but he gave so much more in return. Every animal in a shelter has a story, a lesson, a love to give. Misoy’s story says that by opening your doors, you open your heart to the kind of love that changes everything.
For those mourning pets, Elisabeth is launching a grief circle, offering a space where love and loss can coexist.
“Misoy showed me that grief isn’t an end,” she said. “It’s love with nowhere to go… until we give it a purpose.”
Here’s How We Can Honor Misoy’s Light:
- Adopt, don’t shop: Give a shelter animal a chance by choosing to rescue, not shop, and offer them the gift of a new beginning, a chance to rewrite both their story and yours. If you aren’t able to adopt them, you can also virtually adopt animals living in shelters – back when Elisabeth lived in an apartment with her first cat, she’d virtually “adopt” dogs and wild animals living in Greek shelters. It was a way to support them, even from a distance..
- Volunteer: Walk dogs at a local shelter or donate to sanctuaries.
- Find Solace in Shared Experience: If you carry the weight of a lost companion, know you are not alone. Join a community of understanding and support by reaching out to Elisabeth through info@ethosandempathy.org.
For Those Coping With Grief due to Loss of a Pet
Elisabeth has found several ways to cope with her grief for Misoy and with ecological grief. She highly recommends yin yoga. Laura, an antispeciesist, offers an online eco-grief course with healing poems and mentions books like “The Wild Edge of Sorrow” by Francis Weller and writings by Joanna Macy. Elisabeth has taken the course multiple times. Another helpful resource is a collection of 18 yin yoga online courses with sound baths and meditations, designed to process grief. She also listens to a podcast by an Irish grief specialist who lost her dogs.
For her, yoga, forest bathing with Caramelo, winter swimming, and time with her purring cat have been more therapeutic than therapy. She’s found solace in a Facebook group for pet loss, where people understand her pain. She’s also started a grief journal and plans to use free journaling prompts from the Irish specialist.
Elisabeth encourages people struggling to connect with nature to take day trips to forests, beaches, lakes, or rivers, especially immersing themselves in water. She suggests prioritizing nature over entertainment.
Being near water has been particularly healing. “Two weeks after Misoy died, my partner took us all, Caramelo, Tsifki and me, and we went on a 5-day trip to the North of Greece near a town with the biggest waterfall in the Balkans, Edessa. When I went to see this waterfall, I felt so much better for a moment, as if the water with its power was taking the pain away,” she shared. “We also went twice to hot springs and going under the hot water with all these minerals showering me was also very healing and cleansing.”
Elisabeth is taking her experience with grief and turning it into a source of support for others. She’s organizing a grief circle specifically for people mourning the loss of their beloved pets. It’s clear she wants to create a safe and knowledgeable space for those who are struggling. If you’re interested in joining this circle, you can reach out to her at info@ethosandempathy.org.
Misoy’s legacy lives in the trails he walked, the lives he touched, and the love he left behind. As Elisabeth says: “He didn’t just teach me how to live – he taught me how to love.” Let his story inspire us to embrace compassion, kindness, and the profound connections that enrich our lives.
