Big Mike & The R&B Kings

Izzy passed away last night, and our hearts are broken.

Before Izzy, we had our dog Serj, named after Serj from System of a Down. He was with us for almost 14 years before he passed away from pancreatic cancer.

During the last year of his life, he had gone completely blind, but even then, he always loved laying in one specific spot in our yard.

After he passed, we had already planned a family vacation and left the next day carrying that grief with us.
About a week later, something strange happened. A single red spider lily flower randomly bloomed in the exact spot Serj used to lay. In the four years we had lived there, not one had ever grown in our yard before. When I looked up the meaning of the spider lily, especially in Japanese culture, it symbolizes farewell, the afterlife, and the crossing from one world to another. It felt like more than coincidence to us.

Not long after that, my wife rescued Izzy.
Izzy was a Mastiff mix, about 115 pounds, and from the moment she came into our lives, she just wanted love. It was obvious she had been mistreated before us. But once she realized she had a family, her own bed, food, affection, and kids to play with, she became our protector.

Shortly after getting her, we had to move back to Chicago, but because of work and touring, I was constantly traveling between Chicago and New Orleans trying to keep everything afloat. During all those years on the road, I always knew my family was protected because Izzy was there.
She was the sweetest dog to us. A giant teddy bear. Patient with the boys, loving with my wife, and during the daytime while everyone was gone, she became my companion. As a musician, I work nights, so during the day it was usually just me and her at home. I used to joke that she was the daughter I never got to have since we ended up with two boys instead of a boy and a girl.

I’d sit there talking to her about life, music, stress, and everything else while she listened like it was the most important conversation in the world. She earned plenty of head rubs, belly rubs, treats, and naps for putting up with all my terrible stories.
But like a true Mastiff, she was fiercely protective of her family. If anyone came onto the property or got too close to the people she loved, she did what she believed she had to do. More than once she protected our home and our children. Two different veterinarians even explained to us that this kind of protective instinct is deeply rooted in Mastiffs. She wasn’t mean. She was loyal.

After years passed and we finally settled back into New Orleans together again, it almost felt like Izzy knew her job was finally done.
Then she got sick.
The day we realized something was wrong, another strange thing happened. A random old cat we had never seen before appeared at our house. We had lived there nearly a year and had never seen this cat once. It stayed near our front door for days. Normally Izzy probably would have chased a cat away instantly, but instead, the two of them crossed paths calmly, almost as if they recognized each other. No aggression. No fear. Just quiet acknowledgment. Three days later, the cat disappeared and we never saw it again.

Seemed like the cat was her Guardian angel coming to call her home.

I came to that conclusion not long after, we found out Izzy had cancer. It was just a feeling. But what a coincidence. The cat laid in our front porch from time to time for 3 days.

For a few weeks Izzy bounced back and gave us hope, especially while my mom was visiting and able to spend time loving on her. But last night everything suddenly took a turn for the worse.

At one point she walked outside alone and laid down quietly in the rain on a bed of leaves. When I found her out there, it felt like she already understood what was happening. She couldn't move or just didnt want to anymore.

We wrapped her up, brought her close, and my boys got the chance to say goodbye to her at 230am while she was still alive. They hugged her, pet her, and loved on her one last time.

Then my wife and I took her to the vet, where we made the painful decision to let her go peacefully.

I tell this story because the universe moves in a way that it cant just be coincidences. From spider Lilly in a spot my dog loved to lay in to a protective dog at just the right time during our family transition to a random old cat showing up as if it needed to come get my dog then once they seen each other... the cat said or did whatever and boom gone.

Izzy was more than just a dog to us. She came into our lives exactly when our family needed protection, love, comfort, and companionship the most. She stood guard while I was away trying to provide for my family. She helped raise my boys. She listened to me when nobody else was around. She loved us with everything she had.
And we will miss her deeply.

My wife said she was me.. in Dog form. 😆 😢 😔 😟

She was my gentle giant and she put my family first every day.

Goodbye my sweet girl. I hope you find your two older siblings (dogs before her) Serj and Luna. I hope you do. I hope your spirit is at rest and there is endless playtime, toys, and unlimited belly rubs whenever you want them.

We love you and always will my big girl.

So long and farewell

My beautiful Isla 'Izzy' Perez