May'hem' Family

Words just can't describe my pain and sorrow after losing my dog after 16 years. I have been blessed with many memories with her...I can't even remember my life without her.

At an early age I really wanted a dog. Especially after spending so much time with my grandparents and their toy poodle, Penny. I LOVE dogs! For a while, mom was able to put off getting a dog because she wanted to wait till Jordan was in 1st grade. So I decided that would give me time to save up for a dog, so I decided putting away my birthday and Christmas money and any money received on the side in to my 'dog fund.' My poor mom really felt like she couldn't tell me no after several years of saving for a dog. I had envisioned having a white toy poodle like my grandma and grandpa's dog since I loved her so much. I remember hoping that I would love my dog as much as I loved penny.

(For the sake of telling the story of Maggie, I'm going to skip talking about the first dog I ever received that was soooo sick. I will never get pets from the pet store!!!) Finally Jordan was old enough and mom and I started looking for puppies in the paper...We finally saw a white toy poodle for sale!!! I remember being so excited, so mom called the breeder who said that the white poodle was already sold, but she had two yorkie's for sale. I had no idea what a yorkie was and remember mom telling me to look the breed up in our encyclopedia. "ICK!!" was my first thought, but mom encouraged me to go with her and just "take a look." So I did.

We showed up at the breader's house. She immediately let these two yorkie's out and they came tearing out chasing one another. I could barely see them they were so fast and tiny. All I remember was falling in love with the female, and it didn't take long for me to want to take her home.

After trying to figure out a name and throwing out every name possible. We decided on Maggie. She was 'Michelle's Miss Maggie.' Of course she was known as several names: Magsy, Magster, Poopy, Moo-moo, Moosy, the list could go on and on...

The first few nights were rough. We thought we were going to crate train her, but after 2 nights of CONSTANT yelping and whining and keeping ALL of us up, we lost the battle and she won. So for 16 years she has invaded each of our beds at night...

From age 9 and on...she went every where and did everything with me. I dressed her up...poor thing. She took naps with me. I took her on the paper route with me at 4:30am, and she sat in my paper bag. I went on bike rides with her in my basket or just holding her. She was my buddy. She was with me when I had a difficult time in Jr High, when I changed schools, when my parents were going through a rough time, when mom got sick...etc. I could tell her anything, and the funny thing was she always knew if one of us was crying because she was always plastered right up next to you.

But as much as I loved her, my family grew to love her just as much. She became a family dog, with obviously, my mom having the majority of her care. We thought we had lost her several times after she had walked out the door right after us or would sneak under the fence or playhouse. We had to rescue her from several other dogs while on walks, but only one of us, Jessica, sacrificed herself with a bite on the butt. The first Easter we had her, she ate all my Easter candy. That was the time we realized she COULD jump on my bed. But God answered my prayers and protected her.

I loved her and learned to care for her. Maggie completely trusted in me (and my family) for her care and all she needed and wanted was our love. God taught me a lot through her devotion and faithfulness.

One of the hardest times for me was when I went away to college. I couldn't imagine not being able to see her regularly. And as silly as this might sound to some of you, I was worried she would forget about me or think that I had deserted her. My heart broke to leave her, but I knew my family would still be there for her. I came home on breaks, and she would give me the silent treatment for a day. But usually on day 2, she would follow me around and give me kisses and hugs. No one else got a hug from Maggie but me, and she would just rest her head on my shoulder and neck and stay there. Mom would call me at school and give me updates on Maggie. I remember the update that she was starting to go deaf. I remember the update that she was starting to run in to things. I remember the update that she would fall down the stairs. I remember all the updates and how hard it was to come home and she kept declining and aging. It was so hard not to see the natural progression in her aging process. It was hard when she got older and didn't want to be handled. But she was still Maggie, and still loved and depended on us in her weak and vulnerable state.

I graduated college and Adam and I got married. I remember telling mom that I wouldn't dream of taking Maggie since she turned in to a "family" dog. My mom was especially attached to her after us kids all were away from home. Adam and I found a small, one-bedroom apartment in the next state over and settled in to married life. This was another season of life for me. I saw Maggie rarely (since we didn't make it home often) and received updates on the phone from mom. I missed Maggie, but she was happy at home with mom. I consoled mom when she was having a hard time with Maggie's old-age and laughed and cheered with mom on Maggie's 'good' days. We wondered how much longer we'd have her...

Last year Adam and I added an addition to our family. A sweet doggie named Ginger. I really missed not having a dog, but didn't know how we would be able to potty-train and crate-train a dog with Adam and I's schedules. But God answered my prayers, we had a church family that gave her to us. She was already crate-trained and potty trained!!! We loved her from the start! But I'll never forget crying one night because I felt guilty. I felt like I was betraying Maggie. That Maggie was no longer my dog. I didn't want her to feel like I had neglected her. I was worried I wouldn't love Ginger as much as Maggie because they had such different personalities. Adam just hugged me and told me to give it some time...so I did.

Ginger is apart of Adam and I's family now. We do everything together, and I love just being home with her. She's playful and energetic, and such a sweet dog. Now we will have many years together developing memories.

Maggie will always hold a special place in my heart. But I'm reminded of God's blessings in my life that started that day I went to get Maggie at the breeder's house. It takes time to heal, but God provided the perfect, faithful friend for me for so many years and for that I am truly thankful.

"Dogs have a way of finding the people who need them, Filling an emptiness we don't even know we have." (Thom Jones)

“The risk of love is loss, and the price of loss is grief. But the pain of grief is only a shadow when compared with the pain of never risking love."(Hilary Stanton Zunin)