We have a long history with dogs. When death has taken a loving dog, we quickly pursued finding another. Living without a dog never seemed an option. To us, dogs were not just animals. They were dear members of our family.
Our first dog, Amy, was one of a litter being given away on the beach while we living in California. Given our experience of moving throughout the nation, it was remarkable at the time that we never considered how fortunate we were. California to Louisville, KY, and subsequent moves while climbing a ladder with the Veterans Administration.
Charlie (Chang Super Sleuth) befriended our family for 14 years while we lived in Medfield. The experiences of his enthusiasm and energy were fantastic, recalling us running throughout the neighborhood, letting him loose in safe areas. When I saw an unexpected auto coming, my words of caution were embraced readily and, then, off we went.
No such time was more memorable than finding Franklin (Delano Roosevelt). I went to the local animal shelter and saw an elderly embracing the kennel where her dog was. She was no longer capable of handling the dog whose chin was bare due to her tugging so hard to keep some control. Franklin, at the time, became the epitome of all the dogs we had. He and I would swim in the ocean along that coast, even in the winter, side by side. I can image my looking at him as I raised by face to take a breath. I never took the experience for granted. At the time, we had a chair looking out to the ocean. His body was tucked into my side as when we slept at night. Unfortunately, our hopes of the future were thwarted when he collapsed near our door while getting set to go out for some exercise. We carried him to the car and transported him to the veterinarian who indicated the ruptured spleen was not amenable to surgery. I still remember Joan and I remaining beside him during his final moments, His presence in our lives is symbolized by being the only pet, thus far, whose ashes are kept beside our bed in an urn.
Patrick zeroed in on us totally! He was most unusual in his devotion to us and his fear of others, both humans and fellow canines. He surely was different from Franklin.He kept close to us physically when walking or running. He clearly was ours! We purchased a wireless fence which gave him some freedom, including sitting on our porch watching those walking by. But, to our chagrin, one day when taking him out, he collapsed. The veterinarian gave us the same diagnosis as Franklin had, a ruptured spleen.
And now, we are gifted with Maggie Mae! We had to go to North Berwick, ME three times to both look at the litter and be reviewed by the owner. It was a burden, but the prospect of owning one of them made the traveling reasonable. Of the six puppies, four were similar to the point that it was difficult to differentiate them. Our first choice was kept by the breeder. Our second choice turned out to be such a gift. Rod Stewart’s “Maggie Mae” was one of our favorite songs and, fortunately, it came to mind and allowed us to have Maggie Mae as our friend. This has been memorialized by a gift of a neighbor that framed the music disc for us that is now on our mantel. Given our age, the presence of Maggie in our lives could not be treasured. While she loves everyone, her love of us is priceless!
Maggie Mae has been a most special gift. Admittedly, we never cease to admire her beauty. Her coloring, beautiful hair and long, long eye lashes. Her intelligence is noted in so many ways, not the least of which is her ability to come to your feet and look into your eyes, indicating a need. It may take a moment to determine her wishes even though her needs are limited, e.g. playing with a toy in the house, her need to go outside for personal reasons or a need to run.
We never cease to treasure the gifts of our dogs. Our children have adopted the need for dogs which they have had the opportunity to treasure as well. We are aware of so many others who treasure their dogs. While we donate to ASPCA, we realize that there are dogs who have experienced suffering from their owners. The only way I am able to deal with this is that there are so many children who suffer at the hands of parent(s). Humans could learn so much from the general affection dogs have for others.
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