Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Maggie My Love - September 22, 1999 - July 26,2012


July 26th was the day we decided that we finally had to put our sweet Old English Sheepdog Maggie to rest.  It doesn't seem right that we have this power over our pets...they say it is the right thing to do to prevent them from suffering. The guilt is overwhelming!



Maggie was the sweetest and worst dog we ever had!  She peed and pooped all over the carpet from the start of moving into our new home ten years ago. Vomiting too!  For some reason she couldn't choose to hit the tile or wood floor, it had to be the carpet! In her defense, she was a stress pee-er...meaning at times when I would leave her alone she would do it because she was upset. At least that is what the vet said. 

Then as the years went by, the lightening and thunder would terrify her. If we weren't home...she would go downstairs and pee and poop during a storm.  When Uncle Bob would come to visit, she would always leave her mark outside his room. She would become ill  if she somehow ate something she shouldn't have and then yuk there it was again right on the carpet.  These are the reasons she was the worst dog ever. We will have to replace our carpeting and padding in our 6000 square foot house as she has managed to hit every floor in our house right where the spots can be seen!  Imagine a 98 lb dog's bladder size!



She loved me completely, unconditionally. Actually probably almost better than my own children! She totally lived to love me! Wherever I went in the house, she followed me. She slept on the floor next to my bed.  If I had to sleep on the couch because of Dan's snoring, she would find me and sleep next to me.  Always protecting me! 



For many years she would come to work with me in our warehouse office. Many of our customers would love to see her and bring her cookies.  Every morning when I would leave to go to the office, she would watch me and jump up, not to be left behind.



Then one day, she did not want to come with me anymore.  And she wouldn't climb up the stairs in our house anymore to be with me. It was hard to be without her, knowing that she wanted to be with me but couldn't.



Two weeks ago she was diagnosed with an osteosarcoma in her shoulder.  She had started to limp right after her last bath.  I thought she was just sore from over manipulation during her grooming.  When she didn't get better after a few days, I took her to the vet and had her leg X-rayed. The initial diagnosis was a pinched nerve, but the possibility of it being something more was suggested. So with more pain meds I took her home, hoping it would get better.  Her hind legs were already making it hard for her to get up, in fact I had to constantly lift her up from behind to get her up to go outside potty or for her meals.  Once up, she was able to move around pretty good.  And there were times when I wasn't there to help her, that somehow she managed to move where she wanted to go.  But when she started limping with her front leg, everything was harder for her.  She would fall when she was going potty, falling in it, and being embarrassed.  Cleaning her up was not easy.  I called the vet to tell him the limp was not getting better.  Being her main doctor, who had not yet looked at the X-rays from Maggie’s weekend visit, he told me that he feared she had bone cancer.  And that on a scale of one to ten, ten being worst, this was about a nine.  He told me there was nothing we could do, and that the best course of action would be to put her down.  He said we didn't have to do it that day, but that we should discuss it as a family. The quality of her life was diminishing daily.



The next day after talking to the doctor, we had a surprise party at our home for Scott and Mariclare’s 25th wedding anniversary.  I did not want that to be the day we made a decision.  And somehow Maggie rallied for the party, everyone told her how pretty she was and gave her love.



July 26th, she could hardly get up..she hadn't been eating much, and she was much thinner.  We decided that we needed to take her. . . Tommy went with me and was my rock. He stayed with her until the very end. I only wanted to stay until she was in a deep sleep, which was supposed to take 3-5 minutes according to the doctor.  TWENTY minutes later we were still petting her and talking to her. She did not want to sleep!  When it seemed like she was  finally  in a deep sleep, not lifting her head up anymore,I left the room.  I sat in my car outside crying.  Another woman with her dog came out, saw me and started crying too. 



When it was over, Tommy came out and took me home.  I threw out everything that belonged to her ao I wouldn’t have to see it.  Then, Tommy and I decided to go to Red Ginger to have lunch and a goodbye drink for Maggie. Tommy had a Mai-Tai, and I had a non-alcoholic beer. After a few sips, Tommy said to me, “Mom, I wasn't going to tell you this until you were on your deathbed, but Maggie lifted her head up twice after you left.”. I asked him if he thought she knew I wasn't there.  He was sweet and said “no mom”.  He said the doctor and the assistant cried as they injected her.  She was a good old girl.  She was the best dog and the worst dog.



I will miss her love.






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