Best Buds!

By now you've noticed a certain dog seems to appear in every post. Who is Maggie? Maggie is my 9 1/2 year old yellow lab and is my constant companion. My husband and I love Labs. In the 38 years we've been married we've owned a black lab, Poko, a chocolate lab, Caia, and Maggie. And in 38 years there have only been 2 weeks we haven't owned a lab.

While we were in Florida Maggie had a variety of interests. My daughter, Jan, kept her active in agility classes and frequently took her on trips to the barn where she kept her horse. They did trail walks together, and participated in local dog walks, costume parties and even doggie birthday parties.

I guess Maggie has had just as big an adjustment in these last few years as I have! She left her warm climate and her social activities to come north with us. Many thought Maggie was Jan's dog and were surprised she wasn't going with Jan. As for me, I faced the coming changes with no false bravado. It was clear. If I was leaving my job, my home, my friends and my kids, I wasn't going to lose my dog! Since then Maggie has become a well-traveled dog. She has lost count of the trips to Iowa and Florida we have made. She has discovered babies don't walk and was SO excited to discover little boys do! She has patiently read stories with them, shared her bed with them, and even allowed one to put his stethoscope on her. She has spent the night on my sister's boat in St. Mary's, run on the beach at Hilton Head and in general, decided traveling is fun.

Most of all, she has helped fill the empty nest while brightening the view! She's my buddy.

Oops! Here she is now. It must be dinnertime!