Farewell Best Friend

I've said goodbye to the warmest, softest, sweetest, furriest, companion I've ever had. It's a heartwrenching day for me, and I want to wallow in it. Instead, I'm going to try to share some of the wonderful memories I have of Super-Shedder, aka  Princess, Fuzzball, Her Highness, Gorgeous Girl, and towards the end... The Poopin' Pup. Mostly she was Miss Maggie.

We brought Maggie home in June of 2000. She was a ball of fur that loved being held. I carried her everywhere. One day we needed a tree to be trimmed and hired Tony to do the work. Tony had a Rottweiler named Buckles who went everywhere with him. Buckles was the best behaved dog I had ever seen.

Maggie harassed him mercilessly. Buckles finally retreated to the wagon where he could escape her jumping all over his head and nipping his heals.

Many years later, Maggie had her comeuppance. A friend went on a trip and we took care of her Shih-tzu puppy. Maggie had no idea what to do as Pepper climbed all over her head, bit her feet, and jumped on her tail. Call it Karma. What goes around, comes around.

Maggie had a few personality quirks.
1) She was terrified of feathers. She would growl and bark at them, and walk around them, but she wouldn't go near them.

2) She had a blankie that went everywhere with her. One time she stole our king size blanket off of our waterbed and brought it out to the family room. I made her drag it back to our bedroom and jump back up on the bed with it.

3) She loved sitting in the recliner with Larry. As a puppy it was cute. I warned him that she would want to do it as an adult. He didn't believe me.

By the time we moved, the recliner was a lop-sided mess. It took her awhile to realize there was no recliner in the new house. She finally adapted to the floor.

4) She loved pizza, but anyone who has read this blog has read the stories of Maggie and pizza.

5) She learned from other dogs. It wasn't until she saw my daughter's beagle sleeping in a dog bed that she decided she would like one. And then after we got her one, it wasn't until Hunter slept in it that Maggie would use it.

From then on, Maggie and Hunter frequently swapped beds or even shared one.

6) After watching Larry get the paper every morning, Maggie decided that would be her job. She brought in the paper every day.

7) Maggie loved babies. Photographs were proof of that. In them she can be seen lying next to the car seat, swing, or bouncer, letting toddlers crawl all over her or just crawl around her checking her out. Her expression in this picture says it all. Peace, love, and joy.

Maggie was truly a gorgeous dog, and I'm not just a proud mama. People said it so often I think she expected to hear it. She may have thought that was her name. My favorite picture was taken in Pennsylvania when she was a year old. The late afternoon sun just made her glow.

She may have been beautiful, but she was all dog. She went everywhere we would take her.

Larry took her fishing and they spent hours in the boat together.

Janice took Maggie to the barn when she was riding Leia. Leia was such a good horse that when Jan went out on a trail if Maggie didn't stay close by, Leia would turn and go back to get her. Maggie loved the barn, the horses and of course their water buckets. Especially the water buckets.

I took her on all of my travels. Of all the places I took her I never saw her as happy as when she was running on the beach at Hilton Head.

Although Maggie was a Retriever by breed, she belied that name. When it came to playing Fetch or Catch, she was more like Lucy in the outfield. She would duck her head if a Frisbee came too close, or watch it go by and then amble over to pick it up. Instead her talent lay in her nose. At a tracking clinic we were told she could have been trained as a tracker for search and rescue. On walks I think that's what she thought she was doing. They could take forever, if I let her. Her nose would check out every deer print, every bush, etc. One time she had her nose buried intently in the grass trying to ferret out whatever could be making that scent! When she raised up her head, she jumped. There was a dead bird lying in the grass 6 inches away.

Through agility training, pet sitting visits with Janice, trips to PetSmart and dog parks she met lots of dogs and one-on-one they were great, but gangs of dogs intimidated her. She much preferred people, overall. At the dog park I could always find her under a picnic table or sitting next to a human getting her ears scratched.

In Florida Maggie would go outside for a half hour at a time to lay in the sun. In Pittsburgh, it took her a couple of years to realize that just because the sun was shining didn't mean it was warm enough to go out and sunbathe. She would stand at the sliding glass doors and stare at the snow covered deck. I'd open the door and she'd take 2 steps out, Stop, and backup into the house again. The sun doesn't come out that often in winter in Pittsburgh. That may account for why it took her so long to catch on to the fact that sun didn't mean Warm!

We have been blessed. When Larry and I got married, my sister gave us a black Lab/Border Collie mix puppy as a wedding present. (She owned the mother Lab.) Headstrong, hyper and full of energy, Poko lived 15 years. Next came a headstrong but manageable and lovable chocolate Lab, Caia. We had Caia 14 years. Maggie, our yellow Lab, has been the most mellow, best behaved dog. She would have been 14 on March 1. In 43 years we have had 3 wonderful, but very different dogs...all Labrador Retrievers.

Right now, there are no plans to get another dog. We plan to travel alot and feel we need to be unencumbered.  But the hole in our hearts won't go away soon. It will remain for days to come. But she gave me 14 years of Life, a beautiful life.. Our dogs have brought such joy. They have been as much a part of our family as our children. Right now, saying goodbye to Maggie is an indescribable pain. All I know is she had a pretty great life for a dog. And I had a pretty great life as her Mama.

Rest in peace, sweet girl.

Happiness is a Warm Towel--and a Curry Comb

Bath time is not Maggie's favorite thing. I try to wait until the weather is kind of warm, but a warm day does not mean warm water!

This week, the weather broke and it was time. Maggie watched as I collected things. When I changed my shoes and put on my jacket, she started to get excited."Walk??" her eyes and ears asked. "Sorry, girl. Not yet." I answered.

We headed downstairs and I opened the garage door. She ran out and waited hopefully. Then I found her 'bath' leash and shampoo and threw them in the grass. I noticed a curry comb hiding under some stuff. It was left over from Janice's equestrian days. We had used it on Maggie sometimes but I had forgotten it.

The 'comb' is actually a hard rubber disk with a hand-hold on one side and rubber 'fingers' on the other. Ours is like the pink one in the top right corner of this picture. When used on a horse it picks up the dirt embedded under the coat. It feels like a massage for a horse...or a dog! I picked it up and laid it next to the shampoo.

When I started to pull out the hose Maggie stood in the corner of the yard and watched. I called her over. She stood in the corner of the yard...and watched. I gave her my cheerful "Come on!", excited voice. She stood in the corner of the yard...and watched.

Now I don't really know what it is about a bath for a Lab. It could hardly be the cold water. I've known Labs to jump in a stream in the middle of winter, even if they might break through a thin layer of ice! Perhaps they see it as some sort of humiliation--tied to a leash and hosed down. Whatever it is, I AM the boss. Time to exert some authority!

"Maggie, Heal!" The tail drooped. The head went down. But slowly she walked over. She finds it harder to ignore some commands than others. "Heal" almost always works.

I attached one end of the leash to her collar, and stepped on the other end. I turned on the water, and lightly sprayed her coat and added the shampoo. She leaned away from me. I picked up the curry comb and began to rub her back with it. Suddenly Maggie changed direction. She leaned into me. Her tail went up in a slow wag. She stretched out her neck. I couldn't see her face, but I'm pretty sure she was smiling. This was way better than my fingers. It made the shame of a public bath well worth it.

After her bath she raced around the yard and rolled in the grass. Then I held up the towel. Joyfully she galloped over to me and threw herself broadside against my legs and into the towel. (She has always loved the towel rubdown!) I rubbed her down, turned it over to the dry side and she turned around so I could rub her other side.


Every time I've watched a baby get his first bath he cried miserably. As soon as it was over and he was wrapped in a warm towel the sigh was audible. He hadn't learned to smile yet, but if he had, it would have spread across his face.

Yep...nothing like a massage and a warm towel to take away your troubles!

2 Old Dogs

Tuesday is Maggie's birthday. She will be 12 years old. I'm posting this today, because my daughter is moving tomorrow, and I will be without an internet connection for a couple of days.

12 is not an easy age for a dog. Over the past year I've seen her slow down some. Walks take longer, hills are harder. We both agree. We aren't as young as we used to be. According to one way of calculating 'dog years', Maggie and I are pretty close in age.

I think animals and people have some similar experiences when it comes to aging. This week I have been helping my daughter get her new home ready to move in. After a few days of stooping, and standing, lifting and carrying, I began each day with Advil. Every part of me hurt. Sitting was painful... and I would have welcomed a crane to hoist me back up. Advil didn't make a dent.

Maggie knows how I feel. When she wants to lay down, I watch as Maggie slowly positions her hind legs and then lowers herself to the ground. When it is time to stand up she angles her hips, and then slowly hoists herself up. She starts her day with Bufferin in a "Greenie Pill Pocket". I'm not sure it helps her much either.

She spends a lot of her day sleeping. I don't sleep as much, but she sure does make it look fun.

There is another side to aging. No matter how old we get, in our heads we are still spring chickens. I see that similarity between us as well. When it is time to hit the sidewalk for a walk we start out with a spring in our step even if our tail is dragging on the way home. (1/2 mile later.)

Tonight we had pizza for dinner. Even though her birthday is 2 days away, we decided to celebrate early. Anyone who knows Maggie knows Pizza is one of her very favorite foods. (See  Elephants and Old Dogs Never Forget, Sept. 10, 2010  http://viewfromanemptynest-connie.blogspot.com/2010/09/elephants-and-old-dogs-never-forget.html )


Pizza arrives!

Something smells good!

Waiting Patiently while we sang Happy Birthday.

After we sang Happy Birthday I cut it into pieces and added it to her dinner in her bowl. She never touched her dinner, but ate the pizza and then stared at the rest of us waiting for our crusts. Such a greedy girl!

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Young at Heart--Tips from an old dog

Maggie turns 11 today. In dog years that would make her somewhere in her late 70's. How has age changed her? The obvious is that she is no longer a puppy that chews everything in sight, nor a maniac youngster with too much energy. But there are subtle changes as well.

She doesn't run as hard as she used to. As a youngster when she ran, she ran all out, leaping over fallen trees, hurtling down the slope of the retention pond and back up again. Sometimes she would run so hard she would hurt herself. There was no half-speed for her. Her eagerness outdid her reason.Today she enjoys a chance to run, and she gets up some good speed. Her ears flap back and her mouth opens wide into a smile. It still feels so good to her, but it is tempered by reason, experience...and age.

It wasn't so long ago that Maggie was enticed by the crackle of an empty water bottle. It was one of her favorite toys. When she found one, she would grab it and take off with it. We would wait until most of the crackle was gone and then get it back from her before she started swallowing little plastic shards. I've been collecting water bottles for a project at church. They are all over the house. If I give her one, she'll crackle it for awhile, but she hasn't stolen one. Signs of changed interests.

Her 'toy' of choice is one of my slippers. She greets me at the door with them, and can even find them on command. The other day she even had one tucked under her head as she slept. One day Warren decided she should wear them.

 She's good with the grandchildren. Patient, calm, comfortable. And in turn, they are patient, calm, and comfortable around her.

 

Now it's plain to see the closeness of her loved ones has taken precedence to the excitement of toys.

On walks she has always been well-mannered, but there was a constant tug on the end of the leash as we took off. The return trip is always slower though. I've found the fastest way to slow a dog down is to turn around and start heading home. It may seem as though they are tired, but mostly they are just trying to prolong the time outside with their master. Now as we walk, I'm not sure if it is age or just good manners, but even as she trots ahead of me, the leash is never taut.

Maggie still runs sometimes, but she doesn't run as hard or as long as she used to. Mostly she's happy just to walk along side me.

And she really does enjoy her naps.

But the other day I saw a younger Maggie. The day was the promise of the spring to come. The sun was warm, the breeze light. As we took off on our walk her head was up, ears forward. She set a lively pace, eager to get where we were going.  The week had been a dreary one. The weather was cold, and I was busy. The result was a bored dog. But if I think she's getting old, today she reminded me she can still keep me on my toes. She's only as old as I let her be. The more I give her to do, the younger she remains. She reminds me she may be getting old, but she's not ready to be put on the shelf.

.

Happy Birthday, Maggie!

Elephants (and Old Dogs) Never Forget

They say elephants never forget, but I think that is also true of old dogs. Tonight Maggie proved her memory is long.

Our street is currently under demolition. The much anticipated reconstruction phase hasn't begun yet. Cars carefully navigate the exposed storm sewers and bounce over the rock base the construction crew left us. Fortunately the sidewalks are ok so Maggie and I went out for a late afternoon walk. We walked the half mile to the entrance of our neighborhood. At the corner I walked around some of the rock piles toward some tall grass. Cars were passing us on the street, but one turned onto our street. Instantly, Maggie turned her whole body to stare at the car. Her eyes followed it as it went up the street. It was a non-descript older car, small, but with a triangle shaped sign strapped to it's roof. She watched until it was out of sight and then started to pull me towards the road.

The sign on the car was for Domino's Pizza! Now, we have never had Domino's Pizza delivered to our house, but there must have been an aroma around that car because she was mesmerized. Years ago though, the most exciting night in her life was Friday nights and it started by my writing a check. As soon as she saw me write the check she would sit by the front door waiting for the Pizza Delivery Man.

As we began the climb back up the hill, several cars were gingerly picking their way down the road. At the end of the line was the Domino's Pizza car. Once again, Maggie stopped and turned to follow the car. I swear, if she'd been wearing a hat, she would have taken it off and held it over her heart.

Poor girl. I know she was hoping he had stopped at our house, but the only thing waiting for her was her Denta-stix and Iams Weight Control dog food. Sorry old girl.