Lucky You: Maggie

It's been a little over a week now that we lost our dog, Maggie.

10 years ago, when Dr. Dad and I bought our first house, it had a fenced in backyard, and we decided to do the whole Suburban Neighborhood thing right and get a dog.

I wanted a Sheltie, because I thought they were pretty. I didn't do any research, because I am impulsive like that. When I found out how much a puppy cost I was shocked. We decided to put the issue on the back-burner.

Not long after there was an ad in the paper. A woman was selling her year-old Sheltie because she didn't have time to care for her. We drove over and that was it. We had a dog.

I had a hard time bonding with her because she was never socialized, and she didn't like to be touched. She seemed pretty nervous around me...but she loved Dr. Dad. In time we grew to like one another, and she became a big part of our lives.

She was a very smart and loyal dog. When we were pregnant with Baby Girl we took her to a trainer and she learned so quickly. She made the move with us a few years ago; she went with us on short trips; she welcomed Baby Boy and made him laugh.

She never ran away, she stayed with us and guarded our yard (sometimes a little too well). She was very true to her breed, trying to "herd" us if we did things she didn't like, barking like crazy at anything (or anyone) she wasn't familiar with, running after cars, airplanes, geese or people that crossed in front of or over our property.

We found out she had cancer late last summer. We knew she had a limited time, but it's never easy to actually say goodbye.

She went the best possible way, in our home with all the people around her who loved her. It was fast and she was comfortable for most of the day.

I am surprised at how much I am still looking for her, expecting her to bark when I pull in the driveway; waiting for her to steal a snack from the kids; watching to make sure I don't step on her when I get up from a chair.