Maggie ~ RIP

Jack rescued Maggie when she was only a few months old...a Border Collie/Sheltie Mix...the littlest dog in a house full of Golden Retrievers.

He tells me that she was a great mole hunter, digging up the yard until she caught one. That she didn't like to play with toys but, if the other dogs had a toy, she wanted it just on general principles. That true to her Border Collie instincts, she would run around the yard and herd the Goldens when it was time to go in the house.

By the time I met Jack and Maggie, she was ten years old. There were no moles to dig up and no Golden Retrievers to herd and she was uninterested in the toys Ryan liked to play with. She accepted me into the family but remained Jack's girl. I fell in love with her.

She was a sweet girl who's favorite thing to do was sleep in Jack's recliner. If he was sitting in it, she'd get in his lap to be cradled like a baby and lick his face. At night as soon as one of us said "It's time for bed, Maggie" she'd get up an go in the bedroom but always looked back to make sure we followed her before she'd go to her spot under the bed. She was terrified of thunderstorms and loud noises and during a storm she'd shake so hard her jaws would chatter. She liked routines and she and Jack had a few. She expected to share anything Jack ate...a few of Jack's Mini Wheats every morning, a piece of his chocolate chip cookie, a taste of his ice cream every night...and any other treats available.

In June 2013 Maggie and Ryan moved into the RV with us and started life on the road. She adjusted to the new life style and traveled with us for almost two and a half years, over 15,000 miles, through twenty six states...until two days ago. 

A few weeks ago I posted that Maggie had been diagnosed with End Stage Renal Disease and her time was short. We hoped it would be months but it was only weeks. She did well until this past weekend and it became obvious on Sunday that the disease was progressing and she was in pain. On Monday, with tears in our eyes, we made the difficult decision to end her suffering and said good bye to our sweet girl...she was 15. 

Ironically, her journey ended in Tombstone, Arizona.