Sweet 16 🐾💝🐾

💔 Forever Young………💔

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with lots to be thankful for this year!

As always, I’ve been most grateful for my beloved Maddie, my family & friends. ❤

Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest. It’s about who walked into your life and said “I’m here for you and proved it.” ~ Unknown ~

I’m very lucky to have so many amazing, lifelong friends, including friendships we forged in the 4th grade, junior high school, high school & 4-H! You know who you are & I hope you know how much I love & treasure you. 💞

I’ve also made some truly special friendships throughout the years, including some through work & a few more that I met on our yearlong roadtrip.

💔 Maddie…the love of my life...💔

When I adopted Maddie from PEI, Canada at 22 months old, I never dreamed that she’d still be with me at 16! On Thanksgiving Day, November 23rd, we celebrated her 16th birthday❣

Our 14+ years together absolutely flew by, much too quickly. After losing my beloved Shadow suddenly in September 2006, I waited 3 years to adopt a dog.

I didn’t think that I could ever love another dog, as much as I loved her & it wouldn’t have been fair to have a new dog try to live in Shadow’s shadow.

I was wrong… 😍

Maddie & Shadow shared many similar traits & quirks, but Maddie smiled, wagged her tail & immediately secured her own special place in my heart.

🥺 TISSUE ALERT 🥺

I’m heartbroken to share with you that on Friday morning, December 1st, my sweet, smart, loyal, adventurous, loving, amazing & beautiful Maddie crossed over the Rainbow Bridge. 💔

“Do not think I did not hear every last word you said.
Do not think I did not feel your trembling hand touch my head.
Today you did the bravest thing,
today you set me free.
Thank you for a wonderful life,
thank you for loving me.“

💔 ~ Author Unknown ~ 💔

I’ve been working on this tribute to Maddie for awhile because I knew I wouldn’t be able to find the words now. 🥺 Searching through the 100’s (1000’s?) of photos I have of her has been surprisingly therapeutic. It’s reminded me of how lucky we both were to have shared our lives & adventures. 💞

Looking at Maddie recently, at a standstill, she never looked close to 16! Her beautiful, black fur was as shiny & full, as always.

Right up until she crossed Rainbow Bridge, she still had her sweet puppy face.

She was eating great, sleeping peacefully, breathing normally & using the doggie door, as needed. She was deaf, but her eyesight was really amazing!

I came to this excruciatingly painful decision to say goodbye now because of her declining mobility. She’d been struggling to get up occasionally & walking was becoming painful for her. She’d had a few slips outside & couldn’t get up to come back inside. She always HATED the cold, wet weather & with winter fast approaching now, it would only get worse for her.

As Friday morning approached, I started to second guess myself. Maddie was still doing “well”. If we were living somewhere with warm weather, I wouldn’t have made this gutwrenching decision now. To hopefully avoid any major regrets later on, I requested a consult with our vet, Dr. K, prior to the appointment.

As always, Dr. K was wonderful. 💕 She sat on the floor with me & did a quick exam of Maddie. As it turned out, Maddie was in really good shape, especially for a 16 year young pup. Now my decision became even more difficult… 😥

As I sat & softly stroked Maddie’s beautiful face, I made the final decision to say goodbye. I knew that she loved me & would keep fighting to stay with me, to her own detriment. Dr. K had said that she wouldn’t try to influence my decision, but at 16, she said that we’d be back there again sooner than later. My fear of having to say goodbye in an emergency situation returned. I’d lost my beloved Shadow under emergency circumstances & I never want that to happen again…ever… 🥺

As final preparations were made, I opened a small bag of Reese’s mini candies for her. She’d never had chocolate before, but she loved peanut butter, so I knew it was a good choice for her last snack. I ate one & she ate all the rest! I could barely get the foil wrappers off fast enough for her. 😁

As I held Maddie’s sweet face, nose to nose with mine, I told her that I loved her & to go find Shadow at Rainbow Bridge.

In just a few moments, she was gone, very peacefully.

💔 My heart is broken, but I’m at peace with my decision. 💔

I know that Shadow was waiting for her at Rainbow Bridge. I’m sure that they found each other & were soon off & running on an exciting adventure together. 💕

I just hope they remember to come back for me, when it’s my time to cross the bridge…

I want to thank Dr. K, Vet Tech L.B. 💓 & the entire staff at the veterinary hospital. For the 14.5 years that Maddie was their patient, they always provided excellent care & advice, in a professional, kind & compassionate manner.

I also need to thank my devoted support team of family & friends for helping me navigate this heartbreak… 💝 Your phone calls, cards, texts & emails have truly helped me.

Special thanks to my dear friends, WM, DR, PC, MH & to my sister, Carla. You all played extraordinarily important roles for me, as I said goodbye to Maddie. ❤

Good Old Dog by Savana Frame

With your old, gray face, you sure know how to brighten up this place.

Your pace is slowing, time is wearing thin. You won’t be here for long, old dog & I will miss your grin.

But before you go, there is one thing to say. Old dog, I love you and I’ll miss you the rest of my days.

And it’s been an honor to walk across this land with your faithful head right at my hand.

Dogs may age, but their hearts forever remain young and full of love. 💝

I had a Lennie Gallant CD cranked up on the radio. He’s my favorite musician from PEI. Maddie couldn’t hear the music, but I could tell that she could feel the vibrations.💓

The silhouette of a black dog is on the wall at the pet crematorium, where I delivered her to be cremated. Her ashes have been returned to me now, so she’ll always be with me… ❤

Dr. Seuss was a very wise man. I’ve shed a lot of tears in recent weeks, but I keep remembering this quote. As I reminisce about the amazing life that Maddie & I shared, I’ve smiled a lot, too.

Maddie

November 23, 2007

💜 LOVE 💜

December 1, 2023