Email from Mom

On Maggie's birthday this year, she would have been 15 years old. She had been so lonely since Emily died. She was totally deaf and nearly blind. She had been going downhill at a steady pace, but had gotten to the point that she could not stand or walk without crying, and she had stopped eating. Because of her many years of fierce loyalty and devotion to all of us and to each and every child who entered our door, for protecting our property against all strangers who dared show their face (little did they know she would have wagged them to death), and for just being a damn good dog, we lovingly had her misery ended yesterday afternoon.

Sheba is tossing the ball, and Luke, JT, Emily and Maggie are all running after it.

Love you all-

Durned old dogs...

For reference, Sheba is the dog I adopted from my friend Bud when I was in High School and he went away to college. She taught the rest of the pack manners, and those manners outlived her, being passed down from Alpha Female to Alpha Female over the 20+ years since she's been our family dog. Maggie was the most recent Alpha Female at Mom's house, and maintained, and taught, manners to the other critters there.

Godspeed, Maggie, and I'll see you and the rest of the pack sooner or later.