(Photo by Marsha Kingsley)
It's so hard to say good-bye to one of your kids.
Sometimes, no matter how hard you try to save them,
you just can't, and you need to let them go.
That's how it was with our Madeline,
AKA: Mad Dog.
We can only guess what caused her illness,
autoimmune disease we believe.
Mad had been involved in the Georgie Project,
http://www.georgieproject.com her whole life.
Her body was shipped to Utah for the necropsy,
(an autopsy on dogs).
This might give us some answers,
or maybe just more questions.
Mad was 11, not young to some people I suppose,
not not 'old' by our definition either.
I suppose Mad was lucky,
she never lost her sight, or hearing.
She never acted stiff, or sore.
She had a happy, healthy life.
Mad came to 'train' with us for some water work
when she was 2 years old.
Bill and I decided if she didn't get along with our
other PWD, Nina, she would need to go back.
They bonded immediately,
and were best friends.
Mad's first exposure to water wasn't a good one.
Mad in fact, was a very poor swimmer at first.
We took Nina and Mad out to the local pond.
This pond has a pretty steep drop off.
I tossed a bumper for Nina while Bill held Mad.
Mad was barking and honking (she had the funniest honk).
She was so excited and wanted to play!!
I had Bill hold Nina, and tossed the dummy
about 10' out. Mad leaped into the water with
reckless abandon, which became her trademark.
Unfortunately, both Mad and the bumper were now under
the water and all I could see was her white eyeball below
the surface. YIKES!!!
She was nothing if not resilient.
Hind site being 20/20, we would have
introduced her to water differently.
It didn't dampen her love for the water at all.
She LOVED water training & never failed a water test.
(Photo by Marsha Kingsley)
Mad taught us many things.
She showed us that it doesn't matter the age
of the dog, they can bond with a new family.
She would always let us know when it was supper
time, as she'd grab a toy and drop to the floor and
roll on her back. If you didn't take notice, she'd do it again.
She let us know that there's always time for a quick game of ball,
and that life was too short not to have your own cup of ice cream.
She loved to sit on your lap, and thought that
was where she should be. There were times
Bill never made it down to the sofa, before she was
already launching herself into his lap.
Mad didn't see any point to wading pools.
While the BCs would play, she was asking 'WHY'??
Mad was the official face washer of Seeker.
He would put his face in front of her to wash,
she was always willing to help out.
Mad was the most easy going around other dogs.
She was never confrontational, and got along with everyone.
We will miss you Mad.
We still can't believe you're gone.
If there is a Rainbow Bridge, I hope you are
there now, with your best friend Nina.
Hugs to you both.
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