Magdelaina Moonshine aka Maggie, my girlie-girl, loved to have painted nails and dress up for any occasion.  She loved to prance around in costume and participate in parades or Halloween parties.  She had a broad smile which she exposed often, a fun loving dog who loved to be with people.  She was a bit needy, always wanting to be right next to someone - following me around all the time, never out of my sight.  She was my shadow and I have no idea how I will adjust to life without her.



Maggie was an especially nurturing soul, which she displayed in many ways.  She often laid her head on my pregnant belly and looked up at me with sympathy for the aches and pains I was going through.  When I brought home a kitty that was abandoned at a day old, she tried to nurse him even though it had been many years since her one and only litter of pups.  And most recently, she came to my rescue when I fell and was unconscious.  I awoke to her licking my face; she may have saved my life that night.  On her last day on earth, although she hadn't had the strength in her legs to climb stairs in quite awhile, she attempted them when she heard me awake with a cough.  She risked her own life to check on me, once again.  That's my girl, selfless, heroic, with a boundless love.



While she nursed her litter of ten pups, I was often nursing my bundle of joy beside her 10 years ago.  She and I bonded in so many ways.  She loved to go hiking with me, just her and I, sharing a day together, rain or shine.  She never complained about the weather or being out too long.  She simply followed my lead no matter where it lead her.



My black wool coat will no longer be bespeckled with silky white Dalmatian fur, and the vacuum belt will probably last a whole lot longer than usual now, but I'd take those problems back any day.  Christmas will be hard this year as she so enjoyed opening presents and it undoubtedly will be mentioned.  She would hold them ever so gingerly between painted nails gently pulling apart the wrapping to reveal the prize beneath.  Even when she knew which gifts were hers under the tree for weeks before, she wouldn't touch them until they were offered to her.



The other pets are showing their grief over the loss of her.  Sammy, the African Grey Parrot, still calls out, "Maggie Dawg, you OK?  You OK, girl?" and the kitty she once tried to nurse is quizzically searching the house howling with actual tears running down his sweet kitty face.  We must all grieve in our own way, I suppose, but I like to think that her nurturing spirit is still here with her pet family, holding them and stroking them through their pain.



I am so grateful that God selected me to be her caretaker, that He chose me to be the guardian of such a magnificently loving and giving creature.  I am surely blessed to have been granted that role in my lifetime.



I picture her now running pain free in an open field, full throttle as she did her sprints around the house here - ears flapping, full broad smile and eyes sparkling bright in the sunshine.  That's the memory of her I'll carry with me, the happy pain-free dog, full of life and joy.  I hope she continues to watch over me and my family as we live out our days here on earth, and I hope she's waiting for me on the other side for that heavenly hike.  Carry on girly-girl!  Your presence in my life made me a better person.  Thank you for all you gave me.  Momma loves you!