Maggie


A loyal member of the Deely family, Warwick, RI cerca 1982-February 28, 1992

Fate led us to her, I believe. I was only 10 years old on that hot July day back in 1987, and disconsolate over the sudden loss of our family's beautiful cat, Lancelot, only the previous morning. Yet something must have called to my father when he opened the pages of our local paper and saw her picture: Maggie, a beautiful black cocker spaniel, waiting patiently for a home at the city animal shelter.

Reluctantly, I joined my family's pilgrimage to see her. I only wanted my Lancelot back-- not a dog, not anything. And when we were led to her pen, I refused to look...until out of the corner of my eye, I saw that small, wagging stub of a tail. We all fell in love with this sweet, wonderful dog, who had been through so much...an owner who had loved her had been forced to give her away, and somewhere along the line, she had been found wandering the streets, lost, alone...and so utterly terrified. Maggie, you see, was blind. Cataracts had stolen her physical vision sometime early in life, but never did that blindness rob her of her spirit and joy in living. From that day we brought her home, she taught us all so much.

All owners think (or know! :) ) that their dogs are angels, but Maggie was in a class by herself. With so much to bear on her small shoulders, she gave us unconditional love--and, with her unflagging determination, the patient way she learned to overcome her lack of sight, to master the layout of home and yard, to greet us with that same wagging stub of a tail and happy jumps onto laps and knees..she was a heroine without comparison.

Even heroines must take their leave. A persistent and painful tumor emerged on our beautiful girl in late 1991, and finally, on a cold, cloudy February day, so markedly different from its July precedent 5 years earlier, my family gave Maggie the greatest gift we could under those circumstances. We set her free.

No more pain, no more suffering would trail her. She now romps and plays in a place where there is light, and warmth, and love...and where finally, her eyes can bring her all the joy her great heart brought us for those few precious years.

In the years since, another dog has come into our home and hearts, we have lost another feline family member, and "Maggie's kids"--my sister and I--have grown up and left home. Yet no matter what else changes, our memories of her, and the lessons she taught us, remain forever with us all. Rest in peace, sweet girl. You are always in our hearts.