RIP Maddie Girl

Maddie girl lived a long happy life. We got her as a pup at the rescue shelter and she was never weaned from her mother so she was very ill. I think that was on my birthday in 1997 when she was only 4-5 weeks old. When my mom took her to the vet he said our best option was to put her down. We got a second opinion and decided she was worth a fighting chance. My mom fed the little furball using a syringe for weeks. We'd find her hiding behind our washing machine--a sign, the vet said, of preparing for death. Pretty soon she was just like any other happy healthy puppy. 

And boy was she a survivor! 

She even survived a baseball bat swing. One night during my freshman year in high school I had friends over in my backyard while my parents were out (eek!). We were playing baseball and messing around when Maddie accidentally was hit by a swing of the bat by Chris Wright--but we don't blame him at all. Then she disappeared! We all searched for her throughout the house. Finally Phil Arciniega had the brilliant idea to ring the doorbell. Out ran the happy Maddie girl like nothing happened. It was quite a relief for us all, especially Chris! I have so many fond memories of her like this. She was definitely my parent's dog though. Their relationship was really amazing--my mom described it as being pure. 

I was gone to school for a lot of her older life, but whenever I came home she seemed to grow wiser and more loving. My parents started watching after my own dog Babs recently, and Maddie girl looked after Babs and Buddie like a mom would--even though she was a little jealous and grumpy at times. I'm so sad that she is gone from us, but it really is probably for the best. She had some hip problems and seemed to be in pain. She had a lot of trouble with the hard wood in the house and could only get around if we laid towels down. My parents sure gave her the life of luxury--sleeping on the bed, a big backyard and food accompanied by dog gravy. She barked really loud all the time and shed like crazy. She would look you in the eye and hold it. We love you Madelyn Pine!