Our sweet Maggie Magoo

Our sweet Maggie Magoo crossed the rainbow bridge last night.  Momma has no words so Daddy is here to help fill the silence.

Whether you knew her as Maggie Mae, Magpie, Maggie Magoo, Mags, or her given name, Sugar Magnolia, if you EVER met Maggie, even once, what you are about to read contains nothing you don't already know. If you never met Maggie, by the time you read through this, you will feel like you have known her all of your life. I will not discuss the details of her passing but would rather write this as a celebration of what Maggie represented, which was happiness and love for everyone she ever met.

Maggie was the Queen and Court Jester all wrapped into one. I will never forget the day we went to get her from a family that bought her but decided their child was too young for the responsibility of a puppy. We took Mutley to be sure they would get along and sure enough they did. I fought Melody on getting a second dog. However, I stopped at the bank on the way because I knew I was fighting a losing battle. We moved to Georgia just a few weeks after Maggie joined our family. At our first vet visit in Georgia, they had us wait in room until Maggie's temperature decreased, as she was at heat stroke temperature level...just due to her excitement of being there! Maggie's thought process was everyone in any given place was there to see HER! We would watch as other pet owners would cautiously gather their pet closer to them, as if whatever Maggie had was contagious. The only thing Maggie had was that she loved EVERYone! It didn't matter if you were a friend or a robber, all she wanted to do is give you kisses and love.

Maggie had her moments to say the least. She eventually gained another nickname, Jamie Summers (The Six Million Dollar Woman). She would have received the name Lindsey Wagner, had Mutley not already taken that name. Maggie got into more pickles than any dog I had ever seen! One day she was running with a stick in her mouth. Of course, she had it positioned like a cigar in her mouth so when it hit the ground, it went in the back of her throat and off to the vet for emergency surgery. That is the only example I am going to give you but just know there were MANY more under just as crazy circumstances. Thus, the nickname mentioned above. But it didn't matter to her. It never took her long to bounce back and be in the next situation...all in the name of having fun!

She never held a grudge. Mind you, she had a pissy side that would show but never for an extended period of time. For example, if I went out of town, it was almost a guarantee there would be a pile of poop in my office when I returned. Always right in the middle of my office, just to be sure I couldn't miss it when I returned. No grudge, just letting me know that I never should have left.

Maggie was our first dog we raised from a puppy. We had her the longest. She is not more or less important than any other pet we currently have or have had in the past, but she did have the longest imprint. Melody told me that all of the dogs are her babies but Maggie was her friend. And that is so true. She took care of Melody as much as Melody took care of her, especially through the losses of Mutley and Maydell. She was a fixture that will leave an empty spot in our hearts forever. I have had two people tell me this week that maybe Elizabeth came into our lives for just this reason. Not to replace Maggie by any means but rather to ease the pain and allow us to continue to share our love - that same love we had for Maggie. Jessie, Desdemona and Elizabeth will certainly miss her and those three will keep us on our toes for sure. Our circus has certainly not ended. We are just missing the ringleader.

So the next time you hear Sugar Magnolia on the radio, think fondly of Maggie. Listen closely to the melody. It truly embodies her spirit...her attitude...her joy!