Goodbye My Friend

I've sat to write this, and I've stared at the blinking cursor on the empty page, as tears filled my eyes. Yet it is near impossible for me to put into words how I feel.

On Thursday we lost one of our best friends. She was our running partner, our bed warmer, our floor sweeper, our protector, she was a member of our family.

Justin and I got Maggie the summer before we got married. We decided we wanted a Great Dane, and found someone who had a litter. I went to pick one out and she was not the one I wanted. I held all of the other females, yet every time I turned around, there she was sitting at my feet wagging her tail. So finally I picked her up in my arms, and that's where she stayed. She was only 7 weeks old and barely over 6 pounds. It's hard to remember her ever being that small. Yet that small little black and white ball instantly made a big impact on our lives.

She was our baby before Wyatt, and never stopped being our baby. When we first got her, Justin and I were about to move from our apartment, which didn't allow pets, into our current home. So she stayed at my parent's house for the first month. But she was too cute and too sweet to stay away from, and I would wrap up that little puppy like a baby, and sneak her into our apartment day after day, then bring her back to my parent's at night. As she got bigger that swaddled baby started to whimper and squirm, and sometimes even had a little black tail with white tip that would hang out of the end of the blanket, yet no one ever said a word.

Every camping trip, car ride, and walk, she was right by our side. And when we were sitting on the couch and there was only six inches of room left, up she came, squeezed herself in, because after all, despite her size, she was a lapdog.

And the day we brought Wyatt home from the hospital, I knew we had a special dog. He was instantly hers, and she was his

They became best friends. Sharing toys, snacks, and sticks. Wyatt's newest trick was holding on tight to her tail and yelling "go go go!" And Maggie would lumber around the living room, pulling Wyatt, who was giggling with delight, behind her.

She left us so unexpectedly after four very short, but wonderful years of life. I would give just about anything for one more day with her. One more night curled up in bed with her. One more sloppy kiss. One more chance to see her and Wyatt play in the yard, neither of them with a care in the world.

We miss her more then words can begin to say. But we are forever grateful for what she gave to our lives. She was never our dog, and always our baby.

This is from a poem I wrote when I was 12 years old, it seems to fit:

"Nothing can hold you, or help your heart to mend, for nothing can ease the loss of a friend."

We love you Maggie, Rest In Peace.

April 11, 2006 - May 13, 2010