Coming home

Today we received Maggie's remains and her paw print plaque. It was so hard because we were not supposed to bring her home like this. We still miss her so much but each day is getting easier. The little box is so beautiful and I love her little paw print. It is such a great keepsake to have of her.

Things I will remember about Maggie

It was one week ago we said goodbye to our baby girl. I still can't believe that she is gone.We have missed her so much, but we know she is in a better place. There have been so many things we have missed this past week about her and I wanted to document them so I would never forget them. Some are even things that at the time we found annoying, but never realized how much we would miss now that she's gone, like licking the couch or barking at the doorbell.

Things I will remember about our Moo Moo
1. The way she would bark as if she was laughing when I got home from work.

2. The way she would jump on the bathroom door and run in to greet me when I got home from work.

3. She would lick my legs after I got out of the shower.

4. She would jump down off the bed each morning and run upstairs to peek out the blinds and bark at things.

5. The way she scratched at the blanket wanting me to tuck her in.

6. The way she always had to be underneath a blanket. She would bury herself under a blanket in her kennel and sometimes couldn’t find the hole to get out. We would have to untangle her.

7. I loved to tuck her in each night.

8. When I stopped petting her, she would scratch at my arm our put her nose under my arm because she didn’t want me to stop.

9. When she would circle before lying down and then plop down, shaking the bed.

10. She would clean Syd’s eyes, ears and teeth.

11. When she was out of water she would go over to Syd’s bowl and jump up trying to reach his water.

12. I loved how she always laid next to me.

13. She would walk around trying to find the perfect place to bury her bone. She would look at me with it in her mouth wanting me to lift the blanket to help her bury it. It never stayed buried for longer than just a minute. We would always end up taking it away from her so she would forget about it and lay down.

14. She was afraid of the windshield wipers in the car.

15. She would get so excited at the sight of her leash and collar. It was hard to put her harness on because she wouldn’t settle down.

16. When she was a pup, she wouldn’t walk. We had to carry her.

17. When she was a pup, she would curl up on Lee’s shoulder .

18. When Lee shaved his head, she loved to lick it.

19. She would lick the couch and leave wet marks everywhere.

20. She would lick the dirty dishes as we loaded the dishwasher.

21. Although she had to always lay with me or sit on my lap, she didn't necessarily like to be held. When she was being kept at the vet's office it was different. She would lean up next to me and lift up her back leg because she wanted me to pick her up an hold her. I held and rocked her everyday the week she was there.

22. She loved when people came over. She would bark and wag her whole body in excitement.

23. I loved the way she would shake her stuffed animals and pounce on her squeaky toy.

24. She bit her nails when they got too long.

25. We would keep her bones on top of our sky box so Syd wouldn't get to them. She would sit there and whine at us then look up because she knew it was up there.

26. She would be at our feet as we cooked dinner. She was right there if something dropped on the floor.

27. When she was a pup, we kept her in a small kennel. Her ears started to bend backwards, so we got her a bigger kennel. It was so funny.

28. She got her nickname of Moo Moo becuase her first stuffed animal was a cow.

29. She was named after Maggie Simpson.

30. When emptying the garbage, she would go crazy barking when we would shake the new garbage sack open.

31. She would lick the carpet.

32. She loved being scratched under her chin and on her chest.


33. She would go crazy and bark when the doorbell rang.

In Loving Memory of our Precious Maggie.

March 11, 2003~April 21, 2009

We will forever remember you.

Maggie was the best dog anyone could ever ask for. She filled a void in our home when we found out we could not have children. She was like our first born child who we loved more than anything.

Yesterday, April 21st 2009, Lee and I had to say our final goodbye to our precious baby girl. She had spent the last week of her life at the Vet Hospital hooked up to an IV due to complications of Pancreatitis. She lost 3 lbs during her stay, and only weighed 11 lbs when she left us so unexpectedly.

We were so excited to find out earlier that morning that she would be coming home. I called the vet that morning and they said she was doing well and they were getting ready to discharge her. A few minutes before I left work they called and said that she was having trouble breathing and they couldn't release her to come home. I called Lee and we rushed to be by her side. The Dr. had taken some X-Rays and found that her organs were enlarged and most likely she was going into multiple organ failure. She saw a mass surrounding her pancreas which she thought was pancreatic cancer and told us that it was terminal. We asked her why the biopsy that was done a couple weeks earlier didn't show anything. She said that it was unrelated, and they had no way of knowing for sure unless they did a pancreatic biopsy. She said that we could send Maggie up to Salt Lake for some special tests and a biopsy, but then we wouldn't know anything for at least 3 days. Had Maggie not been struggling so much for breath, we would have considered that, but she was suffering. She was struggling for air and we couldn't bear to see her like this. We all came to the decision that it was best to let her go. That was the hardest decision of our lives. Lee handed Maggie to me and signed the paperwork, then we said our goodbye's. We told her how much we loved her, and that we would never forget her. She left this Earth with us by her side. It was so quick. We immediately questioned if we did the right thing. Was this actually happening? Is she really gone? This feeling is so surreal. That moment was so horrible and I couldn't bring myself to let her go. She will forever be in our hearts. There is a special place in heaven for her, and I know she is there waiting for us and watching over us.I can't believe I had to go home without her, knowing she would never come home. I wish she could have spent the last week at home with us, not hooked up to an IV. I wish she was stable enough to bring her home for one last night, to tuck her in one last time, and allow Syd to say goodbye to her. We miss her so much and all Lee and I could do was hold each other in our moment of grieving and vow to never forget her.

We are so thankful to Dr. Carolyn McGuire, and her loving staff who cared for Maggie in her final days. They were so compassionate and cried with us and told us they had never seen a Min Pin that was as sweet as Maggie. She was in good hands and we will forever be grateful to them.

We are also so thankful to our wonderful friends and family for helping us through this time. You don't know how much it means to us, and we are so blessed to have each of you in our lives.

There is an explanation given as to why dogs live shorter than us. It is simply this...



People are born so that they can learn how to live a good Life-- like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right? Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long.



So with that being said we should always try to...

Live simply.

Love generously.

Care deeply.

& Speak kindly.



Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn things like:



When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Be loyal.

Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.


So with all that said, my goal for life it to try to be the person my dog thinks I am. If everyone did that, then I really believe that this world would be a much better place.

Last Night was Wicked Fun!

Last night, Lee gave me an early birthday present and took me to see Wicked. It was so much fun! I saw it in New York a few years ago, so I was excited I got to see it with Lee. We went to Chili's for dinner and then headed up to see the show. Towards the end, the craziest thing happened though. The power went out! It took the technical crew a few minutes to re-boot everything, then they picked up where they left off. Even with the short delay, it was an amazing show and I'm so happy I got to go. Thanks Honey!

Maggie is still in the hospital :(

Last night I had a dream that the vet told us Maggie would have to stay for a couple more days. That made me so worried, so I called them first thing this morning. They told me they didn't know and that they would call me and let me know. I ended up calling them 3 differant times, and Lee called another time. So, when we got off work, Lee and I went over to the vet's office with the hopes of bringing Maggie home. The vet told us that her blood levels haven't come down, so she couldn't release her. She is not allowed to eat or drink anything (it's been almost 4 days now!), and has to continue to be hooked up to the IV. We were so sad to hear that. We sat with her for awhile before we had to hand her back and leave her there for another night. We really hope she can come home before the weekend. We miss her so much!

Update on Maggie

Here is Maggie at the vet hooked up to an IV. Doesn't she look so sad?

Last Friday, I took Maggie back to vet for her follow up from having that lump removed. The vet said everything looked great and her pathology came back as a lymph node, and also that there was an infection in one of her mammary glands. That was great news to receive, especially knowing that the vet was worried it could have been something else like cancer.

Well, on Saturday evening, Maggie wouldn't eat and was up throughout the night. She kept trying to throw up, but since she had an empty stomach all she could do was throw up mucous. On Sunday, we went up to Temple Square for the day and left some food for her in case she decided to eat. When we got home her food was gone. We were relieved that she had finally eaten and was acting a little better. Later that night she ate her dinner as well, and all through Monday everything seemed fine. Well, on Monday throughout the night she was up and down again and on Tuesday morning she threw up blood. We got her right back in to the vet and after some blood and stool tests, the Vet told me she had pancreatitis. She told me she needed to keep Maggie for a couple days so she could be hooked up to IV fluids, have steroid and medication injections and wait for the inflammation in her pancreas to go down. She will test her again on Thursday morning and if her levels have come down she can come home. She will probably have to be on a special diet for awhile, but she should recover.

It was so hard to leave the vet yesterday without Maggie. All night long I missed her and worried about her. I kept thinking that she is all alone and scared. What if she's cold? I called the vet first thing this morning and they said that she is responding well, and that I can go see her if I want. I went over on my lunch break and she looked so sad hooked up to that IV. It's hard to see her like that, knowing she doesn't understand what's going on. I sat with her for about 15 minutes before I had to head back to work. They told me no to worry and that she is being a very good little patient. Although it was hard to leave her there again, I know it's best for her. I pray she will get better so she can come home tomorrow. I love her so much, and I don't know what I would do without my little Moo Moo.

Easter Sunday

On Easter Sunday we went up to my parent's house and had a delicious brunch then headed up to Temple Square. It was so beautiful with everything in bloom and it was such a nice spring day. I got lots of pictures while we were there. I couldn't choose my favorite so I just posted them all.

When we got back we had some of this yummy strawberry cheesecake dessert. What a perfect day!

My poor little Moo Moo

Yesterday morning I noticed a lump under Maggie's belly. I called the vet and got her in later in the day. The vet told me that she thought it was a hernia and to bring her back the next morning to have it surgically fixed.

Today I dropped her off and anxiously waited for the vet to call me and tell me everything went OK. When she called she told me that Maggie did fine through surgery, but it wasn't a hernia like she originally thought. It was a mass which she is hoping is an enlarged lymph node. She said that due to some internal bruising and bleeding it was hard to tell so she did some blood work and sent the lump she removed off for a pathology examination. We will find out about the blood work tomorrow, but we won't have the pathology results for at least a week. I am so worried about what it could possibly be and just pray that it is just an enlarged lymph node like the vet thinks. All I can do is wait for the vet to call with the results and try not to worry about it too much.

My parents and my sister came down with a get well card and some treats for Maggie. She's really worn out and tired, but she is doing well.

She's actually getting around better than I thought she would.

This is a close up of the site. I hope she heals quickly.