Our first baby

Mar 24th, 2011

This past Sunday we had to put down our 11 year old dog, Matilda “Maddie” May. She got sick rather quickly and within a matter of a few days we knew there was no other option. Our entire family is heartbroken. So today I wanted to share with you the story of our first baby…

Scott and I had been dating a little more than a year when we (I) decided it was time to get a puppy. We went to the SPCA to look at an older dog when we saw 5 black pups in the Puppy Pen. Love at first site. She was the runt of a Great Dane/Boxer mix litter. On the way home with our new puppy we got got her a Checkers hamburger which she handily gobbled right down.


We were very proud parents and wasted no time in introducing her to both sets of her new grandparents. Everyone was instantly smitten with her huge floppy ears, gorgeous shiny fur and slightly crooked teeth.


Maddie in her prime. She was a true powerhouse. And, of course, her favorite activity was retrieving tennis balls. Luckily her grandparents were avid tennis players so there was never a shortage of balls or treats for that matter. She was an endlessly happy, spoiled girl who could sit, shake, and lay down on command but could NEVER be tamed on the damn leash. She took us for runs when all we wanted to do was walk.


Maddie’s favorite place – our bed. She slept with us until she was 8. This picture was taken when I was very pregnant with Tennison. I had no worries that Maddie would be a great protector of our pending addition. When Tennison made her arrival Maddie still slept in the bed but now at the foot instead of right between us. The newest baby was in her old spot. She understood the babies were our main priority now. No complaints from Maddie. Ever.


Maddie loved the kids so much. We called her the lifeguard because she hated when we were all in the pool. Absolutely no splashing, jumping or dunking allowed. She would bark like crazy and try to corral us all out.


This was Maddie on Saturday. For the last 2 years she had lived in our backyard and in our detached storage room. Everyone thought it was cruel that we didn’t let her in the house anymore but Maddie really preferred to be outside. Let’s face it, two screaming and crying toddlers aren’t very relaxing. Her last few nights, though, were spent inside with all of us around her spoiling her like crazy. On her last day we took her for a brief, labored walk. She laid in the sun while the kids adorned her with flowers. I hope she was happy.

Maddie, you were an amazing dog who will forever be missed and loved. Our first baby.

Related Posts

 
 

Written by Lea Barlow8 Comments

8 Responses to Our first baby

    Tanya Thu, Mar 24, 10:29am

    Reply

    Oh Lea, my heart goes out to you all. Such a great story of a very loved pup. Maddie felt your love and has moved on leaving you with warm memories of your life together. Hugs!!
    T

    Stacie Hummel Thu, Mar 24, 10:48am

    Reply

    Oh gosh Leah, I’m so sorry. Our family has an aging dog as well and I dread the day that we lose him. My heart goes out to all of you! She was obviously loved beyond words…

    Stephanie Counsman Thu, Mar 24, 11:50am

    Reply

    Leah I am so sorry for all of your family. I know how devasted I was when Bill and I had to put our first baby down that we had for 13 years. It is excruitating! The only way I got thru it was just knowing that we gave him all the love in the world and a happy home and life. Took me three years but we are now the proud owners of three cavalaier king charles spaniels. Three is crazy but I justify that they add up to be our one big dalmation that we miss so much1 Take care all of you!!

    Melissa Barlow Thu, Mar 24, 12:21pm

    Reply

    I took that top picture:(… I want to cry now

    Anna Armstrong Thu, Mar 24, 12:26pm

    Reply

    Thank you for sharing. We can all relate to this. Made me cry…keep the memories forever (we just went through this with our family dog at Christmas time). So hard – hang in there.

    Niki Thu, Mar 24, 12:57pm

    Reply

    So sorry for your loss, Lea….I dread the day when our first baby, Dakota, has to leave us. Our story is very similar to yours. Sounds like Maddie had a wonderful life and family and some precious last days. You will always have her amazing memories cherished in your heart!

    Gina Fri, Mar 25, 12:03pm

    Reply

    So sorry about your loss. They truly are a member of the family. I still miss our first baby who had to be put down due to cancer 2 1/2 years ago.

    Nicole Fri, Mar 25, 9:58pm

    Reply

    Lea,

    I have never commented before, but felt I had to after this post. I am so very sorry for your loss. Your Maddie is beautiful and looks so very sweet- pets are truly a joy! It sounds like you made sure her last days were quite special.

Leave a Reply to Nicole Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>