Maggie the Fishing Bird Dog

[NorthernFocus]

I was cleaning up and organizing files this evening. I never make any progress doing this because I always end up down memory lane. This time it was with Maggie, one of our two old GSPs who've passed on now. Maggie was her mom's girl around home but when we went out on the boat she was my fishing buddy.

She loved to row around in the dinghy with me.



And she would actually watch the fishing poles and bark when the tip started to bounce with a bite.



Can we eat him now?



With photographic evidence, I don't have to argue how smart she was.



But even more than fishing, Maggie loved to run. For the sheer joy of it.



She went for one last run the afternoon of September 7, 2011. And the next morning she came in from her morning business, laid down flat on her side and refused to move. She never laid down flat except in a sunny spot on the grass. She never whimpered, just looked at us with those brown eyes as if to say it was OK. Like the line from the movie Fried Green Tomatoes, "a lady always knows when it's time to leave".

[Donald]

Beautiful.

[Harpo]

Dogs are definitely our best buds! Thanks for sharing.

[rpcrowe]

I can feel the love between you and Maggie...

[NorthernFocus]

Sorry if I got too sappy. I was sitting up late by myself on the computer

[Donald]

Sorry if I got too sappy. I was sitting up late by myself on the computer

I'm not going to read again that last paragraph you wrote above, because it so beautifully, accurately and powerfully captures all the emotion that comes with sitting with your dog as its life draws to a close. It brought back for me everything about having my dear old Corran rest his head on my leg as the vet administered the injection that brought his life to an end.

[GrahamS]

Thanks for sharing these memories.

[kaneohebud]

Dan:
For those of us who've been there - thank you. Beautiful pictures and beautifully written.

[cliffmccartney]

Just wonderful. Thank goodness you have some great images of Maggie to remember her with.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for the kind, understanding comments. Non-dog lovers have a hard time understanding those of us who are. I wish I'd taken more photos than I did over the years. Our current canine family members are paying for those regrets. They are like kids when they see the camera coming out, "aw Dad, do we have to? Can't we just go play?"

[Harpo]

I know the feeling. My last dog was a camera phobic. It was not until about a week before we had to put her down that I finally got a great picture of her.

[PhotoByTrace]

A beautiful thread.

[mammarazzi]

Oh you got me crying now and I don't even have a dog...........you have such wonderful images of a much loved part of your family that will light up your life every time you look at them.
Joanne xx

[djg05478]

I get it.

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks for all the comments, everyone. Maggie is really popular it seems. She would have liked that. We always joked that she was human in a former life and most likely royalty

I get it.

Subtle huh?

[djg05478]

Thanks for all the comments, everyone. Maggie is really popular it seems. She would have liked that. We always joked that she was human in a former life and most likely royalty


Subtle huh?

Subtle schmutle....they're the best dogs ever ....its impossible not to gush about them, in voice and photo.

[mikejduk]

Oh my! Great memories captured that I'm sure you'll continue to treasure for many years to come. I too have a pooch that has somehow learned to give me that LOOK when I try to take yet another photo of him

A couple of months ago he was quite ill and I fretted then that I might lose him, he's 15 years old now and has already had a tough time. I got him from a rescue centre almost 5 years ago. He already had one of his back legs missing and he's as grey as a badger but he gets around really well and I would so miss his company if I lost him. Your descriptions really do stir up the kind of feelings that only a dog lover can experience. Thanks for sharing them with us; and the great photos.