Farewell, Maggie

Many of you might think this is crazy. I would have never thought it to be possible just a few years ago. But we found a new home for one of our dogs, Maggie. Ever since we moved, having two dogs has been more than we can handle. Well, we can handle it but it isn't the best situation for our dogs.

For one thing, they get really crazy when they see people or animals outside or if someone comes over. They bark and bark and are really hard to control. Then our other dog, Baxter, bit one of our neighbors who came over shortly after we moved in. We are lucky he is a super nice guy and didn't report it because it was a real bite. We've been much more aware since then and ALWAYS make sure he is locked up if someone comes over. But because of how crazy they get, they end up being in the crate a lot. Even when I am working from home they have to be crated because I never know when I'll get a phone call and they will start barking about something they see or hear outside. Same thing for when Ky is sleeping. We don't take them out much because the two of them feed off each other and hardly ever stop barking if we cross paths with someone. We also moved into a much smaller house without a fenced in yard. And Maggie sheds terribly. I can vacuum the rug and as soon as she walks through the room, it needs vacuumed again.

So, we had been sort of joking about it, and then sort of talking about it, and finally I decided I was going to see if I could re-home Maggie. She really is a good dog - great with kids, completely housebroken, and super sweet. We knew we couldn't get rid of Baxter because of his biting so if we were going to go down to one dog it had to be the "good dog." We hope that this will allow us to socialize Baxter more and cause him to be less aggressive (although we will never trust him completely again).

Today we found a couple who really wanted Maggie. They drove a good distance to come meet her and get her. They had had their previous dog for 17 years so that is a great sign. They came with a couple of their grandkids and Maggie was in heaven with them. She didn't even look back at us wondering what was going on. As they drove off, she was looking out the window and you could just tell she had one of those doggie smiles. We were totally honest and open about her quirks and they didn't mind a bit. She now has a fenced in yard with a privacy fence and a family that loves her. We offered to pay for half of her vaccines because she was a couple of months behind and they declined our offer which tells me she is in a good place. I even received an update already that she played hard and crashed on one of the blankets we sent with her. I know without a doubt that she will receive a lot more attention and less time in her crate than when she was here. We told them that they could return her at any time for any reason. We just want her to be in the best home possible.

We miss her already. Baxter isn't sure what to do by himself since he has always had Maggie around. And I'm glad we made Kyler stop playing at the park to say bye-bye to Maggie and watch her leave with her new family. Tonight he grabbed one of their balls and said "here Wong-wong" (his name for her) and walked around looking for her but ended up at the crate saying "here you go, Baxter" when Wong-wong didn't come. I was able to say "remember Wong-wong went bye-bye at the park." He said "yeah." So I think he sort of understands.

Even though we thought taking Maggie in was for her entire life, that didn't end up being the case. I realize we are being a bit selfish but at the same time I truly think she will be happier there. We had many mixed emotions (and still do) about doing this and it wasn't an easy decision. But hopefully it is the best for all involved.