corgiranch

Memories of Maddie

By corgiranch on March 4, 2014

It has been 3 weeks now since we lost our little Bug. The support we’ve received has been amazing and comforting beyond words. I will share some of the cards and poems we have received below.

Mic does not seem to miss her that much. She was pretty bossy to him and really had him cowed so not too surprising. Moli misses her a lot. She is very clingy. She used to go into Maddie’s crate all the time if Mad was not in there and now she doesn’t. She may pop in and lie down but only for a second or two.

We brought Mad Bug’s ashes home on February 14 – her Mama Rose’s and Auntie Moli’s birthday. She is in a beautiful little wood box with a little brass plaque that says “Madelaine”. We had planned to bury her ashes but I am not sure now if I want to do that. There is just something about having her here and I am not sure I am ready to let go of that just yet…

Just another note or two about our vets…. I really think Dr Moore had a soft spot for Maddie. The internal medicine specialist told us once that he called her and practically demanded to know what she was doing for our little hound when it did not seem we were making any progress with her incontinence. After her cancer diagnosis, which was with Dr Wachtel, he phoned to tell us how sorry he was about her. And as I said before, he was spectacular when we had to say good bye. We have a recording called “Dog Ease” by Dr Lee Bartel that is new age-y music with embedded subliminal sounds that only dogs can hear and is designed to calm them. We played a piece called “Inner Peace” while we were putting Maddie to sleep. Dr Moore teased us a little and said “how do you know she wouldn’t rather hear Led Zeppelin?” Which even at the time we thought was hilarious. As Mike said “well there’s probably something subliminal there too.”  Dr Wachtel did everything she could to find an alternative diagnosis to cancer and when that was not to be, just gave us everything we needed to take care of her.  And I cannot thank enough Kim, Sue, Hannah, Tina and Kristen who took such good care of her over the years and at the end.

She was a special girl. I had frequently taken her to work with me over the last 2 years and the staff just loved her. These last 2 months I took her every Thursday. She would just hang out in my office (I have a baby gate) and sleep or chew on a Kong. Or visit with all the staff who would come by for a little Maddie love. One day I came around the corner and she was getting a massage from Jim, one of the medical assistants. She LOVED that. Jim sure seemed to love her too. He took lots of pics of her. And from one of them, had a friend of his who is an artist, paint her portrait. I am amazed at how it captures her. How many Corgis do you know who have their own commissioned portrait? It hangs in my office over where Maddie’s spot was.

The poem “I haven’t left at all” came via email from friends of Nan’s – at whose house Maddie was born! We were very touched by their reaching out to us. The poem “The last battle” came from Dr Lawrence and staff – the surgeon who fixed her ectopic ureters and took such good care of her.   Our friend Sheila had a wood carving of a corgi made and put an engraved name tag with Maddie’s dates on it around the neck – this sits on our mantle.  Friends Emmie and Lowell gave us a miniature yellow tea rose as a memorial to her.  And friends Bridgett and Stu gave us a lucky bamboo in her honor.  We are overwhelmed and grateful for all the love and concern for us and the love of Maddie.  She really managed to worm her way into every heart she encountered.