Maggie

 She made the decision to trust a young girl nearly 12 years ago this October,

that decision changed the lives of at least 5 people.

Maggie was an abused, young, malnourished, beautiful dog,

and on that day, when a young girl and her mother went looking for a new dog,

she saw in them a new life, and the opportunity to love and be loved unconditionally.

She did that better, than anyone I've ever known.

She taught me so many things,

the joy in a stick, that a rock apparently tastes good

and that plain dog food can still be exciting because she chose to let it be.

She let me poke her and prod her, cut her nails and pull out her tufts.

She let me bite her ears, and never, ever bit me back

Some people say you can't trust a dog that big, a black dog, a shepherd, whatever,

a dog with a past.

But i absolutely trusted Maggie with every piece of my heart

and she trusted me, and because of that, it opened up a whole different life for her.

If only humans could forgive and love the way dogs do.

She spent  12 amazing years with a family that just adored her,

despite her incredibly loud bark and her insistence to bark at just about any noise outside.

Despite the fact that she shed in white tufts every spring and winter.

And it was because those big beautiful brown eyes never judged,

they just loved, they cheered you up, they made you think, and they let you know she was always there for you.

I think we've made the right decision, but it still breaks my heart

 i will never forget my Maggie.