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Here's the happy ending story of Maggie (formerly Melissa):
We adopted Maggie (formerly Melissa) on 4-1-06. We really hadn't set out to adopt another dog. We checked the website often for updates on Sullivan's eye surgery, but when we read Maggie's sad story, we just knew she was meant to be ours. Maggie's foster mom wrote about how she had been abandoned. She and her puppies were very ill and they had been placed with her to be fostered. To make matters worse, Maggie was hard to adopt out because she is missing half of her left hind leg.
She was transported from a rural shelter to TLC and we were waiting there when she arrived. Although she bonded immediately with our beagle, Coda, Maggie seemed detached from us. She was very well-behaved, as if she thought she was going to be sent away if she did anything wrong. It was two weeks before we heard her bark. She would only eat, play or join us on the couch when we told her it was okay.
Over time, she slowly let her personality come out. She trusted us to know that this is her home. She now demands her walks and car rides. Not only will she join us on the couch but she has her own spot and will scoot us out of it.
Because of her missing leg, we were a bit overprotective of her at first. If we thought that Coda was getting to rough while playing with her, we would call Maggie over and tell Coda "enough." Well, now she loves to start wrestling matches, then run over and tattle on him. She loves getting her brother in trouble.
But the truth about Maggie's disability it that she's the only one who doesn't know she has one. It does not stop her from doing anything. She is just a great dog. Since Maggie, I know that TLC has found homes for other disabled animals, and there will be more in the future. Please don't pass them up because of it. Maggie is a great dog and we are the lucky ones to have her.
Nancy, Caitlin, Callie, Coda
There I sat, alone and afraid
You got a call and came right to my aid
You bundled me up with blankets and love
And, when I needed it most, you gave me a hug
I learned that the world was not scary or cold
That sometimes there is someone to have and to hold
You taught me what love is, you helped me to mend
You loved me and healed me and became my first friend
And just when I thought you'd done all you do
There came along not one new lesson, but two
First you said, "Sweetheart, you're ready to go. I've done all I can, and you've learned all I know."
Then you bundled me up with a blanket and a kiss
Along came a family, they even have kids!
They took me to their home, forever to stay
At first I thought you had sent me away
Then that second lesson became perfectly clear
No matter how far, you will always be near
And so, Foster Family, you know I've moved on
I have a new home, with toys and a lawn
But I'll never forget what I learned that first day
You never really give your fosters away
You gave me these thoughts to remember you by
We may never meet again, and now I know why
You'll remember I lived with you for a time
I may not be yours, but you'll always be mine
Author Unknown
"Thank you for my forever home." Maggie Phipps
