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Up to the time when she was still able to walk, Maggie and I used to spend every Sunday morning taking a walk through the forest of Terra-Cotta Natural Park. This was our time together. At 7:00 am, while my wife and my two sons were still sleeping, Maggie and I were out the door. Ten minutes to walk to the park, followed by 30 minutes walking, running, and chasing each other in the wooded area — that is what we did!

Maggie would, of course, do lots of “zoomies,” which Wheaten Terriers are so well known for. For those who do not know, zoomies are where dogs (and even cats!) run around in circles in a sudden explosion of energy, for apparently no reason whatsoever.

Seeing pets tied up or in cages makes me feel sad and claustrophobic. In my mind, animals should be free to roam around. Over the years, I developed a reputation among friends and family members — “NEVER trust Edward to take care of your pets!” — because I would lose them like I’d lost some of my own!

Let’s see... I lost my sons’ hamster because I built an outside enclosure that was about five inches high. How was I to know that a hamster could jump that high and then run off? One summer, I placed the cage of our two budgies on the clothesline so they could get some fresh air. How was I to know that a squirrel would jump on the cage, flip it over to get to the birdseed, and, at the same time, spring my two budgies to freedom? My two boys did not talk to me for days afterwards!

Now, back to my adventure with Maggie in Terra-Cotta Park. You may want to brace for this one. You see, I feel that dogs don’t always have to be on a leash, especially if no one is around. One Sunday morning, I thought no one was in the park, so I let Maggie off her leash for a while. I thought this was great — she would run, and then I would call her, and she would come back. Little did I know that Maggie had a thing for rabbits.

As you probably guessed, she saw a rabbit and took off running into the bushes, where I could not get to her. I started yelling over and over again, “Maggie, come back here, you bad girl!” Unfortunately, to no avail. For half an hour, I stomped through the forest trying to find her while getting angrier and angrier. It was late autumn, getting colder and colder, and I decided I should head home without my dog, leash in hand, to inform my wife that I had lost my 60th birthday present, the rescue dog that I’d wanted so badly!

As I started to walk out of the wooded area with my head hanging down, knowing that I was in big trouble, I heard barking. I called out to Maggie but did not hear her bark back. I continued in the direction of where I heard the bark and when I got to the park entrance, lo and behold, there she was. Maggie was waiting for me! I leashed her immediately and gave her a big hug out of relief.

When I got home, I told my wife about my misadventure with Maggie. Needless to say, she was not happy and told me not to do that again! She told my boys, and of course, they rolled their eyes in disbelief. After that, I always put Maggie on her leash when we visited Terra-Cotta Park. I figured that her leash was five feet long, so if she ran to the end of her leash, she still had her freedom. I never lost Maggie again.

I miss you, Maggie. I hope you are having fun up there, doing your zoomies.

PS: For readers who did not read Chapter 1 of The Adventures of Maggie — The Best Dog Ever!, you can click here.

Edward Cho is a Pointe-Claire resident and is the community liaison for the West Island Men’s Shed.