Click here to view the original article

This past August, we had to euthanize our dear Maggie, who was a Soft-coated Wheaten Terrier. She was a rescue dog who lived to be 13. The decision to send Maggie over the rainbow was a very tough one for my family, but in the end, it was the right call.

In her old age, Maggie had been developing a lot of health issues, such as having several open sores and her back legs giving out. She was no longer able to climb or go down stairs, which meant I had to carry her up and down several flights of stairs several times a day. Although I am in very good shape, at 68, my knees hurt when I did this, but I would gladly exchange my aches and pains if Maggie could only be with us for one more day. As you can tell, I still miss her, not a little, but a lot.

You see, when I turned 59, my wife and two sons gave me a box that contained only a dog leash for my birthday gift. I looked at them and said, “Where’s the dog?” They said I would have to go to a local animal shelter to pick out my own. I told them that I could not do this because if I went to a place like the SPCA, I would feel so sad for all these unwanted animals and would want to take them all home! So I had a leash but no dog. LOL!

When I turned 60, again I got a very light box for my birthday. I opened it, and inside was a page with a photo of a sad-looking dog. My immediate reaction was, “What is this? No, you really didn’t? You are joking, aren't you?” The following Monday, Maggie arrived!

There was Maggie, unkempt, with sad eyes, and whimpering because coming to our home would be the third time that she had been put up for adoption. So, as nervous as she was, I petted her, and as I was going down her back, I could not help but notice a huge bump. I immediately looked at my wife and said, “Hmm…I think we have a problem here — it seems like we got a damaged dog.” That evening, Maggie slept downstairs in our family room, quiet as can be, but wanting so much to go back into the car with Sophie, the person who brought her here.

The next morning, we took Maggie out into our backyard to do her business and to get her used to her new environment. My eldest son, Matthew, was holding Maggie when I called out to her to come to me. I noticed that when she came to me, she was limping. So, not only did we adopt a dog with many bumps, but one with a sore front paw as well! Despite this, the Cho family decided to keep Maggie, which was the best decision ever! Despite her many health issues, we had eight wonderful years with our dear Maggie.

Keep reading in April for Chapter 2 of the Adventures of Maggie.

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