By Jeanine Englert
Although it is a bit out of the norm, I decided to dedicate this month’s SMP blogpost to my sweet Maggie May, our beloved hound dog rescue who passed away on January 28th after battling a bad respiratory infection for several weeks. She was 14 and ½ and we adopted her when she was just a tiny 8-week-old puppy at Petsmart. From the moment my husband picked her up and she peed all down his shirt, we were smitten. She was a feisty, fiercely loyal, amazingly stubborn, and beautiful girl. She was also the absolute best companion and “dogger” (dog daughter) we could have ever asked for.
It’s also a terribly odd thing to be writing this, and well anything, without her. She was always with me, often right by my side at my desk or on her dog bed sleeping nearby as I wrote. She never failed to nudge my elbow until I couldn’t type anymore without a million errors to remind me to take breaks or get some fresh air outside with her. She was with me during house moves, job changes, brutal losses, and great gains. She was a constant and steady presence even when the world seemed to shift beneath my feet.
Our sweet younger pup Bella is doing her best to fill our house with love, laughter, and her usual dachshund shenanigans to lighten the loss, but it is impossible to fill the void of Maggie’s absence. It will always be there. My only hope is that she knew how much we loved and adored her and that the void may come to feel a bit smaller as time goes on and sweeten into fond memories and soft smiles as we think of her.
If you have a pet and favorite writing buddy, don’t forget to give them a tighter squeeze and extra kiss, for they are always, always, always, gone far too soon.
Especially our sweet May.
Rest easy now, sweet girl.
Jeanine Englert’s love affair with mysteries and romance began with Nancy Drew, Murder She Wrote, and her Grandmother’s bookshelves full of romance novels. She is a VIVIAN® and Golden Heart® Finalist as well as a Silver Falchion, Maggie, and Daphne du Maurier Award Winner in historical romance and mystery.
Her Scottish Highland historical and historical romantic suspense novels revolve around characters seeking self-acceptance and redemption. When she isn’t wrangling with her characters on the page, she can be found trying to convince her husband to watch her latest Masterpiece or BBC show obsession. She loves to talk about books, writing, her beloved rescue pups, as well as mysteries and romance with other readers. Visit her website at www.jeaninewrites.com.
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I do not have a pet. I have grand children. But I know how terrible it is to lose your child, your fur, baby. My critique partner lost her adored Bronte and I love that dog, but not as much as she did Brontë was her constant companion and that’s really really hard so I send you love and hugs and I’m grateful that you have a good memories of her.
So sorry for your loss. Ralph, a rescue cat, sits next to me while I write. Haven’t asked for his opinion yet, but he tells me when I should take a breather by crawling onto the keyboard. I’m glad you have another dog. It eases things a bit. Thanks for sharing.
I am so sorry for your loss. The price we pay for the love we give/receive during time with our furry family members is the sadness when we lose them. We adopt rescues. Right now we have Maggie, a small Shepherd, Ursa, a very skittish Healer, and Spock, the coolest cat ever. He is my writing buddy. I am glad you have another pup, but yet I know how Maggie will remain in your heart. I lost my sweet Tallulah three years ago and think fondly of her often. Luckily, the memories never cease.
This post made me cry. I still miss my precious girl.