I am new to this forum but wanted to share our tragic experience. I have 3 labs 5 yr old Chocolate Maggie, 4.5 year old Yellow Daisy Rae, and 2 year old Yellow Lucille. We have love them all since they came into our family. We decided to go on a family cruise for Christmas break. We arranged our Rover sitter, did the meet and greet went on walks with the dogs and her. On the last night as we were boarding our flight home, our sitter called and texted that Mag was hit and killed by a car. I went into a complete meltdown and sobbed the whole 5 hour flight home and was stunned. The sitter did everything right followed our instructions exactly and was playing with them in the field behind our house that we always have done for the last 3 years. I even watched them on our Ring camera on the days that we were gone. For some reason Maggie decided she did not want to go into the back yard and wanted to keep playing, and went through our field and into a busy road which she has never done before. Our sitter frantically put the yellows away in the back yard. It was dark and icy and Maggie was killed instantly. I blame myself for the accident, being too lax and we are all heart broken. I cant even go outside and want to move. I wanted to share my letter to Maggie in hopes that any others have experienced a tragic loss of a perfect dog way too soon. Dear Maggie (Magnolia Chocolate Fudge, Maggie Fudge, Fudgie, Fudgie Girl, Bear, Brown Bear, Sweet Bear, Magalicious, or just plain old Mag, depends on the day and your person at the time). It has been 2 whole days and I miss you so much!! I'm sorry it has taken me a minute to tell you how much I love you and miss you. I can't even describe how broken my and all of our hearts are to not be able to see you. I somehow wish a goat head in your paw in the garden, extra time frolicking in the field, playing glow ball, Daisy on the other side of the fence (being your best alpha that you didn't listen to some times), a extra late flight home, a busy road, being stubborn for Mary and playing keep away, would have somehow prevented your accident that will cause us to not be together for just a little while. But somehow it didn't and our time together here on earth was cut a little shorter than I planned. I want you to know that you are my best friend, and you saved my life way many more times that I had to save yours. I want to thank you for showing me un-conditional love all the time. Thank you for having the gift that Heavenly Father blessed you with to be so sweet and so loving to all of your family and every person who you touched and met. I want to thank you for every run that you went on with me. According to my best guess of about 5 miles per day (10,000) steps x 365x 5 years= 18,250,000 million steps with you along my side for every trail, every walk, every adventure, every mountain that we climbed together (Ben Lomond, Tetons, Goldbug, Yellow Jacket, Diamond Peak, Malan's Peak, Coldwater Canyon, every hill in the badlands around Worland hundreds of times and countless more). Especially for the love and inspiration you gave to me every single step of the 18 million steps together to keep going, to keep living, in spite of all of the heart wrenching pains that me and people around me have endured. Your hug, your love and excitement every time I came back home was 1,000 times more than enough to fill our hearts with joy. If I could give you a belly rub, stroke your ears, pet you under your chin and by your eyes (how you loved), for all of those things you did for me, trust me I would. I honestly think I would have even put myself front of that car instead if I could have. Maggie, I am so grateful for our adventures along the Snake River, especially when my heart was so broken. I want to say I am so so sorry that I got mad when you came into our family. I am sorry that I had to go to work sometimes and leave you. Im sorry our family got split up and you had 5 different homes to live in. Everyone always told me that I worried too much about you, even as much as the kids, but they didn't really understand that I could feel your sadness in our eyes when I was just leaving for 5 minutes to go inside of Fred Meyer or Smiths!! I love you so much and you have been my best friend your whole life and during my life when I needed you the most. Thank you for floating down the Warm River with us!! (I know you were scared but you loved me anyway). Thanks for swimming across the Snake River to our favorite island to get those geese. I hope where you are staying now in Heaven has lots of geese, beavers, muskrats, squirrels, rabbits, deer, antelope and so many other things to chase like when you were with me!! Thanks for playing with us at Lake Powell on our houseboat! Thanks for caring enough and jumping in Willard Bay and swimming after me. Thanks for caring about me so much that you would swim in Pineview right next to me together so many times. Thanks for every swim stroke or Doggie Paddle together and for all of the thousands of balls that you brought back to me from the Snake River, Weber River, Pineview, Hanover Canal, and from Dalebout Reservoir (in the Worland Badlands). Thanks for being with me for every drive in the MPV, Suburban, Razr, Mountain Bike, it didn't matter what wheels were helping us get to where we wanted to go. I know people think I was crazy for letting you sit in my lap during my countless long and lonely 7 hours drives to and from Worland. I forgive you for making my legs go to sleep because of it, but you keeping my lap warm and having you to keep me company was totally worth it. I hope our stops and playing together along the Green River and Big Sandy Rivers were enough of a payment for you. It sure was enough fun for me that I made my profile work picture enough to remind me of that! Maggie, I am so grateful for every ball that got returned to me. I know you love tennis balls, and it seems like that we went through hundreds of them together. Your dedication to return it to me after every single chuck it throw, brought so much joy to me as you smile and flicked the ball into my hand!! I miss our trampoline game, playing frisbee dog in the back yard, going to the canal, and especially your favorite Glow Ball!! I loved seeing your green and blue glowing ring chase alongside Lewsill for every throw and for our night walks and trail adventures. I know having another little sister was not easy, but Lewsill loves you and misses you too. I think the competition from both of you to get the ball added to the excitement and fun of playing chuck-it! Lucy says she is sorry she would bark at you, and she says she misses racing you across the Mound Fort football field and down every trail hillside to get the tennis ball every day and glow ball every night. Don't worry Mag, I know you loved to snatch your favorite bread or whatever good smelling smell human treat that your snout would sniff in the kitchen) off the countertop. I am not mad about that at all. I know you loved Grandma Sycamore bread, eating thousands of Bar S hotdogs, Nubz, bones and other Costco and Winco treats that Mal and me would bring home. I hope they have a lot of all of those to eat where you are right now! Maggie- Thanks for being an amazing sister to Daisy Rae, especially for having a snout to rest on, or a rope to play tug of war with, a friend to howl alongside with, and someone to be with you and give you dog companionship and give love that you so desperately need. Daisy sends her love and judging by the look in her eyes, she misses you as much as I do!! She also says she is sorry for stretching your neck skin, ruining and losing your collars, harnesses, and nametags. She promises that she will make sure you get another when she gets to see you again. I remember every night with you sleeping at my feet, and hearing you sometimes snore and bark in your dreams (like you are chasing a ball or something). I love the way you always kept my feet warm. Thanks for being Adriana's favorite friend and laying by her and Simon and Liv, especially when they were feeling down and sad. Thanks for letting Halle take photo shoots with you and your sisters. Thanks for coming with to watch Mallory's cross country meets and soccer games. Also for letting her dress you up in so many funny outfits, costumes, hats whatever dog clothes she could find. Thanks for resting your head on us after surgeries. The amount of healing to our hearts and spirits from having you be a part of our family can't ever be measured. Thanks for giving us all of your kisses and licks. I miss them so much! We all love and know of your gift to heal our hearts and give us exactly the love that we needed every single time!! Mag, I know that Heavenly Father has taught us about " Fulfilling the Measure of our Creation". Your life was a perfect example of this to everyone. He sure knew what he was doing when he made you! Thanks for filling our hearts with gratitude and unconditional love! It has brought me more joy that words can express. I have had other dogs, but we all know that you were sent to me to rescue me. I can never repay you for that! I miss you so much and can't wait until we can be together again. Love Dad
I am so sorry for your tragic loss. My dog was hit by a car 7 years ago (it was tough but he survived) and I can feel your pain. Try not to blame yourself. A stranger (to the dog) should not have let them off leash in an unfenced area. Sometimes they won't even listen to us, let alone someone they are not that familiar with. Hang in there...
Jared, I am crying with you. I know how broken you feel (lost a dog to a car around 10 years ago, my poor Sputtie). Do what you're doing - celebrate Maggie's life and remember the good times. Our beloved dogs always leave taking a bit of our hearts with them. My sincerest condolences.
