Meet Dazzlin' Lady Madaline

Right now our hearts are breaking...you see our beautiful, sweet, loving and extremely loyal people puppy Maddy is very sick. Recently Maddy's health has started to fail so we took her to the vet for a check up and some dental care. Due to her age the vet did some blood and urine analysis to make sure she was healthy enough for the anesthesia. Unfortunately it came back bad. We found out Maddy is in 'uncompensated kidney failure'. I wish there was a magic button that told us the right thing to do. We watch Maddy have moments of clarity...but those moments are fleeting, less and less often. The majority of her time is spent sleeping, having no appetite and when we can get her to eat, she throws it up within minutes. We are even to the point of feeding Maddy her wet food piece by piece, just 3-4 bites at a sitting, and she still cannot keep it down. When is the right time? I don't know. Her moments of clarity are just often enough that when I think it's time to take her to the vet, she perks up and gets sassy, her happy goofy mutter that eventually turns to a bark all the while wagging her tail. HMM, the amount of people who have thought her mutter was a growl... no, it's not a growl, it's a term of endearment of Maddy's. My heart is breaking. Maddy was just 3 days old when I picked her out of the litter from my friend Jackie. She was the cutest, prettiest puppy. All the 3 puppies in her litter were pretty, but Maddy had these beautiful markings, big beautiful head and when I picked her up, she instantly settled down and went to sleep in my hands, so tiny, just 4.5 oz.

We have moved all over Gods green earth as you know. And all the while we had Maddy...and eventually her sweet funny daughter Sophie. No matter where we lived we had Maddy and Sophie, and they made it 'HOME'. When the inevitable time comes home will not be the same. I cannot even begin to count the arguments between John and I Maddy has broken up, or the times she got Kyle and Ashley out of trouble. You want to know how? By that famous mutter. Voices would be raised and guess who would interject herself into what was going on...yep Maddy. There she would be, at our feet, muttering, wagging her tail and if we did not stop in what she considered a timely manner, it would turn to a BARK. Our girl telling us off.

Ashley can't even remember a time when we did not have Maddy in our lives. Grandma and Grandpa Hunter don't appreciate dogie visitors, but ya know what Maddy and Sophie were ALWAYS welcome at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Many trips to Whidbey Island, Maddy even lost her favorite ball in the current at Fort Casey, WA on one of those trips. Grandpa felt so bad she lost her ball, he went to the drawer and knotted up a kitchen towel and gave it to Maddy, he even sat on the floor playing tug of war with her. If you know my father in law you know what a compliment that was. The day we brought Cassidy home from the hospital we laid her on the floor, Maddy came over and gave Cassie a kiss laid down beside her with Sophie laying on the other side and has been her loyal buddy ever since. Aidan was always ready and willing to throw her ball, this one special ball...Amelia she thinks is great, she will look over her high chair, screech and drop goodies over the edge to Maddy. Oh and how she lives to sas Kyle, and Kyle loves to argue with her. Yep, Maddy loves her kids, all of them.

When I had my miscarriage in November 2006, who did I have with me through it all, Maddy. She literally followed me, room to room, sitting at my feet. As I cried, she cried with me, cuddling, rubbing her face into me kissing my tears away.

I don't know where to end this, or how. I need my Maddy, she is my heart, my best girlfriend, a piece of our families foundation. To someone who does not know Maddy would probably think I am being ridiculous...but if you knew her, you'd understand. We have many friends who now have Shih-Tzu's, why? Because of Maddy, and they will all tell you that.

Dazzlin' Lady Madaline
adored, loved and perfect people puppy to John, Lori, Kyle, Ashley, Cassidy, Aidan and Amelia Hunter
Loving mommy to Sophie
big sister to Lexie
July 1, 1995