In my 22 years of life there have been friends that have come and gone. In my 22 years of life there have also been dogs that have come and gone. When I was just a wee tot, my family had a golden retriever named Birdie. She was adorable, loving, gorgeous, and loved to keep beanie babies as her little pups. When she passed away due to complications with hip displacia, it wasn't long until we got Madison May. Or just Maddie. Or Pooh Bear. Or Fluffy Bottom McStinkerton. Honestly, she had so many nicknames that I am surprised she knew her real one.
We got Maddie when I was in 5th grade. She quickly became a part of our family and loved all of us unconditionally. As I grew up, so did Maddie. Her muzzle grew grey and her hips and stomach grew large. She was a big girl, but she was my girl. Throughout high school and the beginning of college I struggled with some serious depression. It wasn't the brightest time of my life, but Maddie was always there to shine a light. She would follow me up to my room where I would be up until the wee hours of the morning. Her eyebrows were so expressive and she was the best listener I could ask for. The summer before my freshman year she had developed a lump. This lump was a benign tumor on her shoulder that at first was just odd to put your hand on, but as time progressed, it began to hinder her ability to walk. Whenever I came home to visit, she would hobble over to me and lean her whole body against me just to get a couple of pats on the head. I knew that she probably wouldn't be around too much longer and wanted to make the most of the time I had with her.
She proved our family and doctors wrong and continued to be the same old goofy puppy I loved. Last spring when I was visiting my parents I really began to noticed the strain the tumor was having on Maddie. I had walked up the stairs and turned around expecting to see Maddie following right behind me. However, I found her sitting at the bottom of the stairs. She was too hindered to follow her favorite boy. I walked back down the stairs and saw her tail wag as I got closer. I sat down next to my pup and gave her some pats on the head and rubbed her tummy. I felt terrible knowing how much her lump had come to bother her and my parents knew it to.
Five days after having surgery to remove her tumor, Maddie passed away in my father's arms. I got the call when I was alone in my apartment and wept. I couldn't believe that she was actually gone. Who would be there to greet me when I walked in the door? Who would stay up with me watching bad sci-fi movies? Who would I talk to when I’m upset? Who would I blame for the stinky toots that fill the room? She was gone and I knew that no other pup could ever replace her.
Five months had passed and life had progressed. My Fiancé and I bought a house and I had saved up the money for a puppy. We traveled three and a half hours to go pick her up. She was the biggest in the litter and had paws that would make most nervous about how big she would get. On a September day, I brought a golden retriever home with me. The Prairie Birdmeister Madison Kellerman was her name. "She shall be called Birdie" I declared to my Fiancé. That first night I had her home, my fiancé was away and I had some alone time with my new pup. I told her stories about Birdie and Maddie. How Birdie could consume whole bags of popcorn with no problem. Or how Maddie had her signature “wooo-wooo” bark that just couldn’t be recreated. I made sure that Birdie was aware of the paws she had to fill. My whole life I have always had a pup I could love, talk to, and take on adventurous car rides. Now I had that once again. Birdie is five months old and is trying her hardest to be her best puppy self. She curls up next to me on cold winter nights and always greets me in the morning as soon as I wake up. Dogs possess the amazing ability to give unconditional love. If there was ever a level of love beyond that, I am sure that Maddie would have surpassed it. Birdie is already on track to reach that level and it won't be long until she is the size of Maddie. As she grows, my love for her grows even stronger.
