Pets Who Boost Your Spirit

A dream prepared me for the advent of Maggie into my life. I had catered to small animals throughout my life and so my dream language was telling me I would be making an exception to my small pet preferences shortly.

Maggie had been retrieved from Humane Society by my daughter and son-in-law, along with her twin brother when they were puppies; this in Washington along about the year 1998. When Shell divorced, she moved with Maggie to California.

Maggie never adjusted to life in the city, after being raised on a farm. As well she was a nervous, timid dog to start with. Shell could not find anything but postage sized back yards in the rentals she found. Maggie expressed her anxiety at being taken away from the farm and her brother by ingesting clothing items, like socks, and she even ate part of my favorite dress while I was visiting my daughter. Leaving her while Shell worked, she would howl, the neighbors would complain and Shell would be obliged to find another rental.

Nonetheless my daughter would take Maggie to the park everyday inbetween searching for steady work.

As my dream unfolded clueing me in what my future would be with Maggie, I was walking in a desert like area which I later would recognize as my future home, in the town of Roswell, NM.

There I gazed in wonderment at test dummies stuck in prefabricated homes. Later, I surmised, yes, the area not far from Roswell used to be a bomb testing area, but at the present awareness in the dream, I felt very strange and out of place walking there. I looked down and there appeared to be a large white wolf type creature walking along, acting as my protector. I had always been somewhat fearful of any animal with teeth larger than mine and in the dream I failed to recognize this was Maggie.

Whereever this creature had come from, I decided, I did feel protected by her presence as we walked through this strange new land, I knew then, no harm would come to me. Shell appeared in the dream to walk with me. I explained that this was a wolf and it could possibly bite someone.

Shell rushed over to the canine, embraced it lovingly and showed me my fears were groundless. end of dream.

As time went on it became apparent Shell needed all her free time to search for work and so I offered to take Maggie into my new house in Roswell with the large back yard, and we would see if she would bond with me and stop being so neurotic and insecure.

As you see in the picture she wanted only to be by my side constantly despite the large yard at her disposal. I often gave into her demands to come inside, making her stay in the yard at first only an hour or two of the day. She had managed to push her nose through the screen and take a nap on the door in the picture.

As our time increased together, I saw how lonely Maggie was and I decided to acquire a playmate for her, so that the two of them would be content together and leave me be to finish writing my book.

I went to the humane society in town to have a look at what was available. I picked out a young, white chihuahua that seemed especially friendly. I knew it was an unlikely match for a playmate but I had this thing about chihuahuas because my mother used to raise them.

The match was unexpectedly the right one! I reasoned Shell would retrieve Maggie once she was settled into her new life in California, and I would acquire another small dog for Freedom, as I called the Chihuahua.

After writing all day, attempting to achieve a best seller, I would be quite mentally and emotionally exhausted. In the cool of the evening winter hours I would hightail it out to the hot tub which took all the kinks out of my brain, relaxing me for another go at my grand writing project.

As the pups bonded, I noticed Maggie was getting more exercise with Freedom urging her on and teasing her to get up and play. From my hot tub I watched in wonder as the two of them, a giant, lumbering beast and a small agile and wily creature whipped round and round the tree in my yard at least a dozen times. I was rewarded with Maggie's excited bark as well and the heavy breathing squeak of Freedom.

Freedom would start the play by getting closer and closer to Maggie and snagging her large floppy jowl, nipping just enough to aggravate Maggie who would sigh sometimes, seeming to say in dog language, oh not right at this moment, can't you see I'm resting and standing guard for the mistress?

Maggie fancied herself a guard dog, but all the neighbors were quite aware, her bark was much worse than her bite. She was the gentlest of the gentle.

Freedom would wag her little tail, roll over and kick her legs up and nip Maggies face and ears and the dance would begin all over. Freedom was so fast it looked like she was on wheels running the entire circumstance of 100' and back again round the tree. Then stopping to wait for Maggie to catch up. After awhile Freedom would decide to let herself be caught.

Maggie would take the little morsel of a dog right into her jaws and apply the gentlest of pressure, more of a kiss than biting. Maggie seemed to know, this was a tiny creature and she could hurt it, so she was careful not to bite down. It seemed Freedom loved hanging out for a few seconds inside her mouth, then begin kicking furiously with her spindly legs and up they would go around the tree another dozen times.

The joy those two gave me is incomparable and the timing for them to be in my life was right on to balance my emotions and help me over the writing humps.

Maggie has lived out her life span now, she left her body from age-related infirmities. This type of dog has a life span we were told of 8 to 9 years. She was 9 when she passed this year of 2010. When she returned to Shell's home, she was less neurotic, a calmer dog, and so very happy to be at Shell's side once more. With the 3rd eye, both Shell and I have seen her in the back yard, digging happily and guarding her mistress, and even tagging along to work with her. We have been blessed. Freedom has found a new family, and in my mind, I see the two of them reunited one day, best pals forever, with size of the playfulness more important than size of the body.