Goodbye, MooMoo

When MooMoo came to live with us, we had no idea what we were getting into. We adopted her from a couple who weren’t able to give her the attention she needed. I didn’t have a job at the time and thought it would be perfect since I could be home with her and our other pug Stanley. We didn’t realize how much attention she did need and how bossy she would be. Oh, she tried my nerves, but I fell in love with her instantly.

She asserted her dominance over Stanley as soon as she met him. Poor little guy, he didn’t understand why we were subjecting him to this annoying little dog. MooMoo thought her job was to herd Stanley like a sheep. Stanley was very stubborn (like pugs can be) and didn’t always come when we called him, so MooMoo would nip at his heels to move him forward. He hated it, but she was always very proud of herself for getting the job done. She loved her big brother.

Wiggles Margaret Dogface was the name she came with. We wondered who would name a dog “Wiggles,” but we quickly found out it was because she was very wiggly and energetic. I know I’m not the only one who thinks pugs should have human names, so we quickly honed in on the name Margaret and decided to call her Maggie. I started calling her Maggie Moo, then just MooMoo. Other nicknames included Moomsers, Miss Margaret, Princess Margaret, Little Miss, Little Girl, Maggie Margaret….

MooMoo insisted on being the center of attention always, except when she was sleeping. If I was working on my laptop in the recliner, she would jump up on my legs and take her paw and pull the screen down so I could look at her. She had to lay on my husband’s lap during dinner and sleep in the bed between us at night.

She loved to take walks and meet all of the dogs and people in the neighborhood. We joked that she was the sheriff of the neighborhood because she would bark like crazy if she saw a dog walking around without a leash on. One time she escaped out the front door and she raced up the street to say hello to a couple who were walking. Once she said her greetings, she trotted back home (using the sidewalks). The whole time I was freaking out and calling her to come back, but she was unperturbed.

Last summer she started stumbling and couldn’t make it up the front stairs anymore. Within a few months, she couldn’t walk, having lost use of her back legs. We took her over to Iowa State University to have tests done and the veterinarian came to the conclusion that she had degenerative myelopathy. It is basically the dog version of ALS. She was able to get around in her cart for a while, but soon lost use of her front legs. The disease was progressing fairly quickly and we knew we had to make a decision soon, before it traveled to her lungs.

It’s been a difficult couple of weeks and we miss her terribly. The house is so quiet now. I work from home and she kept me company during the day. She was always in the kitchen with me while I cooked and baked, cleaning up any little crumb I would drop and sometimes getting slopped on.

One of Maggie’s favorite things in the whole world was being on a boat. She loved going up to the cabin in Minnesota each year and found bliss going fishing with us on the boat. She would soak up the sun and sniff the fresh air. This is how we will remember her. Sassy and bossy, but content and loving life. We love you, Little Girl.