MAGGIE
Last Spring, I contacted ESRA because I wanted to adopt a female English Springer Spaniel to be a companion to my dog, Murphy, an English Springer Spaniel mix. After being interviewed by Lisa Polis, Lisa contacted me a few weeks later about a female Springer that had turned up in a dog pound in Ohio. They didn't have a foster home to put her in and Lisa wondered if I would be interested in a "foster to adopt" option. I said I would, and next thing I knew, I was driving to the Ohio/Michigan border to pick up Maggie, sight unseen.
I must say that's it's been a huge adjustment having Maggie in our home. Murphy hated her for about the first couple of months, and she was much more high energy than I was used to. Even after an hour or more run, she still wants to play ALL THE TIME and when she's not playing, she's spinning circles in the middle of my living room. She also had some health issues, as she was quite under weight, had itchy skin allergies, and a tape worm.
But after going through the first few months, I can honestly say that I love her as much as I love Murphy. (I never thought I could love a dog as much as I love Murphy.) She's has the sweetest personality. And she is so darned cute that you just can't help loving her. I look forward to giving her a happy life with Murphy and I.
I'm attaching some of my favorite pictures. I took the dogs camping and kayaking with me in Michigan's Upper Peninsula last summer, and Maggie had a ball! At first she was afraid of the water, but after she fell off the kayak a couple of times, it was hard to keep her out of it. We had so much fun!
Please say thank you to all the volunteers who made it possible to give me Maggie.
-Janet Waterstradt
